B&R: in the fast lane with intelligent transport systems

The packaging industry is demanding an ever-increasing range of packaging variants. Packaging lines with conventional servo technology will soon no longer be able to fulfil these requirements cost-effectively. Intelligent transport systems such as those from B&R enable significantly more flexibility in production while also increasing system efficiency.

„Every manufacturer of consumer goods produces numerous different products and uses different packaging, containers and transport packaging for them,“ explains Maurizio Tarozzi, Global Technology Manager Packaging at B&R. Machine and system manufacturers must therefore enable flexible product and packaging changes. „Most modern machines can do this to a certain extent,“ says Maurizio Tarozzi. However, every additional option makes a machine more complex, while efficiency decreases and ultimately the total cost of ownership increases.

First came the servo technology ...

„It's not the first time we've seen a major step towards more flexible packaging machines,“ says the expert from specialist B&R. Some time ago, the machine manufacturers switched from mechanical cam discs to Servo technology changed over. The demand for Flexibility and greater overall system efficiency (OEE) continues to rise.

„Now it's time to take the next evolutionary step,“ he emphasises. There are two ways of constructing conventional packaging lines. Firstly, they can work with a fixed cycle. In this case, the product stops at each station - for example, during filling, gluing and packaging. The disadvantage of this method is that the slowest station determines the cycle time. The other option is a continuous process in which the product and processing station move synchronously, as in a filling carousel.

... then the intelligent transport systems

With conventional servo technology, only one of these two principles can be utilised. It is not possible to utilise the advantages of both approaches at the same time. „This is where Intelligent transport systems based on long-stator linear motors come into play,“ says Tarozzi. These systems consist of a motorised stator in the form of an oval track and any number of shuttles. In the most modern version of this technology, the shuttles are held magnetically on the track and driven electromagnetically.

„The big advantage is that all shuttles can be moved independently of each other,“ explains Tarozzi. The shuttles can move at different speeds, stop and reverse. Speed and acceleration adapt to the respective production step. „This Decoupling of product, process and mechanics opens up completely new possibilities in terms of flexibility and productivity,“ summarises Tarozzi. The shuttle movement can be used as the axis of a CNC system or a robot application.

Reduce cycle times ...

Thanks to the high flexibility and dynamics of the shuttle movements, intelligent transport systems can significantly reduce cycle times during packaging, in some cases even halving them. „When we decouple the process from the mechanical design, the movement profile is determined solely by the product in question and not by the physical limits of the machine,“ says Tarozzi.

Although the production speed increases significantly with intelligent transport systems, the actual packaging process does not have to be changed. The transport systems merely optimise the transport between the individual steps of the process. „The decisive factor is that with intelligent transport systems Asynchronous processes synchronised “, adds Tarozzi. „Numerous production steps with different processing times result in a continuous process.“

„The time has come to take the next evolutionary step,“ emphasises Maurizio Tarozzi, Global Technology Manager Packaging at B&R.

... quick changeover

High production speed is an important factor, but for highly flexible production with high overall effectiveness, the Changeover times can be minimised. Intelligent transport systems enable fast retooling in two ways: On the one hand, a large part of the manual retooling work is eliminated as the necessary adjustments are made automatically by the software. On the other hand, the shuttles can be added to or removed from the track very easily.

High reliability ...

Intelligent transport systems can also significantly simplify the design of a machine or system. By replacing motorised conveyor chains, belts and gears, simple and effective software profiles take the place of mechanical solutions. The Maintenance costs are minimised.

... transparent costs

„Some machine and system manufacturers are reluctant to use new technologies because the implementation costs are often difficult to predict,“ adds Tarozzi. This is not the case with B&R's intelligent transport system. There is a comprehensive simulation tool that also includes synchronised robots.

This tool simulates what the track must look like in order to implement the existing packaging process with an intelligent transport system. Machine operators can calculate exactly how long the track needs to be and how many shuttles are required. The simulation tool can also be used for virtual commissioning. „This makes it very easy to Plant efficiency with intelligent transport systems,“ concludes Tarozzi.