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FEATURE


PRINTING & PACKAGING


A FLEXIBLE SOLUTION FOR BAG FILLING


When its customers


began requiring their packaging machines to fill inconsistently sized bags, Thiele Technologies


developed a fully


automated solution featuring rodless electric screw


actuators to increase the flexibility of bag size handling


W


hen filling bags used to store and transport bulkmaterial – fromfertiliser through to sugar – not only is accuracy


essential to ensure that the customer receives the agreed amount, but the bagsmust be sealed securely. In addition, to achieve high productivity, this process has to be completed at speed, with repeatability ensured. Thiele Technologies builds packagingmachines


thatmeasure, fill and seal. However, despite the high repeatability of its machines, customers from the pet food market increasingly required the machines to fill inconsistently sized bags. Supplying large retail chains that were demanding more durable bags, the pet foodmanufacturers exchanged paper designs with woven poly types. But, to keep costs low for the retailers, economical bag supply was resulting in size inconsistencies, sometimes by as much as nearly 2cm, which slowed down the process and impacted quality of filling and sealing.


To resolve the challenge for its customers,


Thiele developed a bag top referencemechanism for itsmachine, to compensate for the varying length bags. The new systemis fully automated, removing the need for manual set up and adjustment. The result is increased repeatability and productivity of the bagging process.


THE SOLUTION The newmechanismuses four Tolomatic B3S10 rodless electric screw actuators (distributed in the UK by INMOCO) which precisely position the incoming bags before they are inserted into the filling and sealing line. Two of the actuators adjust the vertical position of the bags, catching and lowering them to a precise reference point determined by a vision system controlled by the machine’s PLC. Meanwhile, the bags are centred in their trays by two horizontally mounted Tolomatic B3S10 actuators. The horizontal actuators include two carriers


riding on a screw, with right-hand threads on one half and left-hand threads on the other. As the screw turns, each pair of carriersmoves toward each other to centre the bag in the tray. The actuators are joined by a coupler and are powered by a single servomotor, connected by a compact 180- degree Tolomatic belt drive. Once the bags are vertically aligned and centred, they are picked up by a pneumatic armand inserted into the filling and sealing line. With repeatability key, the new


machine achieves a tolerance for positioning the tops of the bags of less than 1mm. Even when bag dimensions vary, this level of precision can bemaintained. Themechanismalso enables the operator to change the filling


5 DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEPTEMBER 2022 4


and sealing specification to suit the bag size with the push of a button. Tolomatic's programmable actuators allowmachine users to automatically adjust bag size recipes to help speedmachine changeover. Thiele also wanted to use electric, rather than


pneumatic actuators, because of the speed and accuracy they provide. Tolomatic’s robust design includes a stainless steel band that


“Thiele wanted to use electric, rather than


pneumatic actuators, because of the


speed and accuracy they provide”


seals the actuator from particulate, which ultimately extends lifetime and reduces maintenance requirements for end users. The actuator manufacturer’s customisation


capability, frequently applied to OEM projects, also facilitated fast, economical development. This has enabled Thiele to use multiple motor and drive configurations to provide the flexibility needed across the diverse range of their customers' applications. This flexibility will alsomake itmuch easier to update Thiele's bagging systems already deployed in the field.


INMOCO T: 01327 307600 www.inmoco.co.uk


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