Dry Pet Food Manufacture
Software, electrical and SCADA for a dry pet food plant, from dough to pack.
The challenge
Dry Pet Food Manufacture
A dough of oils, fats, vitamins and minerals is mixed in a pre-conditioner, heated and extruded under pressure, cut into nibbles, coated in a rotating drum to extend shelf life and improve taste, then packed, with temperatures under control throughout.
The plant
- Food-grade extruder
- Oven, coating, cooling, weighing, sieving and packaging machines
- Temperature control and thermocouples
- Sensors throughout
What we did
- Software, electrical design and SCADA for the plant
- Recipes handled through SCADA
- Part tracking through MES, a paper trail for every batch
- Reporting on how to improve the plant
The process
Step by step
Pre-condition
Extrude
Cut
Coat
Pack
What the system does
In operation
- Every batch made to its recipe
- A paper trail for every batch of product
- Sensors report the state of critical parts, so maintenance can come first