Know about a company that use the Helmholz´s switches.
In the meantime there are more than 6,500 EREMA systems being used around the globe, which annually produce a total of more than 14.5 million tons of plastic granulate of the highest quality adapted to needs. (Source: EREMA)
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PROFINET switches from Helmholz with EREMA
Future-proof machine networks.
Those who, like EREMA, build machines and systems with
a very long service life, always have an eye onthe future.
Which is why the Austrian specialist for plastic recycling systems
has trusted in PROFINET since the introduction of the latest
control system generation. PROFINET switches from Helmholz
play a central role in the realization of the corresponding
machine networks.
In a study cited by the bvse professional association for
plastic recycling (www. bvse.de), the business consultancy
McKinsey anticipated 80 percent more plastic waste worldwide
for the current decade until 2030. There is thus no question:
the global consumption of plastic has been increasing rapidly
for years – and with it the need for high-performance recycling
systems, particularly as the recycling quota is increasing in many markets.
EREMA has also grown with this development: started in 1983
as a pioneer of the industry, the company, with its head office
in Ansfelden near Linz in Austria, is today the global market leader and
the undisputed number one in the development and manufacture
of plastic recycling machine and system components. In the meantime
there are more than 6,500 EREMA systems being used around the
globe, which annually produce a total of more than 14.5 million tons of
plastic granulate of the highest quality adapted to needs.
 Innovation meets robustness
The international customers appreciate the high degree of
innovation of EREMA as a technology leader. At least as
important for recyclers, however, is the robustness of their systems.
These should ultimately run for many years without malfunctions under
the rough conditions typical for the industry and reliably ensure the
best results. For EREMA, as a provider of the corresponding solutions,
this means, as formulated by Markus: “Our target group attaches
great importance to the durability of their systems. It thus doesn’t
always have to be the latest technology, but it must function well and
sustainably.” Given the very long service life for which the machines
and systems of EREMA are designed, the software engineer thereby
always has an eye on the future: what we build today still needs to
meet all requirements in 15 or 20 years.”
Against this background, EREMA converted the control system
technology for all systems around three years ago from Profibus to
future capable Industrial Ethernet; more precisely, to PROFINET,
because around 95 percent of the control systems used are Siemens
products. However, as justified as this decision was, it initially meant
entirely concrete challenges for Markus and his colleagues:
“We were particularly challenged by the question of how we can
cleanly position machine networks on a PROFINET basis,” he looks back.
The use of PROFINET switches had already been decided upon
at this stage of the decision making process, because they are
principally best suited as network components for the specific
requirements of PROFINET. That means: with a transmission
speed of 100 Mbps, they, for example, regenerate signals,
receive them, and forward them in a targeted fashion.
However, the question of the optimal model was initially open.
Decision for Helmholz
The answer should provide a comprehensive provider analysis in the
sector of PROFINET components. The technical decision makers didn’t
make it easy for themselves in the process: “This is of course a very large
market, and we really looked at a great many manufacturers,” according to
the automation experts.
Among the analyzed companies was also Helmholz from Erlangen, which is
represented in Austria by Buxbaum Automation GmbH in Eisenstadt.
The German manufacturer was not unknown to EREMA: they had
already acquired memory cards from Helmholz for a longer period of time.
These were especially developed for use in the control system series
SIMATIC S7- 1200/1500 from Siemens and have proven themselves
at EREMA as high performance alternatives. Nonetheless, Helmholz had to
prove itself onceagain as a provider of PROFINET switches in the context
of the market analysis – and ultimately convinced with a whole
series of arguments.
 Following a comprehensive market analysis, EREMA uses managed PROFINET
Markus names the following as the “main reason”: “Helmholz
switches work.” And this is not at all self-explanatory in the
competitive environment, as the many practical tests in the
course of the market analysis showed. The compact design
and the user-friendliness were additional arguments in favor
of Helmholz products: “They can be installed in a way that
saves space, they are easy to integrate, and they can be easily
configured,“ the professional states. And not least, in the face of
around 300 new machines annually, the good price-performance
ratio is also an important criterion.
In concrete terms, managed PROFINET switches from Helmholz
are used as a standard in the 8-port variant (for the connection
with eight network participants) and with 16 ports for larger machines.
“They primarily take over the logical setup of our machine networks,”
is how Markus describes the main task of the intelligent components.
“Logical” in this connection means: the network can be set up in the
same way as the individual functions using the switches. This
guarantees not only optimized data distribution and stable
network operation, but also provides advantages with regard to the
wiring, which can be represented as follows from a practical perspective:
“Thanks to the logical setup of the network, I don’t need to guide
the cable through through the whole machine. That saves time and
money for the installation and at the same time increases the reliability
of the later operation of the machine.” “They primarily take over the
logical setup of our machine networks,” is how Markus describes
the main task of the intelligent components.
Practical experiences and a look into the future
The PROFINET switches from Helmholz in fact also prove to be
“very robust and reliable” in practical operation, as Markus from EREMA
reports: “The experiences of our customers are very positive. In the
event of the failure of a switch, the machine would come to an immediate
standstill, and the customer would contact us very quickly. This in fact
happens only extremely rarely.”
At the same time, EREMA already has an eye on the next development step.
In this way, the company is currently attempting, for example, supported
by Helmholz and the Austrian sales partner Buxbaum Automation, the
safe and efficient integration of a machine into a higher level production
network via the Industrial Ethernet Bridge and Firewall WALL IE.
This is because one thing is certain, according to software engineer
Markus: “Network technology will become even more important in future.”
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