Hellas Pack:vertical flow wrapper

The need
The vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine is a critical piece of equipment in the food industry, used for wrapping and sealing products (e.g., candies). The machine forms a bag from a roll of film, fills it with the product, and then seals the bag. This process requires precision and speed, as the machine must handle a variety of product sizes and shapes while providing high-speed packaging capabilities.
The Greek manufacturing company Hellas Pack addressed KALAMARAKIS AUTOMATION with the following needs:
- Increase the machine speed
- Improve accuracy
- Reduce vibrations
- Create a routine for automatic bag length detection with color mark
Implementation
The Automation Team at KALAMARAKIS AUTOMATION conducted a thorough analysis of the factors affecting the Vertical Flow Wrapper’s efficiency and identified improvement areas.
They then developed a plan to optimize the machine’s operation, recommending suitable materials and upgrade techniques.
The team selected the OMRON PLC CP2E-N to achieve the objectives, as it offers high processing speed and positioning capabilities. Additionally, they replaced the film’s motor from a DC Stepper motor to a Servo motor from the Digitax SF series. Using the Servo motor provides better feedback and smoother operation without vibrations, while the auto-tune function ensures smooth speed adjustment.
The team improved accuracy through PLC parameterization, allowing it to calculate more variables without requiring operator intervention. This enables optimal movement for the selected length, avoiding human errors in data entry.
To further assist the operator, they created a new routine to automatically detect the bag length. This feature applies to bags with a color mark, which the pre-installed color mark sensor detects. By activating this routine, the system automatically reads and learns the bag length.
Additionally, the team redesigned the control screen with new icons in the NB-Designer and organized and simplified the screens for ease of use.
Finally, the system was upgraded to include a locking mechanism for certain parameters via an administrator code, restricting access to sensitive settings.
Benefits
The collaboration with KALAMARAKIS AUTOMATION brought significant results for Hellas-Pack.
The improvements led to:
- Increased production speed
- improved packaging accuracy
- Reduced maintenance costs and enhanced durability of mechanical components
- A user-friendly control screen with organized and understandable information
- Immediate availability of spare parts
- Ongoing support from the KALAMARAKIS AUTOMATION team for future needs
The new automated process strengthened the machine’s operation, reducing vibrations and ensuring better performance with fewer intervention requirements from the operator. The experienced support and improved mechanical components guarantee the long-term reliability and efficiency of the system.