Advanced Automated Control for Semi-Hard Cheese Production Line

The paper introduces the case of modernizing a semi-hard cheese production line at the OOO Region-treid cheese and butter plant, Samara, Russia. An optimized control system allowed the plant to increase its performance. The modernization involved a flux meter sensor DRS.M-25300 to monitor the supply of raw materials, an additional feedback channel, and a programmable logic controller Owen KMU1-230.R, connected to all functional feedback channels. The mathematical model of the production control system was represented as a generalized transfer function verified in the SimInTech dynamic modeling environment: it compared the quality indicators before and after modernization. The authors developed a software for assessing the quality indicators of the linear dynamic systems. As a result, the control time dropped from 11.1 s to 2.9 s while the system stability increased from 0.27 to 1.03. After the modernization, the system retained its original reliability of 90%. The control system demonstrated a higher stability and speed, which improved the performance of the technological line. The quality of the finished product before and after modernization was assessed using a FOODSCAN analyzer. The total quality indicator increased by 10.3%. For the payback period of 3 months, the estimated economic benefit was 4 rubles per 1 ruble of capital investment.