AIPACK Packing Machinery
The Mexican company AIPACK belongs to the MHIBA PACK group and is a manufacturer of packaging solutions for the food and beverage industry, with an emphasis on tubular bag and bag filling and sealing machines. In the past, the company used automation components from different suppliers for its installations.
Now, AIPACK has decided to chose ABB as their exclusive supplier of PLCs, operator panels as well as of motors, drives and contactors - for the entire range from low-end solutions to high-end special-purpose machinery. The ABB components fulfill all the requirements AIPACK has with respect to user-friendliness and robustness.
The Automation Solution
ABB's scope of supplies:
- the AC500-eCo automation system for small, inexpensive handling and sealing machines for bags;
- the AC500 automation system for large packing machines with room for additional options;
- the E/A module for thermocouple (optional);
- the CP415 to CP430 operator panels; and
- one to four ABB ACS150 and ACS350 frequency converters.
The ABB Products
The AC500-eCo is a small control system that embodies a stand-alone solution to control drives and processes. The scalability and the platform concept allow the control to be configured as required in the individual application. The AC500-eCo is designed as an entry into the AC500 PLC range and is a cost-effective solution for small-scale industrial applications.
The AC500 product family comprises high-performance PLCs for small, medium and large-scale applications, not only for central, but also for decentral control concepts. The high scalability makes it easy to adapt the AC500 to existing automation environments. Universal hardware is configured via software. It is particularly worth noting that the software tools and the programmed code are identical for all controls.
The CP400 operator panel series includes touch terminals, terminals with functional buttons and hybrid terminals in various basic models and display sizes. Depending on the individual application, users are able to choose the devices that suit the specific case best. The advantage: the customer pays only for the technology that is actually needed.
The Benefit for the Customer
Apart from the confidence the brand "ABB" stands for AIPACK, it was also the flexibility of the automation solutions that made the Mexican customer decide in favor of ABB. The ABB control configuration can be adapted to the type of machinery on site with respect to both costs and function. And, there is no need to change the engineering software, as it had been the case with the previous supplier. To opt for ABB as one partner for all automation technology issues means for AIPACK also lower transaction costs, a single contact address for support and service as well as fewer interface-related questions.