Foam Machine Modernization
We convert old polyurethane foam production machines into next-generation digital production lines with Foam Brain software.
Your 20–40 year old foam production machine may still be mechanically sound. The chassis is standing, the conveyor is running, the mixer is doing its job. The problem isn’t in the steel — it’s in the controls. On older-generation machines, production is managed with potentiometers, mechanical adjustments, and largely the operator’s experience. This setup was sufficient for a while. But today, in an industry where raw material costs are at this level, a small extra dose on each block turns into a serious loss by the end of the year.
Vilutra renews the electrical, automation, and software infrastructure from the ground up while preserving the mechanical structure of your existing foam production machines. It migrates your machine’s control system to the Foam Brain production management software, taking the recipe out of the operator’s memory and into the computer. The result: you move your existing investment to modern production technology without making a new machine investment.
Why Modernization Instead of a New Machine?
Investing in a new continuous foam production line means, on top of the machine cost, a change in factory layout, infrastructure preparation, a long delivery time, and a commissioning process that takes months. The time production is down is often more costly than the machine itself.
- The mechanical structure of your existing machine stays in place.
- No change is needed to your factory layout.
- Downtime is measured in days, not weeks, and is planned.
- The investment amount is far below the cost of a new machine.
- The payback period is shortened by the raw material savings achieved.
You don’t have to replace your machine. You can make it smart again.
The 7 Most Common Problems with Old Foam Production Machines
If you find yourself saying “yes, that’s exactly what happens with our machine” while reading the items below, your machine is a good candidate for modernization.
1. Using More Chemicals Than Necessary on Every Block
Older dosing systems tend to stay on the safe side rather than hit the target value exactly. Operators also tend to add a bit extra to reduce the risk of waste. This seemingly small difference per block adds up to thousands of kilos of raw material every month.
2. The Recipe Depends on the Operator’s Experience
If the recipe is written on a piece of paper, in a notebook, or exists entirely in the foreman’s head, the product changes when the shift changes. And when an experienced operator leaves, the recipe knowledge leaves the company with them.
3. Potentiometer Settings Drift Over Time
Analog potentiometers wear out mechanically and lose their position due to vibration. A machine you think you left at the same setting may be running at a different value six months later. This is one of the most common causes of density differences between shifts.
4. Flow Measurement Systems Don’t Show Actual Consumption
Older mechanical flow meters drift over time and don’t account for changes in temperature and viscosity. A gap forms between the value shown on the display and the amount that actually passes through the pump. The only way to notice this gap is the end-of-month stock count — in other words, after the fact.
5. No Production Records Are Kept
Which block was produced with which recipe, at what temperature, at what pressure? Without records, there’s no analysis. You can’t repeat a successful production run, and you can’t find the cause of a faulty one.
6. Alarm and Fault History Can’t Be Tracked
On older panels, a fault is only noticed when a lamp lights up and goes out again, with no record kept. It becomes impossible to determine how often a recurring problem happens or under what conditions it occurs.
7. Spare Parts and Technical Service Can’t Be Found
Discontinued PLCs, control cards that can no longer be sourced, panels with lost documentation. Even if the machine is mechanically sound, a single card failure can halt the line for days.
What all these problems have in common is this: none of them are related to the machine’s mechanical structure. They are all solved at the control and measurement layer.
Digital Production Management with Foam Brain
Foam Brain is production management software developed for foam production lines. It runs on the PLC and HMI infrastructure of the modernized machine, making it possible to manage the entire production process — from recipe to reporting — from a single screen.
Computer-Assisted Recipe Management
All recipes are defined and stored by name within the software. The operator selects the recipe from a list when starting production; the system automatically loads all dosing, temperature, and speed parameters. Recipe changes are tied to an authorization level and are logged. This way, the recipe becomes a corporate asset of the company rather than one person’s knowledge.
Automatic Dosing and Proportional Control
Pump speeds and dosing ratios are controlled by the software in a closed loop. The system continuously compares the actual measured flow against the target flow and corrects any deviation in real time. There’s no longer a need for manual operator intervention.
Precise Flow Measurement — Coriolis and Electromagnetic Flow Meters
Existing mechanical flow meters are replaced with modern Coriolis or electromagnetic flow meters, depending on the type of fluid measured. Because Coriolis flow meters measure mass flow directly, they’re unaffected by changes in temperature and viscosity. This is the most critical improvement in dosing precision.
Pressure and Temperature Monitoring
Pressure and temperature values in the polyol, isocyanate, and additive lines are continuously monitored. If they go outside the defined range, the system warns the operator and, in critical situations, safely stops production.
Production Reporting and Traceability
An automatic record is created for every block: recipe name, production date and time, raw material quantities consumed, temperature and pressure curves, and operator information. Reports can be filtered by date range, recipe, or shift, and exported. These records are a data source you can use directly for both your internal quality analysis and your customer audits and quality certification processes.
Alarm and Event Logs
All alarms are logged with a timestamp. When an alarm occurred, how long it lasted, and who acknowledged it can all be queried retrospectively. This makes it possible to identify recurring problems along with their root cause.
Raw Material Consumption Tracking
Actual raw material consumption is tracked by recipe and by period. The difference between targeted and actual consumption is reported. Cost accounting is now based on measurement, not estimation.
