Coffee Bean Processing With Siemens
We were chosen as the lead programming and commissioning team for coffee bean processing with Siemens controls. The machine consists of a coffee bean cleaner, blender, and load out machine. Siemens was chosen as the main vendor for the controller and visualization (PLC and HMI).
Hardware:
- SiMATIC S7-1500 PLC
- Hilscher Profinet-Modbus/TCP Gateway
- SINAMICS G120C Variable Frequency Drives (VFD)
- 2x SIMATIC HMI Comfort TP1500
- PROFINET and PROFIBUS networks
- Rice Lake Weight Indicators (PROFIBUS)
Software:
- STEP 7 V17 (TIA Portal)
- WinCC Professional V17 (TIA Portal)
- WinCC Comfort V17 (TIA Portal)
- Microsoft SQL Server Express
- Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)
The general steps of the coffee bean processing with Siemens controls is as follows:
- Weigh the coffee beans on pallets and record the weight into an SQL database, and then dump the beans into a loading system that transfers the beans to the bean cleaner.
- As the beans are cleaned, the system weighs them on an output scale in batches of a certain number of pounds at a time, and recorded into SQL.
- The beans are transferred to 1 of 4 different silos – each containing a different type of coffee bean.
- Feeders at the bottom of the silo are set to speeds based on the target percent of the coffee bean blend. (Example: if the target rate is 50000 lbs. (pounds) per hour and the blend is 25%/25%/25%/25%, each feeder is set to 12500 lbs/hour.
- The blended beans from the feeder go to another silo, where there is a 3-position valve and scale to control the flow and weight that loads into bags of about 1800 lbs each (or desired setpoint). These bag weights are recorded into SQL and a bag label is printed.
The WinCC Professional application is the “master HMI” which controls entire system, including the coffee bean blend recipe management system, which is stored in SQL database tables. The ingredients are stored in an database table, as well as the recipes for blends that specify the percentages and ingredients for each blend. The recipes are recalled for production, and the destination silo can be chosen just prior to loading and cleaning of the beans. Lot numbers are also used to track the input weight against the output weight to determine the loss of weight after cleaning the outer peels and other waste that were cleaned from the beans. The pre-cleaned weight and post-cleaned weights are stored in the database by ingredient and lot number.
The one of the 15″ Comfort HMIs (TP1500) has a copy of the main SCADA screen for the loading the beans into the cleaner, and the other has a copy of the screen for unloading the blended beans into bags. The output blended weight per bag, blend code, date/time, unloaded beans, job number, and PO number are also tracked in an SQL database table. The SCADA (WinCC Professional) also triggers the printing of a label to put on each bag unloaded from the system.
Using SQL Server Reporting Services, we developed reports of the weights for the beans loaded, cleaned, and blended out of the system. They can go back and clearly see the losses in weight from loading to cleaning to loading out. Loses come from bean peels from cleaning, and minor bean spillage from being dumped on conveyors.
System function highlights and challenges:
- recording of vital data to SQL database
- customized web-based reports using MS SSRS
- tracking of product by ingredient and lot number
- minimized risk of intermixing ingredients on the loading input side
- printing of labels for final production output
- capability of starting to load the next blend if any component silo(s) is/are empty – this was a customer driven request to save production time.
- calculation of blending feed rates based on the fastest feeder (feeder with highest percent ingredient in the blend)
- Hilscher PROFINET to Modbus RTU gateway configuration for the blending feeders
- VNC connection from a tablet so forklift drivers could access information about the ingredients and lot numbers needed to retrieve from inventory
Coffee bean processing with Siemens controls is one of our showcase projects where software development was new from beginning to end.
WinCC Professional Screenshots:
Coffee Bean Loading
Coffee Bean Cleaning
Cleaned Coffee Bean Silos (Bins)
Coffee Beans Load Out
Recipe Page
Coffee Bean Component Page
