Paper slitting machines from American machine builder JSI are well-connected indeed. By using HMS technology, JSI can remotely access and control the machine via the internet and also enable wired and wireless communication between different parts of the machine. All this allows JSI to offer an even more competitive and connected machine.

The problem

The round slitter blades that cut the paper in JSI’s machines are extremely sharp and can be dangerous to handle manually. Therefore, JSI and Millennium Controls designed a robotic blade-changing system using a robotic arm from Fanuc Robotics.

The robot changes the sharp blades automatically, without operators having to touch them. But even if the blades can be changed automatically, operators still have to go up to the HMI of the machine which put them in close vicinity to the sharp blades.

Therefore, JSI and Millennium Controls looked for a way to access the machine from a distance.

JSI utilized three products from HMS to get connected in different ways:

1. By mounting an Anybus Wireless Bolt on the paper slitting machine, JSI can offer wireless communication between the PLC cabinet and different parts of the machine.

2. To access the machine via the Internet, JSI and Millennium Controls installed an eWON Cosy from HMS.

3. To enable a Modbus-TCP stack-light to communicate on EtherNet/IP, JSI used HMS’s EtherNet/IP Linking Device.

Changing slitter blades manually can be a dangerous task. With the help of eWON Cosy, operators can view the same thing on a tablet or smartphone as they would on the machine HMI, allowing for remote access inside the plant or indeed, anywhere in the world.