Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Bar Glass Printing Equipment Maker Taps Omron for Motion and Ethernet-based Networking

Silk-screen on glass printing equipment manufacturer selects Omron Industrial Automation for 9-axis, Ethernet-based motion control, multiple HMIs and I/O. In addition to technology advantages, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cites Omron Industrial Automation’s end-to-end application engineering and field support as a key benefit

Pw 15589 Feature2 350

This content was written and submitted by the supplier. It has only been modified to comply with this publication’s space and style.

Cheswick, Pennsylvania-based Miller Process Coating is an OEM that specializes in turnkey solutions for cylindrical silkscreen printing applications. “The major technical challenge that Miller's customers face is printing on a tapering round surface,” says Tim Bradac, key account manager for Omron Industrial Automation. “Most of the machines they build are used by companies that print bar glasses—pint glasses for draft beer. Print consistency was the number one problem they were trying to address when we started working with them.”

Part of the challenge for Miller was engineering support. While they had internal resources for mechanical engineering, they contracted out electrical engineering to a competitive vendor for controls. Unfortunately, the support they received from that vendor was sporadic.

“We offered a total solution,” says Bradac. “As a solutions provider, we were there from start to finish, helping with everything from machine specifications to machine fabrication, including training on how to program the machine and providing post-production support. Once a machine is delivered to one of Miller’s customers, Omron Industrial Automation, as a global company, is there to support those customers, wherever they are.”

Printing the Perfect Pint Glass
The specific package Omron Industrial Automation provided to Miller consisted of a Trajexia stand-alone advanced motion controller and four touchscreen Human Machine Interfaces (HMI). The 64-bit stand-alone Trajexia controller, with built-in EtherCAT master, provides a significant improvement in machine performance and accuracy, allowing them to run their machines faster for higher productivity during the same working hours. The Trajexia TJ2 ensures the fastest operation at the highest accuracy by providing a short minimum system cycle time for up to 64 axes and using native 64-bit integers to minimize data conversion and accelerate processing. The Miller application uses nine of the possible 64 axes available.

"This Omron solution does a fantastic job in meeting our current requirements, but it’s also reassuring to know that the controller can coordinate 16 axes in 1ms for our future machine platforms as they expand into higher ranges," says Pat Quattrocci, president, Miller Process Coating.

One of the HMIs acts as a master that stores all the recipe data for the various print models Miller has, and the other three are slaves for set up and starting or stopping operation/production. As a four-sided machine, there are four operators working on it at any given time. The machine provides each operator with the ability to do his or her own prints.

2024 PACK EXPO Innovations Reports
Exclusive access: Packaging World editor-curated reports revealing PACK EXPO's most groundbreaking technologies across food, healthcare, and machinery sectors. Each report features truly innovative solutions selected from hundreds of exhibitors by our expert team. Transform your operations with just one click.
Access Now
2024 PACK EXPO Innovations Reports
Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!
At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, you’ll see machinery in action and new tech from 2,300 suppliers, collaborate with experts and explore transformative solutions. Join us this September to experience a breakthrough in packaging and processing.
REGISTER NOW AND SAVE
Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!