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Why PackML is good for packaging lines

What is PackML? Simply, it is a standardized way of looking at machine states, operating modes and tag names plus a modular approach to machine control code.

It is being incorporated into ISA 88, the standard that for nearly two decades has proved its viability in the process control world.

For an in-depth description, links in this chapter will show you how to purchase the ISA documentation, see a demo on the OMAC website, and find the Wikipedia page describing the history and fundamentals of PackML.

Bottom line – PackML will make it easier for you to get consistent data out of machines on a packaging line from different OEMs and implemented using different control systems.  It gives operators and technicians a common look and feel.  It also promotes modularity, which, properly applied, streamlines programming and troubleshooting.

On a solitary machine this is interesting.  But start producing lots of machines or installing lines, and the economies of scale really favor those who’ve adopted PackML.  Start looking to gather production data for OEE or MES in a multivendor environment and PackML becomes a must-have.

What PackML isn’t is rocket science.  PackML merely standardizes commonly used machine modes, states and tag names.  The fact that every machine builder, software supplier and integrator has in the past had to develop their own incompatible terms is why PackML exists…as well as why some of these suppliers are reluctant to give up their proprietary solutions.

It is important to note that PackML does not impinge on a machine builder’s intellectual property, it simply standardizing aspects of communication the way that Ethernet TCP/IP did for non-realtime networking.

PackML benefits: a snapshot
PackML stands for the Packaging Machinery Language. It provides a standardized way to collect uniform data across machines, lines, shifts, plants and business units.  This uniformity is essential to productivity-enhancing initiatives such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) analysis and to simplify MES functions.

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