FEATURE RECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENT LEADER OF THE PACK


challenges are constantly overcome by the systems and machines that it develops. Organisations that use packaging –


including the vast majority of manufacturing businesses – are constantly adopting new techniques or materials. Packaging machines, robotic and


handling systems are often particularly challenging from the standpoint of automation technology. They require a powerful and homogeneous system capable of controlling coordinated movements along several axes. The Lenze automation platform, for example, demonstrates how it makes it easier to deal with the growing complexity of machine design by providing the tools, products and services needed to improve packaging machine performance and reliability. The technologies supplied are modular,


The BBC’s hard-hitting TV episode of Blue Planet II showed a whale carrying her dead baby calf, probably poisoned by toxic plastic waste in its mother’s milk. This resulted in a public outcry that forced businesses to confront the serious ecological harm caused by plastic. So how are automated packaging system manufacturers responding to the environmental challenge? Neil Beaumont of Lenze has an answer


T


he shocking scale of the global environmental disaster caused by


plastic waste is revealed in just five horrifying facts: • A third of all plastic produced around the world is used just once and then thrown away, with just nine per cent recycled. • The solid plastic waste produced since the 1950’s that has not been burned or recycled is estimated to weigh around 4.9 billion tonnes. • More than 80 per cent of all drinking water samples worldwide have tested positive for microscopic plastic fibres. • In a recent research project, plastic was found in the stomach of every animal tested in the deepest part of the ocean (the bottom of the Mariana Trench, seven miles down in the Pacific). • Around five trillion pieces of plastic weighing over 250,000 tonnes are currently adrift in the world’s oceans. I could, of course, quote many more


alarming statistics surrounding the use of plastic, but the central point is that plastic is forever; every single piece of


22 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 | IRISH MANUFACTURING


plastic ever created still exists (including the relatively small amount that has been incinerated and become toxic particulate matter). Simply put, despite its many benefits,


plastic is a material that the Earth cannot digest and this single glaring fact places an enormous responsibility on businesses that come into contact with this ubiquitous material to manage and handle it sensibly. The packaging industry has responded


positively to this pressing issue. Indeed, progressive packaging suppliers place environmentally responsibility at the top of their list of priorities. So, for example, where possible they reduce or eliminate environmentally hazardous packaging materials like plastic; instead, they have switched to biodegradable packaging which is strong and safe, but also sustainable. But the innovation doesn’t end with the


packaging itself. The evolution and creativity of the packaging machinery industry means that environmental


The evolution and creativity of the packaging machinery industry means that environmental challenges are constantly overcome by the systems and machines that it develops


integrated and flexible which allow machine builders to manipulate the system adapting to changes in materials, including plastics. Of course, the nature of the material


itself is not the only ecological issue in packaging applications. Energy efficiency also has a dramatic impact on the environment. Packaging automation system software


allows operators to monitor energy usage and make informed operational decisions. With connectivity to the cloud starting to become a normal feature, standardised protocols such as OPC UA or the MQTT should be part of the automation portfolio, to ensure products are futureproofed and adaptive to the smart factory enviroment. It's important to find an automation


supplier that can provide fast, agile and available technology as the consumer goods sector is changing fast. Providing an automation solution that reduces cost, as well as waste is something that will prove increasingly more challenging. But the pressure is on now for manufacturers to do this. A well-established, highly reputable


company can help with all these issues by working closely with customers to devise the best solution and set technical ideas in motion. Irrespective of whether they want to optimise existing equipment, develop a new machine or design an overall application for a packaging plant, Lenze’s experts are available to help.


Lenze www.lenze.com/en-gb/ T: 01234 753 200


/ IRISHMANUFACTURING


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