The parameters for cleanliness

Parmagg's spinner-washers have only one thing in common with the well kown household washing machines: clean laundry.

The term "washing machines" certainly makes nobody think immediately of software. With the Pharmagg machines the DataFocus software makes sure that all relevant machine and process data are visualized and logged. It was developed on the basis of VisiWinNET.

The spinner-washers are totally different from the small devices that are usually found in private households. Not only are their external dimensions and the choice of programs of the different type series on a larger scale but also their performance and the load capacities that can reach from 30 to 400 kg, depending on the individual type. Of course, these machines are not meant for the average family, anyway, but are used in care facilities, hospitals or by service providers who professionally clean large quantities of laundry.

Picture 1: A FAVORITplus machine

Two-way loading and unloading

The machines are equipped with an integrated electronic laundry weighing system to control the automatic gentle-on-resources dosage of water and detergents as well as the ideal drum speed. For areas with rigorous hygiene requirements such as in hospitals or within the food or pharmacy industry the spinner-washers are built with clean and unclean ports that are hermetically separated from each other. While loading takes place at the unclean port unloading is from the clean port to avoid any potentially infectious laundry coming in contact with the already cleaned textiles. Particularly rigorous requirements apply to the cleaning of workwear for cleanrooms where maximum hygiene and freedom from dust count. For such areas Pharmagg for example provides the Favorit Highclean cleanroom spinner-washer with all stainless steel valves and seals and v-belt made from highly resistant and abrasion-proof materials. A pneumatic exhaust air valve prevents particle infiltration.

Picture 2: Cleaning drum drive

Transparent monitoring

The operating data monitoring performs three functions important for the user: fistly, it monitors the machine conditions, secondly, it is the basis for logging the cleaning processes which is demanded with textiles for areas with strict hygiene requirements and cleanrooms, and thirdly the user is provided with a summary of both productivity and consumption of the machine. For operation and visualization the machines are provided with an integrated display. The DataFocus software effects monitoring, logging, evaluation and display of the operating data with a PC.

Bild 3: Machine visualization

Within the spinner-washers a ring store records all PLC data. As the capacity is sufficient to record up to two days' events the available data are independent of any time schedules. The PC on which the software runs accesses the store, and writes the data into a databank. In the process a new databank is created for every month to make it easier for the user to organize and file the data presented in tabular form. The user has a choice whether to select the values chronologically or functionally: this way he is not only given a summary of process intervals, dosage data, failure messages and nonoperation periods but he can for example also allocate the laundry weight and the consumption figures to a certain customer, or determine the consumption per kg of laundry. In addition, the temperature patterns of individual cleaning processes, level states, times to add auxiliary cleaning agents and the respective quantities can be displayed. All values are shown in relation to the absolute time.

Picture 4: Display of batch data

On this basis the process quality can be documented in detail as in particular with sensitive hygiene areas a consistent documentation of the laundry treatment is mandatory. The software meets these requirements and all data can be printed out. Over and above this temperature, water level, speed and pH value can be shown as a continuous measured curve. Not least, a visualization provides the user with a summary of all active process states such as valve positions, the current program, heating or detergent dosage.

Different from the otheers

In this application the VisiWinNET software system accomplishes two central tasks: on one hand it provides the interface with the washing machines' memories, reads their values, and writes them into a databank where they are available to all further applications. And on the other VisiWinNET serves as a development tool and runtime environment for the visualizations that display the current states of the spinner-washers.

The fact that in the course of upgrading the machine series control systems of different generations and from different manufacturers were used is not an obstacle. With this application the system communicates via CAN-Bus or Ethernet with the used control systems. Only the appropriate drivers must be loaded.

Other than conventional visualization systems it is fully integrated in Visual Studio .NET. Therefore, the otherwise common disadvantages such as only restricted programming facilities with VBA or the necessity to link databanks through specific interfaces do not apply. A further advantage lies in scalability. Whether the customer wants to link just one or maybe ten machines makes no big difference. The system can be adapted to all conditions by an appropriate configuration.