High Speed Soup Line

Customer: Food Customer

Project Type: Multi Discipline Engineering and Automation Project

Project Scope: Matrix Technologies developed a high speed cream soup line to maximize the customer’s current cooker capacity, and have the ability to increase production rate in the future, when an additional cooker is installed. In addition to the high speed requirements, an all Allen Bradley solution was requested for the control of the 72 head filler and Seamer, including NCNF (no can no fill) and NCNL (no can no lid). According to the filler manufacturer, at 1500 CPM, this is the fastest two-eleven (2/11) soup line in the world.

Matrix provided the concept and detailed engineering design services for the mechanical and electrical systems for the High-Speed Cream Soup Cook Decks, filling line, and associated can conveyors. Matrix also developed system controls for the filling line and Cook Decks, Can code inspection, startup support, and construction management.

Engineering Challenges: At the line speeds required, PLC-based no-can, no-fill had never been used by the filler manufacturer.  Matrix was able to design a reliable system based on off-the-shelf hardware, saving cost and allowing for customer maintenance personnel to support the system.

Products and Technologies Used: System used Rockwell Automation PLCs, FTView, FTBatch and coordinated drive systems.

Project Outcome: The line met the customers’ expectations  for speed and quality, and started up on time.