Hellas Pack:vertical flow wrapper
The need
The vertical flow wrapper is a basic equipment in the food industry, used to wrap and seal products such as candies and cookies. The machine forms a bag from a roll of film, fills it with the product, and then seals the bag. This process is referred to as “form-fill-seal” and requires precision and speed as the machine must be able to handle a variety of product sizes and shapes and offer high-speed packaging capabilities.
Vertical fillers are efficient, reliable, and versatile machines that are widely used in the packaging industry and contribute to increased production, reduced waste, and improved packaging quality.
Hellas Pack – Efthymiou addressed KSA with the following needs:
- increase in speed
- accuracy improvement
- vibration reduction
- routine creation for automatical detection of the length of the bag (color mark)
KSA Industrial Automation conducted a detailed analysis of the problems, identified the root causes that were affecting the efficiency of the vertical flow wrapper, and developed an overall plan to optimize the mechanism’s operation, based on which suggested the appropriate materials to the customer.
Implementation
KSA recommended the use of an OMRON PLC CP2E-N with advanced positioning capabilities and fast processing speed to meet the objectives. Furthermore, the technical department suggested upgrading the motor responsible for pulling the packaging film from a DC Stepper motor to a Digitax SF series Servo motor. By utilizing the Servo motor, we benefit from feedback, resulting in improved responsiveness to speed changes. Moreover, the auto-tune feature in the speed loop recognizes the system’s inertia and guarantees smooth operation without vibrations.
After implementing appropriate parameterizations, the PLC is now capable of calculating additional variables, such as acceleration and deceleration, without requiring input from the operator. This eliminates the reliance on potentially incorrect data entry and ensures the optimal movement for the desired length.
To simplify the operator’s task, an additional routine was developed to automatically determine the length of the bag. This particular feature pertains to bags with a color mark, which is identified by a pre-installed color mark sensor in the machine. By activating this function, we prompt the system to autonomously read and learn the bag’s length.
How is this done? We tug on the bag to allow him to observe the color mark on two occasions. Upon the initial sighting, we reset the encoder, and on the subsequent sighting, we record the encoder’s value in a separate register. This method enables us to determine the space between each color mark, thereby determining the bag’s length.
In addition, our technicians proceeded to redesign the control screen using new icons in NB-Designer as well as organizing and simplifying the screens during use. As a result, the end user is presented with a more refined interface that displays variables organized in groups and adequately explained, so they can easily find what they are looking for.
Finally, the administrator password option became available to secure specific parameters. Authorized personnel such as the machine manufacturer can now access a separate menu that includes system-specific variables while remaining hidden from operators.
Benefits
With the guidance of KSA Industrial Automation, Hellas-Pack (Efthymiou) managed to significantly upgrade the existing Vertical Flow Wrapper. With the improvements implemented, the company saw an increase in production speed, an improvement in packaging accuracy, and a reduction in maintenance costs.
KSA Industrial Automation offered a branded solution with immediate availability of spare parts, while the lifetime of mechanical parts was significantly improved.
Furthermore, the experienced KSA Team’s support, guarantees swift and effective handling of any future needs concerning the materials utilized.
