WiZARTEC® Glossary

CIP cleaning CIP cleaning (Clean In Place) is the automated cleaning of pipes, tanks and equipment without dismantling them. Instead of taking pipes apart and cleaning tanks by hand, water, cleaning solutions and disinfectants are pumped through the installation in a set sequence. A typical cleaning cycle looks like this: pre-rinse with water, which removes most of the product residue, cleaning with an alkaline (caustic) solution, which removes organic soil such as fats and proteins, intermediate rinse with water, cleaning

Migration Migration in industrial automation is the transfer of a control system, software or data from an old platform to a new one, while keeping the existing functions of the installation. Control systems age faster than the machines they control. Manufacturers phase out older controller models and software versions, stop supporting them and stop producing spare parts for them. Old systems are also hard to connect to newer solutions and often do not meet current IT security requirements. Migration means

Retrofit A retrofit is the upgrade of an existing machine, line or installation by replacing or adding selected components, rather than replacing it entirely with a new one. Many machines and installations in plants have a sound mechanical structure that could keep running for many years, but their electrical systems, automation or certain components are outdated. Spare parts are no longer available, breakdowns become more frequent, and the machine no longer meets current requirements for output, safety or data collection.

ROI (return on investment) ROI (return on investment) is an indicator that shows how much a company has gained from an investment relative to its cost. ROI is calculated by comparing the profit or savings generated by an investment with the amount spent on it. The result is expressed as a percentage: ROI = (return from investment − cost of investment) / cost of investment × 100% If a company spent PLN 1 million and the investment generated PLN 1.5

HMI (human-machine interface) An HMI (Human-Machine Interface) is a screen, usually a touchscreen, mounted next to a machine or line, through which the operator can see what is happening in the installation and give it commands. A PLC controls the installation, but it has no screen or buttons through which a person could communicate with it. That is the role of the HMI panel. It is connected to the controller and works in both directions: it displays information: a diagram of

PLC (programmable logic controller) A PLC (programmable logic controller) is an industrial computer that controls the operation of machinery and installations. The PLC is the “brain” of an installation. It works in a continuous cycle: it reads signals from sensors, such as temperature, pressure, tank level or valve position, it runs the program written into it by the automation engineer and, on that basis, decides what needs to be done, it sends commands to devices, such as open a valve,

Hygienic Design Hygienic design is a set of principles for designing machinery, equipment and installations so that product residue and bacteria do not build up in them, and the whole system can be cleaned easily and effectively. Hygienic design principles cover, among other things: materials: stainless steel and plastics approved for food contact are used, resistant to both the products and the cleaning agents, surfaces: they must be smooth, with no gaps, scratches or pores where contaminants could collect, shapes:

Cross-contamination Cross-contamination is the transfer of residues of one product, raw material or contaminant into another product. Cross-contamination can occur when different products pass through the same equipment, pipes or tanks, and something is left behind from the previous product. It can also occur via tools, packaging, air, or workers’ hands and clothing. The consequences depend on what has been transferred: a change in product properties, such as a different colour, taste or smell, allergens, such as nuts, gluten or

Changeover A changeover is the process of switching a production line from making one product to another. A plant often produces several products on a single line, such as different flavours, colours, scents or pack sizes. When the product changes, the line has to be prepared for the new task: emptied of the previous product, often cleaned, fitted with different machine parts (such as change parts for a different bottle size), set to new parameters and started up for the

Production yield Production yield is the amount of finished product a plant obtains from the raw materials it uses. Yield shows what proportion of the raw materials fed into production turns into saleable product. It is usually expressed as a percentage. If a plant used raw materials for 10,000 kg of product and 9,500 kg was sold, the yield is 95%. The remaining 5% is losses. Losses occur at many points in the process, including: residue in pipes and tanks,

Product recovery Product recovery is the amount of product that can be “saved” and used instead of being discarded as waste. In every plant, some product never makes it into packaging. It remains in pipes, tanks, pumps and machines, is generated during product changeovers, or fails to meet requirements during line start-up. If nothing is done with it, it ends up in the wastewater or as waste, and with it go the raw materials, labour, energy and money that went

Driving medium A driving medium is a pressurised gas or liquid that sets something in motion, for example by moving, opening or pumping it. In industrial installations, many devices are not moved by an electric motor, but by the pressure of a gas or liquid. The driving medium is that gas or liquid. It is neither a product nor a raw material itself; it simply provides the force needed to do the work. The most commonly used driving media are: