Emerson Showcases Packaging Solutions Advance Future of Automation at PACK EXPO 2024

Global technology, software and engineering leader Emerson exhibited its latest Floor to Cloud packaging solutions at PACK EXPO in Chicago, Nov. 3-6, 2024. Advancing the boundless future of automation, Emerson factory automation solutions and its Floor to Cloud approach empower smarter packaging lines and more efficient processes that make it possible for manufacturers to continuously improve plant productivity, sustainability and safety.

Visitors to North Building Level, Booth 5345, viewed highlights from the extensive portfolio, which includes AVENTICS, Branson, Movicon, PACEdge and PACSystems solutions. Packaging automation experts demonstrated how a Floor to Cloud approach unlocks trapped data and connects islands of automation, giving manufacturers the visibility and control to solve critical challenges and ambitious goals. Attendees will learn how to accelerate net zero progress, raise overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) asset by asset, and empower teams with data to drive continuous improvement across the factory floor.

Presentation and event highlights

In addition to showcasing its innovative packaging automation solutions, Emerson also sponsored two events, the annual Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) breakfast and the Amazing Packaging Race.

All women registered for PACK EXPO Chicago were invited to the free PPWLN breakfast and program on Tuesday, November 4, at 7:30 a.m. in West Building, Room W-375. Following the breakfast, attendees had the opportunity for a private show floor tour and participate in a Q&A with Lisa Propati, vice president and general manager of Weiler Labeling Systems, as well as other packaging executives.

As part of the Amazing Packaging Race, teams from U.S. colleges, trade schools and universities raced to complete tasks and solve problems at booths across the PACK EXPO show floor.

Product highlights

Emerson Energy Manager
The Energy Manager is a pre-engineered hardware and software solution designed to simplify energy monitoring from quick set up to intuitive operation. Ready out of the box, the Energy Manager monitors asset energy use in real time, allowing manufacturers to gain deeper insight into energy consumption and operating costs. Through its easy-to-use dashboard, operators can access asset-specific consumption, associated costs and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for up to 10 end points (expandable to 50 with a license). This level of immediate visibility can empower facility teams to reduce packaging utility costs, lower carbon dioxide emissions and maximize energy and operational efficiency. For more extensive media and utilities monitoring, the Energy Manager can be paired with the Emerson Compressed Air Manager. The combined solution provides a streamlined view of energy costs and compressed air usage across a packaging line, factory and site.

AVENTICS Series XV Pneumatic Valves
Next-generation AVENTICS Series XV Pneumatic Valves provide greater automation flexibility and optimized flow for packaging lines, including compact handling systems and complex automation solutions. Series XV valves feature multiple interoperable valve sizes, higher flow rates in a compact design and an extensive portfolio of accessories. With broad connectivity, Series XV valves support leading fieldbus protocols to simplify integration into machine control networks. They come in multiple pneumatic connection directions with metal threads, parallel wiring and aluminum base plates that make Series XV valves easier to integrate into equipment designs. Simple to commission, engineers can use the AVENTICS online configurator to quickly design valves to specification and speed up machine development.

AVENTICS Series Advanced Electronic System (AES) With Integrated OPC UA
The award-winning AVENTICS Series Advanced Valve (AV) system with Advanced Electronic System (AES) is the first pneumatic valve system with an integrated Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA). The AES helps interoperability challenges and accesses data more easily, while the digital twin integration improves productivity efficiency and reduces costs.

AVENTICS Series AF2 Flow Sensor
AVENTICS Series AF2 Flow Sensors have helped plants around the world successfully reduce compressed air consumption and improve energy efficiency. By monitoring air consumption in pneumatic systems, AF2 sensors enable rapid intervention if leaks occur, helping optimize energy consumption, reach net-zero targets, prevent machine downtime and reduce costs. Emerson now offers a high flow model of this advanced sensor that propels compressed air monitoring beyond individual machines to benefit larger air lines and systems. This expanded capability allows users to easily optimize energy consumption across an entire packaging facility and improve overall plant sustainability.

Multimedia Monitoring Solution
The multimedia monitoring solutions, including CoreTigo wireless communication, analyze water, compressed air, gases, electricity, steam (WAGES) and other utilities. The Edge Analytics Dashboard measures efficiency, optimizes productivity and avoids or reduces downtime. Emerson experts will demonstrate the multimedia monitoring cabinet solution and the insights it offers, which will support meeting sustainability goals.

Movicon.NExT HMI/SCADA
Movicon.NExT HMI/SCADA is a highly modular, highly scalable platform that goes beyond SCADA to solve automation problems for both CPGs and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), from the single machine level to a complete plantwide IIoT project implementation. Among Movicon.NExT modules, Movicon Pro.Lean provides performance data and analytics for evaluations of OEE and Movicon Pro.Energy measures and tracks consumption, while the advanced Movicon NExT.AR solves operational problems through visualization tools that allow personnel to evaluate previously unreachable equipment. For maximum flexibility, Emerson also provides Movicon WebHMI, an HTML5-based visualization tool that can be used as a stand-alone HMI product running on Windows or Linux operator panels, or as a Web Client for Movicon.NExT SCADA applications, as well as Connext, an industrial protocol gateway.

