Upgrading components in manufacturing process equipment is something that plant engineers take very seriously, and think through carefully. Equipment upgrade options are inspected and tested empirically before a selection is made. The newly modified machine must operate flawlessly to fulfill the requirements of the facility, and must integrate smoothly with other designated equipment within the plant. However, too often engineers end up settling with less capability from their new components solely because of compatibility issues with their control systems.
These compatibility issues can bring the entire upgrade project to a standstill until a suitable solution is found. For original equipment manufacturers the endeavor to make component changes to their production machines is critically magnified in importance. OEMs have to take into consideration the machine's operating variables for the wide spectrum of their clients' plant usages, as well as the integration of the full gamut of equipment options that will interface with the machine. Weiler Engineering, Inc., an original equipment manufacturer of aseptic blow-fill-seal machines, is one company that confronted serious PLC compatibility issues when its original controls supplier changed its product offering.
Weiler Engineering is a provider of aseptic custom packaging machinery for pharmaceutical and healthcare applications, and its machines are distributed worldwide. Based in Elgin, IL, and founded in 1959, Weiler's proprietary blow-fill-seal system is the culmination of 40 years of innovation in machine design and sterile process development, producing a highly advanced aseptic liquid packaging system. The company's ASEP-TECH blow-fill-seal technology integrates blow molding, sterile filling and hermetic sealing in one continuous operation to produce aseptically manufactured products.
The company uses the latest technological advances in equipment design and systems to ensure the highest level of quality in the production of sterile liquid products. The ability to provide these products, which must meet corporate, scientific, regulatory and end-user requirements, can be a quite demanding. These application challenges are met by specific container and closure designs available with its systems.