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BARCODING, LABELLING & PACKAGING


and packaging, which demand constant gripping, pushing and pulling, are obvious. More compact and quieter than air cylinders, EA also does not expel microscopic moisture and oil particles into the environment. This makes it ideal for the food and drink or pharmaceutical industries, where every effort must be made to eliminate the risk of contamination. Electrically driven systems do not present the risk of equipment failure and unscheduled downtime, for example due to burn out, and demand significantly lower maintenance. Malfunctions are quicker to identify and repair. To establish whether electric automation is the appropriate choice, packaging companies should ask themselves whether their processes would benefit from any of the following:


Multiple positions within a given stroke


Differing speeds of movement, especially within the same direction


Controllable acceleration and deceleration in any movement


High accuracy and repeatability for any of the above In reality, the only environments not ideally


Pre-set ‘recipes’ can be stored and selected at the push of a button, while adjustment via a simple touchscreen or keyboard is quick and highly accurate,


This minimises the risk of human error and


makes the working environment safer by placing operatives at a distance from potentially hazardous packaging machinery. Higher speeds can also be achieved with EA than pneumatic systems (taking the load into account). The benefits of the agility and precision


offered by EA to applications such as conveying


FAST-PACED ELECTRIC AUTOMATION Thorite was asked to assist a long-term customer which was struggling to develop a food-grade packaging machine that would run at a faster speed than their current equipment. They were using a combination of pneumatic cylinders and some electric drives to try and


suited to electric systems are ones exposed to high levels of moisture or dirt. ATEX zones can also be a challenge due to the volatile nature of the environment. One Thorite customer, a packaging company serving the food and drink industry, achieved long term benefits by upgrading to a fully electrically automated system.


achieve a packaging cycle of one product every five seconds, without success, and procedural change requiring a wrapping motion with multiple rotation processes had added an additional complication. An initial inspection by Thorite established that the machine, which had undergone programming and timing modifications, was at the limit of its components and needed a ground-up redesign, employing different technologies specifically optimised for this exact application. Working closely with the customer, Thorite’s


Technical Solutions team used exact load and motion data to configure electric drives that were capable of achieving the increased speeds. They also configured an ERMO unit which could achieve continuous rotation in the same direction. CAD models of the drive units were then used to build the final design. Thorite configured and supplied five linear motion systems, one rotary motion system and one servo unit to drive a conveyor. The final design included a combination of servo and stepper drives, simplified motion and IO- Link connectivity. The cost-effective design of the new machine, with optimised drives, enabled the customer to achieve the significantly faster packaging cycle of one product every five seconds. The components used also enabled the facility to achieve the closure method that other alternatives were unable to deliver. The result: improved productivity, reduced


manpower and maintenance demands, a reduction in energy use and carbon emissions and ongoing cost savings. EA might require a higher capital outlay, but the benefits it can bring to packaging companies brings in terms of enhanced equipment functionality and speed,reduced risk of downtime and cheaper maintenance, make it an option which should always be considered when replacing or upgrading assets.


Thorite www.thorite.co.uk


FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | MAY 2024 31


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