Summary

Faced with the need to modernize their air filtration systems, Czech manufacturer Tigemma partnered with system integrator APLAUS to transition to a scalable, intelligent automation platform. By implementing Unitronics UniStream PLC technology, supported by local distributor Schmachtl, Tigemma achieved a flexible control architecture that accelerates time-to-market and slashes total cost of ownership (TCO). 

Smarter filtration control architecture improves ROI across the machine lifecycle: less machine-specific engineering, faster parameter setup, better troubleshooting, multilingual HMI support, remote service capability, and a standardized software platform that can be reused across installations.

The Company

Tigemma, spol. s r.o. is a Czech manufacturer with a 30-year track record in industrial extraction and filtration applications. Its filtration systems are designed to remove welding fumes, dust, metal particles, oil mist, and other airborne contaminants generated by industrial processes. These are machines where uptime, safe operation, airflow performance, and serviceability directly affect production continuity.

tdirect path to better machine ROI through faster commissioning, lower service effort, reusable software, and a more flexible product platform.

The Challenge: Quantifying Lifecycle ROI

Tigemma’s legacy control architecture left little room for the kind of flexibility, diagnostics, and service efficiency that modern OEM filtration systems require.

For machine builders, this is a familiar problem. A fixed-purpose controller may be cost-effective at first, but as machines become more advanced and customer requirements diversify, the hidden costs begin to grow.

Tigemma needed to address several limitations:

• Opaque Diagnostics: Troubleshooting required excessive onsite experience due to limited system feedback.
• Lack of Flexibility: Parametric adjustments for unique customer requirements were nearly impossible; different machine variants required a more scalable approach to I/O, communication, alarms, and operating modes.
• Enhanced multilingual HMI support: to better support international deployment.
• Maintenance Hurdles: The inability to easily perform advanced diagnostics or handle complex user requirements slowed down the commissioning process.

The issue was not only machine control. It was lifecycle cost. Every difficult commissioning step, every unnecessary service visit, every unclear alarm, and every machine-specific software adjustment reduced the ROI of the filtration system.

The Solution : A Scalable Unitronics PLC + HMI Platform

Teaming up with Ing. František Luzar of APLAUS, with local Unitronics support from Schmachtl CZ, Tigemma moved to the UniStream PLC + HMI hardware, unified by the UniLogic programming environment. 

The result was a reusable automation platform for machine logic, HMI design, communications, diagnostics, alarm handling, parameter management, and service access. For Tigemma, this flexible PLC + HMI architecture reduces recurring engineering work, shortens commissioning, simplifies training, and improves long-term serviceability across machine variants.

Control Functions: Programmed in UniLogic

• Adaptive filter cleaning
  The UniStream controller monitors pressure inside the filtration system to evaluate filter loading. When pressure rises beyond defined limits, the PLC triggers an automated compressed air cleaning sequence to regenerate the filters, significantly extending their operational lifespan.
• Filter load monitoring
  Pressure sensors provide real-time information on filter condition, helping operators and service teams identify normal operation, cleaning requirements, and potential maintenance needs.
• Parameter-based configuration
  Pressure sensors provide real-time information on filter condition, helping operators and service teams identify normal operation, cleaning requirements, and potential maintenance needs, reducing machine-specific engineering work.
• Scalable I/O architecture
  UniStream supports the digital and analog signals required for filtration control, including pressure sensing, temperature monitoring, actuator control, fan operation, status feedback, alarms, and service functions.
• VFD and third-party device integration
  The system communicates with external devices, including Danfoss variable frequency drives via Modbus RTU over RS-485, allowing the PLC to coordinate fan operation and related process functions.
• Alarm and event handling
  Instead of relying on basic fault indication, UniStream supports structured alarm handling and machine-state information. This gives technicians a clearer diagnostic path and helps reduce time required to identify and resolve faults..

HMI—Designed in UniLogic

• Native Multilingualism: UniLogic simplifies international deployment by managing complex character sets and fonts for Czech, Slovak, German, Hungarian, and Italian, among others—a significant improvement over previous legacy systems.
• Parameterization via HMI
  Service engineers can enter parameters directly through the HMI. This supports faster commissioning and makes the machine easier to adapt without changing the underlying control program.
• Clear operator visualization
  The UniStream HMI gives operators a practical view of machine status, filter condition, alarms, operating states, and process values. This replaces the limited information available on the older display hardware.
• Faster troubleshooting
  UniStream’s HMI gives operators and technicians real-time machine information, alarm history, and process data, enabling rapid response. This reduces downtime and lowers the service burden on the OEM.

Remote Access & Communications

• Secure Remote Access: APLAUS implemented GSM-router connectivity, allowing for secure remote troubleshooting and software updates without exposing customer networks to the public web.
• Industrial communication with field devices: The system effectively manages communication with third-party components, including Danfoss VFDs via Modbus RTU (RS-485) and integration with industrial energy meters.

Benefits / Results: Where the ROI Improved

• Rapid Scaling: UniStream supports the I/O, communications, and visualization requirements needed for different filtration system configurations. Since the initial prototype phase in 2016, the collaboration has scaled to support hundreds of operational units across Europe and abroad.
• Lower recurring engineering effort: A reusable UniStream control platform reduces the need to rebuild logic for each machine variant.
• Faster commissioning: Parameter-based setup enables engineers to adapt each unit to customer-specific requirements quickly and consistently
• Improved diagnostics and serviceability: Clear HMI visualization, alarm history, machine-state data, and GSM-based remote access help operators and technicians identify issues faster and reduce unnecessary service visits.
• Market Agility: The combination of parameter-based setup and multilingual HMI support has allowed Tigemma to enter new European markets with minimal friction.
• Better customer experience: Operators receive clearer information, service teams receive better diagnostics, and customers receive a machine that is easier to operate and maintain.

Conclusion

Tigemma’s move to Unitronics demonstrates how OEMs can improve machine ROI by modernizing the control platform itself. The value is not limited to added functionality; it comes from reducing recurring costs across engineering, commissioning, troubleshooting, service, and international deployment.

With APLAUS providing the integration expertise, Schmachtl CZ supporting Unitronics locally, and UniStream serving as the PLC + HMI foundation, Tigemma transformed its filtration units from fixed-board machines into intelligent, serviceable, globally deployable systems.

For machine builders, system integrators, and automation professionals, the takeaway is clear: when one control platform supports diagnostics, parameter-based customization, remote access, multilingual HMI, and scalable machine variants, the ROI continues to grow long after the first unit is commissioned.

"Unitronics gave us the flexibility to build a smarter filtration control platform, not just a machine controller. With UniStream and UniLogic, we can manage control logic, HMI, diagnostics, parameters, communications, and remote service in one environment."
— Engineer František Luzar, APLAUS