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ZETA USA| Success Stories | Modular Pilot Plant Automation
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Modular Pilot Plant Automation

Ongoing automation support for a multiproduct plasma processing plant.
Ramp-up support and operational assistance, including digital twin development and process-level simulation with SIMIT.

Continued partnership for lasting success. Automation at its finest.

Starting in 2015, ZETA developed and implemented a versatile, fully automated multi-product system for blood plasma processing. It comprises 24 mobile processing units of different scales, which can be connected to the auxiliary system via 19 docking stations integrated into the cleanroom wall. The system recognizes which unit is docked, identifies its functionalities, and tracks the status of each mobile unit. Error-free docking and undocking enables a modular production concept. The complex automation concept enables 24/7 operation.

In the initial project, ZETA delivered the automation system, including hardware and software. In the years following the project, ZETA delivered a pilot plant upgrade, provided ongoing automation support, and enabled testing of specific use cases through simulation with SIMIT software from Siemens.

Read more about the related multipurpose pilot plant

Multipurpose Pilot Plant

The challenge

Changes and modifications to hardware and software pose a challenge to process automation. At the same time, there is limited downtime to perform tests and check-ups on the plant.

The solution

Ramp-up support and additional assistance

ZETA provided ongoing operational support to help maintain efficient plant performance. In a further project, ZETA provided software and server upgrades and implemented a process historian and information servers.

Digital Twin & SIMIT Simulation at process level

SIMIT simulation software enables testing of automation projects and virtual commissioning of systems and processes. As part of the follow-up project, ZETA generated a digital twin as a basis for simulation. Starting with a copy of the PCS7 DCS system, including the server infrastructure, and integrating SIMIT simulation from the virtual controller to the process level, enabling modeling of overall plant behavior. This digital twin allows simulation of the automated thermodynamic processes that occur in the plant system (e.g. reaching a certain temperature in a heating step), based on numerical modelling. The digital twin has been applied across multiple use cases and continues to be refined for additional applications. For example, updated anti-virus software could be tested for compatibility before being implemented in the real production process.

Scheme explaining the digital twin generated with SIMIT simulation
Starting with a copy of the PCS7 DCS system and integrating the SIMIT simulation, the behavior of the plant can be modeled.

Digital Twins Enable Smarter Automation and Facility Operations

ZETA supports complex manufacturing environments with automation lifecycle support, virtual commissioning, and digital twin strategies that reduce operational risk and improve system reliability.
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