The Challenge: Manual Mixing, Inconsistent Operation

In a food production facility specializing in sauces and condiments, a large industrial mixer was being operated manually. The operator had to stand at the machine and control a series of steps: adjusting speed, raising and lowering the mixing head, and pausing at precise intervals to add ingredients.

Each product had its own mixing sequence, but the entire process relied on manual inputs and timing, which introduced inconsistencies and made recipe changes labor-intensive. If the operator got distracted or made a mistake, the batch could be compromised.

The customer needed a more repeatable, efficient process...without sacrificing flexibility.

The Solution: Automated Recipe Control with a Vision-Series HMI+PLC

Ramco's Enhanced Services team delivered a full controls upgrade to bring the mixer into the modern age. Using a Unitronics Vision™ series HMI+PLC, the team programmed and installed a user-friendly interface that allows operators to:

• Select predefined “recipes” to run mixing cycles automatically
• Customize up to 99 recipes, each with up to 25 programmable steps
• Easily adjust mixing speeds, durations, and mixer head movements
• Pause the recipe to prompt manual actions (like ingredient additions), with an operator confirmation button to continue
• Choose between manual and automatic modes, depending on process needs

Now, the operator simply selects the product they’re making, presses “Start,” and the mixer runs through its sequence. No babysitting required!

The Application: Smarter Mixing for Better Food Production

The mixer now supports repeatable, efficient production of sauces and dips with:

• Recipe-driven automation to ensure consistency
• On-screen editing tools that allow in-house teams to tweak and improve processes
• Manual override options to retain flexibility when needed
• Operator prompts for critical manual steps like ingredient additions

This upgrade not only improved batch quality and operator efficiency, but it also made future product launches easier, with a simplified path to develop and test new mixing routines.