Page 24 - AutomationNOTEBOOK-vol44

User Solutions
Automating the Hendrick's Gin Grand Garnisher
The Grand Garnisher has been turning heads as it tours the United States and Europe. AutomationDirect hardware and software automation underpins the attractive, steampunk contraption.
By Stuart Ostroff, Salmon Studios
Picture this: you are in the back garden of the grand duke’s estate, enjoying social hour with great company, a botanical cocktail in your
hand. You think, “the only element that could make this better would be a garnish for my drink.” As if reading your mind, a retro-futuristic truck and crew— seemingly out of a sci-fi magazine—come to life from a billow of steam, drawing gin-enthusiasts with their promise of the perfect cucumber garnish.
Hendrick’s christened this machine the “Grand Garnisher”. It has toured the U.S. coast-to-coast twice and more recently completed a circuit in Europe, delivering wondrous cucumber garnishes and leaving awestruck patrons in its wake. Although at first glance it may appear the contraption is
driven by a steam generator, the sensation is made possible by a lineup of AutomationDirect automation equipment in the back.
A Most Unusual Garnisher
Hendrick's Gin—distilled in Scotland—is known for its rose, cucumber, floral, and botan- ical flavor notes. The marketing group contracted Salmon Studios in Florence, MA to develop a func- tional and aesthetically-pleasing garnishing appa- ratus to set on a 20-foot, flatbed truck. Keeping with the steampunk theme reminiscent of Hendrick’s marketing, all visible wiring and electrical devices would be hidden away behind the retro aesthetic of steam-powered machinery.
The flatbed-mounted visuals include six motorized parts:
• a steam engine with dual flywheels, driven by a hidden gearmotor
• two separate chain conveyors whisking artificial cucumbers around the bed
• a rotating cucumber slicer
• a reciprocating mechanical arm to
Go to Article
Editor's Note
New Product Focus
- Expaded communications and analog I/O capabilities for the
BRX PLC
- Control cabinet cable entry systems
- DURApulse® GS20 Series high performance AC drives
- ProSense® Advanced Process Conrollers
- Enclosure Thermoelectric Coolers
Tech Thread
Improvies, Adapt, Overcome
Business Notes
Cover Story
The Best Automation HMIs Keep Things Simple
What's New
User Solutions
- Water Utility Successfully Standardizes Automation Practices
- Automating the Hendrick's Gin Grand Garnisher
Student Spotlight
CPAPs RE-INVENT ed into Ventilators Using PLCs & HMIs
Break Room
User Solutions www.automationnotebook.com | Issue 44
continued >>
Brain Teasers