Remote Connection and Service Support
With the appropriate security configuration, the system can be accessed remotely. A significant portion of software issues are resolved without waiting for a service visit to the site. This saves critical time, especially during downtime that occurs mid-shift.
Modernization Scope: What’s Preserved, What’s Renewed?
The scope is determined based on your machine’s current condition following an on-site technical inspection. Not every line requires the same level of intervention.
Your Existing Investment — Preserved
- Chassis and main frame
- Conveyor and transport system
- Mixer mechanical assembly
- Pump housings (if in suitable condition)
- Tanks and piping (if in suitable condition)
- Mold and block line equipment
- In-factory layout
Control and Measurement Layer — Renewed
- Electrical panel (complete)
- PLC control system
- Touchscreen operator panel (HMI)
- Recipe and production software (Foam Brain)
- Flow measurement system (Coriolis / electromagnetic)
- Pressure and temperature sensors
- Motor drives and instrumentation
Foam Production Machines We Modernize
We work independently of brand and model. The lines below are the ones we encounter most often in the field.
Hennecke Modernization
One of the most commonly encountered older-generation lines in the field in Türkiye. Its mechanical structure has generally remained sound, but its control system has fallen out of date. On Hennecke lines, the PLC, HMI, dosing, and recipe management layers can be migrated to the Foam Brain infrastructure.
Cannon Viking Modernization
Vilutra, is Cannon Viking’s authorized distributor for Türkiye. This means that for Cannon Viking Maxfoam and Blockmatic lines, you have single-point access to both original manufacturer upgrades and Vilutra‘s modernization solutions. Explore the Cannon Viking product family
Laader Berg (Laaderberg) Modernization
On Multiflex and similar Laader Berg lines, we can apply control system renewal, improved dosing precision, and digital recipe management.
Other Brands and Custom-Built Lines
For custom-built lines, or lines with lost documentation or that have undergone multiple modifications, we first determine the current condition, then prepare a modernization project. On lines without documentation, electrical and automation documentation is recreated as part of the project.
New Machine Investment vs. Modernization
The strongest advantage of modernization is this: you don’t fall behind a new machine in terms of digital capabilities, but you pay only a small fraction of the cost.
New Machine Investment
- Investment amount: High
- Delivery time: Measured in months
- Production downtime: Long and disruptive
- Factory layout: Requires changes
- Existing investment: Scrapped
- Operator adaptation: Learning from scratch
- Payback period: Long
Vilutra Modernization
- Investment amount: Far below the cost of a new machine
- Delivery time: Short and can be planned
- Production downtime: Planned, limited duration
- Factory layout: No changes needed
- Existing investment: Preserved and increases in value
- Operator adaptation: Familiar machine, new interface
- Payback period: Short, thanks to raw material savings
Modernization Process
1. On-Site Technical Inspection
Our engineering team comes to your factory; the mechanical condition of the machine, existing electrical infrastructure, pump and dosing system, measurement equipment, and safety circuits are inspected. Your current production problems are identified together with your operators.
2. Scope Definition and Proposal
Following the inspection, it is clearly defined which components will be preserved and which will be renewed. The scope, timeline, and investment amount are presented as a written proposal.
3. Design and Manufacturing
The electrical panel, automation architecture, and Foam Brain software configuration are engineered. Panel manufacturing and software preparation are completed at our workshop while you continue production. This is the stage that minimizes on-site downtime.
4. On-Site Installation
Installation is carried out according to your planned downtime schedule. The old panel is removed, the new panel and instruments are commissioned, and the wiring is renewed.
5. Commissioning and Recipe Calibration
The system is tested, flow measurements are calibrated, and your existing recipes are entered into the software and verified with trial production runs. The goal is to match your known product quality from day one.
6. Training and After-Sales Support
Your operator and maintenance team receive on-site training. After commissioning, we’re with you for technical support, remote connection, and spare parts supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
My machine is very old — can it still be modernized?
What matters isn’t the age but the condition of the mechanical structure. If the chassis, conveyor, and mixer assembly are sound, even a 40-year-old line can be modernized. The decision is made after an on-site technical inspection.
How long will my production be down?
Panel manufacturing and software preparation are completed at the workshop while you continue production. On-site downtime covers only the installation and commissioning phase and is scheduled according to your planned downtime calendar. The duration depends on the scope of the project and is clearly shared at the proposal stage.
Will my existing recipes be preserved?
Yes. Your existing recipes are entered into the software and verified with trial production runs during commissioning. The goal is for your known product quality to be achieved from day one after modernization.
Can I just get a software update?
Foam Brain runs on a reliable hardware infrastructure. If your existing PLC and instrumentation are at a suitable level, a partial scope is possible; however, on a line still running old potentiometers and mechanical flow meters, a software change alone won’t deliver the expected savings. We determine the right scope together after the inspection.
Do you also work on other machine brands?
Yes. We work independently of brand, including Hennecke, Cannon Viking, Laader Berg, and custom-built lines.
How long does it take for the modernization investment to pay for itself?
The payback period depends on your current raw material consumption, production volume, and the deviation rate in your existing system. After the on-site inspection, we prepare a savings projection based on your current consumption data.