Mitsubishi Electric control system helps VCSP reduce conveyor configuration time by 75%

(See Mitsubishi Electric at Machine Building North, 10 April 2025, on stand 81)

In partnership with Clarke Controls, the company has developed a new control system for conveyor manufacturer VCSP to use on its portfolio of material handling systems for delicate foods such as poultry, salads and snacks.

The revised control system, which has helped reduce configuration time between product runs from 60 to 15 minutes, features a Mitsubishi Electric GOT 2000 HMI with VNC remote access option.

With an IP67 rating and touchscreen interface, the new design allows operators to reconfigure the conveyor quickly and easily without repeatedly opening the panel. In turn, this reduces the likelihood of material residue entering and contaminating the panel when the conveyor is reconfigured between product runs. It also prevents the potential for water ingress and subsequent damage to control cards due if the panel is not closed properly.

Macauley Moore, Managing Director at VCSP, commented: "Many of our customers are using their conveyors to support multiple different product runs each day. Given the strict hygiene requirements of the food industry, the unit needs to be fully cleaned between each run.

"The new control system has eliminated the need for operators to open the panel when reconfiguring the conveyor between product runs. Not only has this has reduced the likelihood of human error when closing the panel, which could lead to water ingress and potential damage to the control cards; it also removes any risk of food material contaminating the control system."

A core feature of the new control system is the Mitsubishi Electric FX series PLC with analogue I/O functionality. This is used to set the required running vibration frequency to the conveyor and is incremented by a stroke length of 0.1mm to achieve the controlled, rhythmic flow necessary to effortlessly move produce along the conveyor path.

Operators can either make numerical adjustments to the frequency or use a slider on the HMI without the need to open the panel. The control panel also includes a series of built-in safeguards to prevent over-stroking linked to accidental operator error.

As well as contributing to a robust hygiene infrastructure, the new control system has helped reduce cleaning and reconfiguration time by 75%. Not only does this increase machine uptime, but it also enables end users to complete more product runs in a comparable timeframe. The built-in VNC remote access functionality also contributes to the improved uptime through fast diagnostics and machine maintenance.

Mr Moore adds: "The technology featured in our new control panel is more commonly found on large-scale food production lines, however we believe this is one of the first examples of it being deployed on individual conveyors. We see it as critical point-of difference for operators looking to increase the productivity of their conveyor systems without compromising on hygiene. This could not be achieved without the exceptional quality of the Mitsubishi Electric components and the close working partnership between both companies and Clarke Controls."

Richard Allen, OEM Business Development Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, adds: "Our aim is to help OEMs build the best machines they can and VCSP is a fantastic example of a machine builder looking to demonstrate a different way of doing things for the food processing industry. The new control system provides a tangible step change in hygiene, uptime and productivity, which in turn will help protect and preserve the integrity of the conveyor system for the end user while delivering a significantly improved ROI."