PRODUCTS MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY
FLEXIBLE COLLATION SYSTEM CAREFULLY PACKS 3000 BAGS OF POTATOES PER SHIFT At one of the company’s sites, potatoes are
From its two facilities, a potato packing company supplies its produce in 1-5kg retail sized polybags and then outer sacks. However, when it was approached by a major UK food retailer which wanted it to switch from the use of 25kg sacks to 12kg versions for its smaller stores, the company realised its existing collator wasn’t versatile enough to cope with different sack sizes. This is a challenging
application as potatoes are discharged with force into sacks when the trap doors open which can damage machinery, especially the stretch bars that hold the sacks open. In addition potatoes can bruise easily, causing product waste. To help, Pacepacker
Services designed a more flexible collation system. According to the company, many systems don’t control the fall of the product very well which can result in pre-packs breaking through the bottom of the outer sack due to their weight and density. To overcome this, Pacepacker incorporated motorised support arms to control the descent of the polybags into the outer sack, eliminating damage and waste to both product and pack. It also addressed the potential issue of bags breaking the sack stretch bars by programming the holding doors to open gently and release the bags more slowly.
now packaged on a form fill seal machine, conveyed over a checkweigher, and presented to an inclined elevator, which transports the packs up to the holding doors of the collator system at speeds of 48 packs per minute. Pacepacker’s collator then uses pre-programmed operating software to select the number of bags required – usually either eight or 16 – pause the conveyor, and open the holding doors, allowing the bags to gently drop into an accumulation chamber and then into the outer sack waiting below. As the bags are released from the chamber to the sack, motorised arms control the descent accurately, smoothly and with minimal
moving parts. The system can store multiple product recipes to accommodate numerous multi-pack product variations, either by weight or amount. The machine is operational six days a week for
two eight-hour shifts per day, packing on average 3000 polybags of potatoes each shift. Depending on what the customer orders, on some days it is packing larger sacks, on other days smaller ones.
Pacepacker
www.pacepacker.com
TOGGLE STICKS OFFER PRECISE CONTROL
New from EAO are the Series 45 toggle sticks which are said to provide smooth tactile feedback that makes them suitable for the intuitive and precise operation of coordinate- controlled machine functions. These offer up to four switching positions in two axes with positive tactile feedback, in either momentary or maintained action and with an optional locking mechanism. In addition, they are suitable for a wide range of applications with operating voltages from five to 500V. Additional features include front protection of IP65/IP67, they are suitable for use at operating temperatures from -25˚C to +70˚C, and have fast single screw assembly without special tools.
EAO T: 01444 236000
www.eao.com
POWERFUL YET COMPACT PLC LAUNCHED MACHINE SAFETY SOLUTIONS
Providing the power of a PAC (programmable automation controller) in a compact low-cost controller, IDEC’s FC6A MicroSmart PLC is suitable for demanding applications in a range of industries. With the PLC, basic instructions can be executed in 0.042 microseconds. It has a program memory of 640kB, 1024 timers, and six of its 512 counters are high-speed at rates up to 100kHz. These capabilities are combined with extensive data and bit memory, allowing the PLC to handle large programs with complex control requirements such as PID, flow totalization and recipes. Three models are available, each with 24 Vdc or 100-240 Vac input power. The 16 I/O
model has nine inputs and seven relay or transistor outputs. The 24 I/O model has 14 inputs and 10 relay or transistor outputs. The 40 I/O model has 24 inputs and 16 relay or transistor outputs. These all include an integral 0-10 Vdc analogue input; while the 16 and 24 I/O models can accommodate one plug-in analogue cartridge, and the 40 I/O model can accommodate two plug-in analogue cartridges. Each cartridge has two analogue I/O points, either two inputs or two outputs. Up to 12 expansion modules can be added to the 16 I/O model, and up to 15 to the 24 and 40 I/O models, giving the 40 I/O MicroSmart PLC the capability to handle up to 520 I/O with a maximum of 126 analogue I/O. The MicroSmart PLC is programmed with IDEC’s WindLDR PC-based software. All
models have a built-in RJ45 Ethernet port, and an RJ45 RS232C/RS485 serial port; and a plug-in cartridge adds an additional RS232C/RS485 port. There is also an SD memory port and a mini-B USB port; and an optional HMI module can be added to the CPU to provide operator interface via its display and control buttons. IoT capability is provided by custom web pages.
IDEC
www.idec.com
18 JUNE 2016 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
A new model has been added to Leuze electronic’s MLC 500 safety light curtain series. The MLC 500/V has been developed for applications under extreme acceleration or vibration stresses, such as on mechanical presses. Measuring just 29 x 35mm, this features a vibration-dampening swivel mount, which compensates vibrations before they reach the instrument, allowing the MLC 500 to be quickly installed and adjusted at the machine. On ‘extended devices’ three scan modes are available; and fixed or adjustable beam blanking simplifies workpiece feed within the protective field, a feature that allows efficient integration of the safety light curtain into the production process. The company has also introduced the L300 series safety
locking devices which recognise the actuator electronically through RFID technology. The actuators can have millions of different encodings and support safety-related integration up to the highest safety level – performance level PL e in accordance with EN ISO 13849-1 and SIL 3 in accordance with EN 62061. The robust interlocking system guarantees a maximum locking force of 7500N and holds the unlocked doors in position with a force of approximately 30N.
Leuze electronic
www.leuze.de
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