FEATURE Sensors
Grolsch bottling plant upgrade goes with a swing, thanks to Festo setup
S
ervo technology from Festo is helping Grolsch place its iconic swing tops on lagger bottles. The ‘swing-top transfer unit’ was custom-designed by Festo in conjunction with system integrator MCA Linear Motion Robotics and is installed at the Grolsch Enschede plant in The Netherlands. The unit fi ts some 3,800 swing-top bottles per hour with a porcelain cap and rubber ring. Bottles without clips are fed in on one side, whereas the swing tops on the other. Before the tops can be positioned, a sensor detects where the hole in the bottleneck is, as the bottle rotates. On the basis of this measurement, the bottles are rotated into the correct position via a servo motor. Then, the swing-top transfer unit positions the swing top whilst the bottle is rotated again, so the swing top can fi rst be pressed into one and then another hole. Finally, the fi nished bottles are transported to the fi lling line.
Design changes
One of the most important changes in the new design is the replacement of the two electric and parallel-positioned axes that carry out horizontal movement (X-movement) by a heavy-duty EGC axis. This has a double guide that is actuated by
16 June 2022 | Automation
new servo technology in the form of Festo EMMT servo
motors.The EMMT compact servo motor has a single cable for both motor and encoder signals. This means it can generate a very low holding torque, enabling it to synchronise several axes, even at lower speeds. In addition, the EMMT has a digital, absolute displacement encoder (single- or multi-turn) and is available in protection of IP40 and IP67 classes. The existing Siemens PLC with Profi bus was upgraded to Profi net using the Festo CPX-E automation system. The CPX-E is used as a central controller for both the servo and stepper motors and is confi gured as an EtherCAT master and motion controller. This solution delivers the required speed, accuracy and dynamic
response needed from the swing-top transfer unit. The new controllers and Profi net system also make gathering data really easy. This is helpful for process optimisation, fault-fi nding and predictive maintenance: all aspects that Grolsch will focus on in the future to further increase its machine reliability and availability as well as reduce costs.
Steven Groot Zevert, a maintenance engineer at Grolsch, says: “Thanks to the great cooperation between system integrator and automation manufacturer, the project has been managed quickly and effi ciently. All we had to do is let them know our requirements. These were then translated into a new, future-proof design that fi ts into our own automation system, which was also confi gured and commissioned by Festo and MCA.” “Everything runs according to plan and that’s just as well, as, next year, the swing- top bottle celebrates its 125th anniversary and I think Grolsch will be paying some attention to that,” he added.
CONTACT:
New servo technology from Festo is helping Grolsch place the iconic swing tops on its bottles of lager
Festo
www.festo.com/gb
automationmagazine.co.uk
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