Digital packaging machinery not only provides greater throughput and greater equipment flexibility, but also adds many new features such as remote maintenance, integration with the company's ERP system, and evaluation of production data.
Only a few years ago, no one would have expected the rapid speed of packaging machinery to digital. As the speed of the electronic process is getting faster and faster, there is a need to increase the distribution box. However, when the number of cables required for the bus system can be greatly reduced, and the presence of a decentralized computer, it means that it is no longer necessary to increase the size of the distribution box. Today, stand-alone distribution boxes are no longer necessary in the packaging industry, and digital packaging machines take up less space than previous mechanical or electromechanical packaging machines.
Automation brings change to packaging
The automation era of the packaging industry began about 20 years ago when fully mechanical equipment was equipped with a programmable logic controller (PLC) for controlling the logic functions and the mechanical power shaft of the drive. However, the flexibility of this first generation of automation equipment is not satisfactory. Consumer products, especially food, have shortened life cycles and diversified products, stimulating greater demand for equipment flexibility. In the second generation of automation equipment developed later, more and more functions were transferred from the mechanical power shaft to the electronic drive system, and the logic function was still controlled by the PLC system.
Control and drive technology has proven to be a key technology in the field of packaging machinery structures. Today, fully electronic third-generation machines have all the advantages of servo technology while setting new industry standards. Digital packaging machinery not only provides greater throughput and greater equipment flexibility, but also adds many new features such as remote maintenance, integration with the company's ERP system, and evaluation of production data.
The logic function originally performed by the PLC is losing its importance, and now it is dominated by the electronic motion function. As the flexibility requirements for equipment increase, the number of servo motors also increases. This means that physical and logical interfaces are no longer needed due to different programming languages ​​and systems. Since the mid-1990s, some companies have driven the trend of integrated motion control and logic control solutions in the field of packaging machinery.
Top loading equipment is becoming more and more popular in carton packaging. The flexible cartoner is loaded from above and is more flexible than the horizontal machine. The robotic arm can be equipped with different vacuum clamps to accommodate a wide range of products. This solution is also effective for composite packaging. For example, in medicine, blister packs, ampoules, vials, drug instructions and medicine spoons can be packaged with top loading equipment. In the confectionery field, top loading equipment is used to place a variety of different shapes of chocolate into deep dishes. The flexibility of top loading equipment operation is equally effective for larger packages. The machine can be adapted to different container shapes with only minor adjustments. This means that new product types can meet future requirements.
Data sharing and remote maintenance
Now, in order to cater to the packaging machinery of different customer customization requirements, suppliers have designed the controllers differently. Therefore, standardization not only enables different manufacturers to exchange key components with each other, but also frees users from dependence on a manufacturer's proprietary technology. The so-called open control structure will undoubtedly have greater flexibility.
The automation concept generated by the international coordination is elaborated by the OMAC (Open Module Structure Controller) Packaging Machinery Working Group. The team was launched by machine users from the trademarked product industry. They worked with machine builders and technology suppliers within the framework of OMAC. The goal was to make the hardware of the automation system interchangeable for a period of time. The next step should be to coordinate different systems, achieve information transfer between machines, and standardize operational principles.
Another trend is to establish a system solution for communication between automation technology (AT) and information technology (IT), and its standards through data networks. This means that corporate information networks and vertical data integration are feasible from the pilot, control, and production phases. The joint communications standard smoothes the entire process from diagnostics, remote maintenance to the Internet, and logistics (purchasing spare parts). This means that information flow from digital packaging machinery can be used for more efficient production, including upstream and downstream business processes.
With the birth of remote maintenance, fast information exchange saves working hours and travel expenses, and mechanical failures can be solved online, reducing downtime. For example, Bosch's remote diagnostics allows the error to be checked inside the computer through the servo drive system interface. Equipment adjustments required to replace a product or packaging material also require remote tuning for software adjustment. Ideally, the digital packaging machine is equipped with a wireless system that can be connected to an external transmission medium to control the supply of automatic packaging materials, which is only a good idea so far.
Strengthen the quality assurance system
With the deepening of the globalization of the market, each country's specific policies and regulations need to be observed, and the quality requirements of the food and pharmaceutical industries are also increasing, which also means that the requirements for quality assurance systems (such as automatic image processing) are also The water is rising. Optical sensors capture the details of high-speed mass production, which is impossible with manual inspection.
All this means that the quality assurance system will be greatly improved, because the production process is fully monitored and no more random inspection is required. The importance of continuous testing can be clearly demonstrated in the production of glass bottles. Because the caps of reusable bottles can sometimes become fragmented, making the caps difficult to open, not to mention the fact that glass fragments can enter the bottle, so defective products must be reliably identified and removed from the production line. An optical system with flexible construction and operator interface can be adapted to the needs of the inspection.
The controller of the packaging machine relies on the precise information sent by the sensor. For example, special light barriers in the field of film packaging enable decisive rationalization results. If the light barrier is placed on the outer surface of the oval film bag, the film consumption can be reduced. This is a very demanding sensor because the sensor must identify the product through the film, which can cause problems for multilayer films, melt seams or wrinkles. Adaptable receivers have proven to be successful in this situation and can be adapted to different product and film types.
NINGBO MEDICAL EQUIPMENT CO.,LTD , https://www.techartmeds.com