PACSystems Panel
Industrial edge software and solutions help analyze and solve problems where they occur — at the machine edge. PACSystems Edge Solutions is the most advanced portfolio of edge computing and control systems and includes edge hardware and software that help significantly simplify problem-solving at the machine level and allow easy, cost-effective analytics and communication at the edge. Included in the panel is the PACSystems RSTi-EP CPE200 compact controller family, which delivers large PLC capability in a compact, rugged design. It provides security-by-design, open programming and open communications built in, significantly reducing cost and complexity.

AVENTICS Series SPRA Electric Rod-Style Linear Actuator
AVENTICS Series SPRA electric rod-style linear actuator is an efficient, high-performance actuator that offers improved load capacity, accuracy and reliability. In addition to outstanding precision and repeatability, the Series SPRA is also extremely versatile and flexible, with a choice of three different screw technologies that allow implementation in a wide variety of (demanding) applications. Compliance with the ISO-15552 standard, easy-to-use online sizing and selection tools and a wide range of mounting accessories ensure simple selection of the appropriate linear motion solution for the application.

AVENTICS AV Valve Systems
AVENTICS Advanced Valve Systems form a reliable basis for both compact handling systems and complex automation solutions. Especially in the area of machine safety, the AV family offers intelligent solutions that significantly reduce effort when creating a safe design. The valves of the AV family — AV03 and AV05 — have set standards with their diagonal spool in both sizes. They are characterized by an excellent volume flow ratio and a record-breaking energy balance. With the serial Advanced Electronic System (AES) interface, the AV valve system communicates effortlessly with modern controllers via all common fieldbus systems. The modular electronics form the basis for high networking, flawless data transmission and integration into Internet-of-Things concepts.

Edge Devices and Software
Emerson edge devices combine the best deterministic controllers on the market with secure, nondeterministic controllers for analytics and machine learning algorithms to proactively optimize business outcomes. These rugged devices are designed for remote industrial areas and equipped with our vendor-agnostic PACEdge software to safely run nondeterministic applications. This reduces latency and meets all application performance requirements.

AVENTICS G3 Electronic Fieldbus Platform
In today's highly automated machines, the AVENTICS valve system of the Series G3 electronic fieldbus platform replaces conventional, hard-wired solutions. It integrates communication interfaces with pneumatic valve systems that have input/output (I/O) capabilities. This next-generation electronic platform provides easy access to connections. It is easy to assemble, install, commission and maintain. The functionality of the G3 enables programmable logic controllers to turn valves on and off more efficiently and transmit I/O data from sensors, indicator lights, relays, individual valves or other I/O devices on a channel basis over various industrial networks. The G3 has an easy-to-read graphic display, which can be used for configuration, commissioning and diagnostics. It offers application, performance and serviceability improvements for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and end users alike.

Compressed Air Manager
The Compressed Air Manager provides visualization and benchmarking for compressed air and gas consumption for a machine, production line or across multiple sites. A pre-designed Edge enabled cabinet solution powers the monitoring and serves as a foundation to connect and scale across multiple machines and lines via the AVENTICS Series AF2. The Compressed Air Monitoring App, which comes pre-installed on the Edge Device is easily configurable and continuously monitors and analyzes data coming from the sensors. The Compressed Air Manager transforms available data via an embedded dashboard with KPIs where operators can easily visualize consumption trends, costs, benchmarks and CO2 impact. This data empowers users with greater insights to help reduce energy costs, improve sustainability and streamline maintenance.

Branson GSX-E1 Ultrasonic Welder
The Branson GSX-E1 ultrasonic welder, and the advanced automation systems it enables, helps manufacturers improve efficiency and reach sustainability goals. Controls automatically monitor critical weld parameters in real time, delivering actionable performance and diagnostic data to help determine OEE (overall equipment effectiveness), enable traceability and optimize maintenance. The welder’s market-leading encryption technology ensures data integrity and security. Compared to joining techniques like heat sealing, adhesives or mechanical fasteners, ultrasonic welders like the Branson GSX-E1 use less electricity, require no consumable materials and yield less waste, cutting assembly-line carbon footprints.

Wireless Automation Solutions
Optimize every stage of the manufacturing process with real-time control, monitoring and data analysis provided by next-generation wireless automation solutions from Emerson and CoreTigo. These wireless automation solutions connect devices and unlock trapped data. The combination of expertise from Emerson and industrial wireless technology from CoreTigo results in a fully connected ecosystem that can reduce inefficiencies and help customers get to market faster. Wireless automation systems feature IO-Link Wireless, a deterministic, highly reliable and scalable universal wireless communication protocol with low latency (5 milliseconds) and low synchronization rates (tens of microseconds).

About Emerson

Emerson is a global technology and software company providing innovative solutions for the world’s essential industries. Through its leading automation portfolio, including its majority stake in AspenTech, Emerson helps hybrid, process and discrete manufacturers optimize operations, protect personnel, reduce emissions and achieve their sustainability goals.