Tyre Weighing Conveyor System for a UK Tyre Processing Facility
Sector:
Tyre Manufacturing & Processing
Type:
New Build - Machine, Software
Platform:
Siemens
Certification:
CE / UKCA
Summary
DelaControl designed, built, and commissioned a powered weighing conveyor system for a UK tyre processing facility. The scope covered mechanical fabrication of the conveyor frame, installation and wiring of four load cells, and a bespoke Siemens S7-1200 control panel with SIWAREX weighing module — together with PLC software to process weight data and communicate it to an existing transport management system.
Challenge
A tyre processing operation required a powered roller conveyor capable of accurately weighing individual tyres as they passed through a production line. The system needed to capture weight data from four load cells, convert the readings into usable engineering units, display them on a local HMI, and pass the results upstream to an existing Merlin transport management system (TMS).
The conveyor had to be designed for repeatability as a standardised machine, with network connectivity provisions to allow daisy-chaining of multiple units to the TMS. The customer's existing roller drive and conveyor control infrastructure — including emergency stop and safety functions — was already handled by separate panels on site, so the new system needed to integrate cleanly alongside it without duplicating that functionality.
Solution
DelaControl fabricated the conveyor frame and fitted four Siemens SIWAREX load cells at the corners, with the customer free-issuing the Interroll roller drive components and load cell mounting hardware. The load cells were connected via a SIWAREX junction box beneath the conveyor, using manufacturer-specified cabling to preserve the calibrated four-wire circuit and avoid measurement errors.
A compact Rittal AX-series steel enclosure (500 × 500 × 210 mm, IP66) was built and panel-mounted to the conveyor. Inside, a Siemens S7-1200 PLC with an ET 200SP rack and SIWAREX WP351 HF weighing module processes the load cell signals and converts them into engineering units. A 7-inch Siemens MTP700 Unified Comfort HMI panel mounted on the enclosure door provides a local weight display. Two RJ45 bulkhead connectors on the panel enable daisy-chaining of multiple units to the Merlin TMS via GET/PUT or OPC-UA, reflecting the design intent for a repeatable, standardised machine.
PLC software was developed in-house and bench-tested using Siemens' SIWAREX WP351 ready-for-use programme as a starting point, before being configured to pass weight data to the TMS. The system runs from a 230 Vac single-phase supply, making it independent of any local 24 Vdc infrastructure. Documentation delivered included a full electrical drawing pack, thermal calculations produced using Rittal Therm software, an inspection and test schedule, and a Certificate of Conformity against the Low Voltage and EMC Directives.
Key Facts
• Complete machine build: conveyor frame fabricated and load cells fitted by DelaControl
• Four Siemens SIWAREX load cells (7MH5106-3AD00) mounted at conveyor corners on SIWAREX R mounting units
• Siemens S7-1200 PLC with ET 200SP rack and SIWAREX WP351 HF weighing module
• Siemens MTP700 Unified Comfort 7-inch HMI panel for local weight display
• Conveyor dimensions: 135.2 cm (L) × 130 cm (W) × 77 cm (H)
• Rittal AX-series IP66 enclosure, 500 × 500 × 210 mm
• 230 Vac single-phase supply — no dependence on local 24 Vdc infrastructure
• Two RJ45 bulkhead connectors for daisy-chain network connectivity to TMS
• TMS integration via Siemens GET/PUT or OPC-UA communication
• Certificate of Conformity issued against LVD and EMC Directives
• Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) conducted at DelaControl's Bristol facility