Development of a low cost data acquisition system for milk powder production line monitoring

A growing need for detailed process information exists within the food industry. However many small to medium sized companies are reluctant to install the necessary levels of automation and data capture because of the high capital expenditure necessary. This paper details the development of a monitoring system based on the use of off the shelf, low cost data acquisition hardware and software tools. The system is used to monitor a milk powder production plant. It supplies the necessary information to calculate yield defined specifically as gallons of milk per tonne of powder produced. This volume is calculated at 15-min intervals. Detailed information on utility, chemical, and energy usage rates is also acquired. This information is used to calculate accurately the costs per tonne of powder produced. All data are stored in a relational database, which facilitates historical trending and analysis of process efficiency. This powerful tool can evaluate performance of the process over an extended period and compare previous performances. Use of the collected data allowed an accurate economic evaluation of the milk powder process to be obtained. This system is a significant improvement over manual recording of data on logsheet and manual input of this data into a spreadsheet.