OMAC demo at Pack Expo Las Vegas

• Acumence: MES
• Wago: Controller
• Beckhoff: Controller
• Siemens: Controller, HMI, MES
• Kepware: Controller
• Iconics: HMI
• B&R: Controller
• Elau: Controller
• GE Fanuc: MES

"All of the controllers must be able to communicate with the HMI and MES systems using PackML and Pack Tags," says Bauman. "The OPC Foundation is helping us with the intercommunication testing since this communication will be via OPC. The demo will show the ease of integration of controller, HMI, and MES when leveraging PackML, PackTags, and OPC. The OMAC Packaging Workgroup (OPW) believes that in order to implement a world class packaging operation you need to integrate your packaging machines to get the desired productivity, reliability, flexibility, and tie-in to business systems."

Pack Expo Las Vegas, sponsored by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, runs October 15-17.

Bauman notes two other developments at OMAC Packaging Workgroup:

• The PackML team in the last year has released updates to both PackML and PackTags. PackML V3.0 now supports multiple modes. Prior to this, PackML only supported the automatic mode. In addition there are some changes to better align with the S88 process model. PackML V3.0 also addesses and discusses backward compatibility with the previous version.
• PackTags V2.0 has been upgraded to V3.0 and has been expanded and adapted to support multi-mode functionality as well as to take advantage of the new naming conventions in today's PLCs.

PackML V3.0 and PackTags V3.0, says Bauman, are now in the process of being integrated into the ISA S88 Part 5 standard so that these guidelines will now become standards.