Mill and Mash Control System
Control of the Mill & Mash systems have been overseen by Prodigy and its precursor for over 30 years. The latest improvement drive to the process control and operator interfaces has led to significant upgrades.
![mill mash screens]()
This case study details the control process employed to manage the Mill and Mash processes used by a global manufacturer and supplier of malted ingredients.
What was critical about the process change?
Critical to the upgrade was the speedy transition to the new systems. It required close work with the customer’s C&I Engineers to ensure that the transfer was as smooth as possible and that the commissioning processes were completed as quickly as possible.
![muntons desk]()
Distributed Control System
The whole control process is managed by a set of PLCs and interconnected Prodigy SCADA systems that form a distributed supervisory control function.
Mill and Mash Lines
The two Mill and Mash Lines use similar control functionality, each with its own Prodigy Server PC and two Remote Prodigy Workstations.
Users can interact with the system from any of these stations, at any time, whether it is to select new batch details and their associated pre-defined recipes, or to start the control processes. For example, an operator can select a new batch and recipe, or interact with the process, from any of the Prodigy Workstations at the touch of a button.
The system validates any requests and then implements the necessary control actions without any further need for manual interaction. This ensures that the consistency and high quality of all products is maintained across the site. All production data is recorded against the batch IDs for traceability, and can be reviewed through Prodigy’s extensive trending functionality.
![mill mash monitor]()
Control Processes
The control process at Muntons is a complex system of interconnectivity between the various servers and multiple PLCs across site. Commands are sent to Prodigy via the operators’ workstations which are then in turn distributed from signals via drivers to the PLCs in control of the relevant process.
There are several control loops across the Mill & Mash process such as:
In order to minimise any potential down time a separate server and workstation are configured as part of a spares system.![mill mash screens]()
This case study details the control process employed to manage the Mill and Mash processes used by a global manufacturer and supplier of malted ingredients.
OVERVIEW
Prodigy controls the production processes for a leading global supplier of brewing and distilling malts, and malted ingredients to the food & drinks industry. The systems cover all aspects of the manufacturing process and as part of a continuous improvement plan, the Mill and Mash systems for two Lines have been upgraded to the latest versions of software and hardware.What was critical about the process change?
Critical to the upgrade was the speedy transition to the new systems. It required close work with the customer’s C&I Engineers to ensure that the transfer was as smooth as possible and that the commissioning processes were completed as quickly as possible.
FUNCTIONALITY
Distributed Control SystemThe whole control process is managed by a set of PLCs and interconnected Prodigy SCADA systems that form a distributed supervisory control function.
Mill and Mash Lines
The two Mill and Mash Lines use similar control functionality, each with its own Prodigy Server PC and two Remote Prodigy Workstations.
Users can interact with the system from any of these stations, at any time, whether it is to select new batch details and their associated pre-defined recipes, or to start the control processes. For example, an operator can select a new batch and recipe, or interact with the process, from any of the Prodigy Workstations at the touch of a button.
The system validates any requests and then implements the necessary control actions without any further need for manual interaction. This ensures that the consistency and high quality of all products is maintained across the site. All production data is recorded against the batch IDs for traceability, and can be reviewed through Prodigy’s extensive trending functionality.
Control Processes
The control process at Muntons is a complex system of interconnectivity between the various servers and multiple PLCs across site. Commands are sent to Prodigy via the operators’ workstations which are then in turn distributed from signals via drivers to the PLCs in control of the relevant process.
There are several control loops across the Mill & Mash process such as:
- Weighing & Milling
- Mashing
- Mash Filter
- Wort Tanks
- Evaporators
- Blends
- CIP
In order to minimise any potential down time a separate server and workstation are configured as part of a spares system.
KEY BENEFITS
- More accurate and reliable control of Mill & Mash Processes
- Collation of batch information allows for traceability of all previous processes
- Multiple workstations allow several operators to initiate different control actions from a number of locations on site
