With so many survey respondents clamoring for standardization among packaging machines, one would almost think that things like PackML and PackTags don’t exist. Both emerged out of the work being done by the OMAC Packaging Workgroup (www.omac.org), and they hold tremendous potential for bringing about much of the standardization that buyers and users of packaging machinery would like to see.
PackML is a packaging machinery language aimed at encouraging packaging machinery OEMs to adhere to a common machine state model so that machine states such as stopped, running, waiting, producing, and so on would be the same across the board. Part of the PackML specification are PackTags. These standardize how packaging line data—machine states, modes, commands—are communicated. Data stored in each machine’s controller can be readily compared only if the field names and data values are consistent. PackTags are designed to bring that consistency.
PackML and PackTags are both key components in the Plug-and-Pack guidelines developed by OMAC Packaging Workgroup. Plug-and-Pack is to packaging machines what “plug-and-play” is to computers, representing the ideal of easily integrating packaging machines from different vendors, regardless of the make or model of machine controller.
See the story that goes with this sidebar: ‘Standardize!’ say survey respondents
