Coperon Group specializes in the research, development, and production of complete extrusion equipment and related production systems for the plastics, chemical, and food industries. Coperon products are widely used in the formulation, processing, and extrusion of a variety of materials. Approximately 500 machines are equipped with B&R technology, which provides visualization of the processing while ensuring consistently high product quality. What do cables, chewing gum, sound insulation materials, adhesives, dog food, pills, car body panels, and breakfast cereals have in common? These questions might stump most contestants on the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" This isn't the concern of Dipl.-Ing. Jurgen Rebmann (Head of Software Development and Automation at Coperon Werner & Pfleiderer GmbH & Co. KG). What he's really concerned with is combining different materials: the production of the products listed above all involve extruders, which are considered "mixing machines" manufactured by Coperon. The company's equipment and systems are used worldwide for plastics, coatings, sealing compounds, animal feed, snacks, and even laboratory and large-scale production of specialty cements, which will not be elaborated upon here. The main applications are in the processing of technical plastics, using thermoforming and blow molding machines for further processing and powder coating production. The mixer works like a dough mixer, combining a specific amount of flour, water, and other ingredients. The mixer is manufactured by Coperon Werner & Friedel GmbH, a subsidiary of the Coperon Group, based in Stuttgart. The mixer operates similarly to a dough mixer but can operate continuously and utilizes a more complex process. Screw components particularly suited to this process (Coperon process engineers can choose from approximately 1000 types of screws) are arranged on two parallel shafts, meshing to carefully and efficiently transfer and mix the raw materials. A metering device allows for a continuous and accurate input of raw materials. The material must undergo heating, cooling, degassing, kneading, or pressure conditioning. During this process, the screws are located in a processing area containing a mold. This frame module can be individually heated or cooled, and its design facilitates the input or degassing of talc, carbonized fiber, or even wood chips. Machine operators select programs or necessary processes based on different materials. Coperion assembles the necessary frame modules and screw components according to customer needs. [align=center]The ZSK extruder control unit is equipped with an X20 module and a Power Panel[/align] , significantly reducing the number of commissioning runs. “We offer particularly compact standard machines for programs with fewer than 32 control zones or a maximum screw diameter of 133 mm,” explains Jorgen Reibmann. “Our main goal in developing this new generation of machines is to reduce start-up time and lower the overall system cost.” In the past, an engineer would spend weeks or even months on-site to get the machine into production. Since the end of 2000, our delivered machines can be commissioned in just a few hours or days. This significant reduction in start-up time and effort is largely due to the control architecture based on B&R technology. Regardless of the actual configuration, the control program always covers the largest layouts, including various machine tool options. “With this standardization, the software is fully tested, and we only need to select the components relevant to the task, without wasting time programming,” notes Patrick Bruder, Dipl.-Ing. (BA), an employee of Coperlon responsible for B&R controllers. The industrial computer Provit5000 connects to the B&R touchscreen for control visualization, work logs, and recipe management. This is supported by the B&R controller 2003, which communicates with the industrial computer through a series of interfaces. I/O and frequency converters send or receive data via CAN-bus (Control Area Network). Coperlon provides two controller variables based on B&R technology. The CSseparate control technology is housed in a switch cabinet separate from the machine. If the complexity (i.e., the control range) is not too great, the control technology can also be placed on the machine (CScompact). Depending on the machine configuration, the controller can be expanded with an add-on module. “B&R Ethernet and Profibus modules make it easy to integrate with Ethernet or Profibus interfaces,” Patrick Bruder summarizes the advantages of B&R technology. Coperlon incorporated its entire model suite from the 2003 system into its machines. Even the controller was placed under high-requirement conditions, such as the cooling model. Bruder noted, “For the cooling process, water is pulsed into the cooling holes at approximately 200 milliseconds to evaporate it, achieving the necessary cooling effect. It is crucial to ensure that no excessive amount of cold water fails to reach the system, as this would lead to dangerous material stress.” The X20 offers exceptional flexibility . As per Coperlon's requirements, each machine is controlled by a B&R soft PID controller. “We could have taken other solutions. However, B&R was the best in our overall evaluation, which compared it with products from several suppliers, and its performance, flexibility, and price were optimal,” said Jorgen Reibmann. Even B&R’s latest innovations reflect the company’s enthusiasm: the controller for the latest component in the ZSK MEGA extruder series—the Laborextruder ZSK MEGAbab18—was recently equipped with the X20 system, B&R’s latest control system and Power Panel. “We’ve only just begun selling the X20 system, which is even more compact and flexible,” said the head of software development and automation. “We will continue to adapt our other machines to B&R’s new production lines. As we see today, this will allow us not only to benefit from the latest technology but also to further reduce the overall system cost.” [align=center]Twin-screw side feeder on the ZSK MEGA mixer[/align]