PackML

Scope / Goals

The objective of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup (OPW) is to maximize the business value of packaging machinery by improving automation guidelines and standards. This will lead to improved flexibility, improved capability, and reduced system integration costs.
To attain this goal, we work with automation suppliers, OEMs, and trade groups worldwide to encourage their support of the OMAC Packaging Guidelines throughout their products and practices, creating a mutually beneficial environment for the guidelines.
The OMAC Packaging Guidelines make packaging operations more effective by simplifying customization and integration, which enables world class packaging operations. When implemented, packaging companies and their partners gain a competitive advantage as they leverage an integrated supply chain to optimize operations.
The ISA88 Committee has approved a new ISA88 Technical Report on Machine and Unit States. This technical report incorporates the OMAC Packaging Workgroup’s PackML and PackTags documents with the industry standard ISA88 terminology.

Technical overview

The ISA88 Technical Report (TR88.00.02) states: “PackTags are broken out into three groups; Command, Status and Administration. Command and Status tags contain data required for interfacing between machines and line control for coordination, or for recipe / parameter download. Command tags are “written” to and consumed by the machine program, as the “Information Receiver”, while status tags are produced by and read from the machine program. Administration Tags contain data collected by higher level systems for machine performance analysis, or operator information.”

Due to the clearly defined structure and datatypes of PackTags within the TR88 document, it is very ideal for combining the strength of PLCopen features and OPC UA structures in order to obtain standardized Machine-2-Machine communication or even communication to MES or ERP systems.