The difficult framework conditions are increasingly forcing manufacturers of consumer goods to organise their packaging processes more efficiently. Intelligent solutions are needed to automate manual work steps. With its TLM Comfort Feeder, Schubert now offers a compact solution that automates the feeding of carton blanks to the packaging machine directly from the pallet. The company will be presenting the machine at ProSweets in Cologne.
The new TLM comfort feeder is suitable for products that are to be packaged in secondary packaging made of cardboard. It has been designed for companies that want to optimise their packaging process upstream of the machine and are looking for a Cost-effective and efficient solution wish. The background to this development was that Schubert took on an existing problem: If the blank magazine on the packaging machine runs empty, this can cause delays in the process. In this case, machine operators have to react quickly to avoid unnecessary stops.
With the new TLM comfort feeder from Schubert, all you need to do is Pallet with all cut sheets to be placed completely in the machine. The blanks are already pre-cut and only need to be joined at a few predetermined breaking points to form a sheet. Packaging manufacturers can easily supply pre-cut sheets of this type on request, making the the usual intermediate layers on the pallet. In addition, the cut sheet can be optimised even better for the greatest possible utilisation of the packaging material.
Cardboard blanks on the packaging machine
With the Comfort Feeder, the carton blanks are fed into the machine in a single lane. This means that the Optimum utilisation of the performance of the few machine-integrated robots, and the machine can run at 60 cycles per minute - 60 carton packs per minute can be processed.
To remove the blanks from the pallet, a hold-down device fixes the cardboard boxes in place, while an F4 robot pulls each blank directly from the sheet and places it in a vertical magazine that serves as a buffer. The pallet is gradually lifted up to the last sheets. A Camera monitors the position of the upper bend in parallel by means of a corner so that the robot can access each cut without errors.
In contrast to the conventional process, in which the production employees have to fill the magazine for the cardboard boxes again and again at short intervals, the Comfort Feeder runs continuously for up to five hours. In times of a shortage of skilled labour, the Staff deployed for other activities can be used. The TLM Comfort Feeder is also very easy to operate, even without specialised knowledge, as no magazines need to be converted on the machine when changing the packaging format.
Power Compact with high power density
For companies, expanding their production to large areas is extremely cost-intensive. This is why Schubert is constantly developing machines under the heading „Power Compact“, which are very cost-efficient thanks to newly designed processes and innovative technology. are compact and space-saving and at the same time deliver their full performance. prove their worth. Smaller machines with less technology and fewer robots also mean less maintenance. In addition to reducing the workload for personnel, the TLM Comfort Feeder supports the „Power Compact“ machine concept: because it always works together with an A6 erector, every system with this feeder automatically has a High performance in the smallest of spaces.
A perfect team
In the packaging machines with TLM comfort feeder, the A6 erector after feeding the cardboard blanks further processing. To do this, it pulls each blank individually from below from the buffer and transfers it to a pusher, which transports it past the gluing unit to a folding box. There, a punch sucks in the blank, presses it through the folding box to erect it and places it on the transport system. The A6 erector can also easily maintain the high processing output of 60 blanks per minute set by the TLM comfort feeder.
(Image: Gerhard Schubert GmbH)
Maximum flexibility
The entire process, from removing the flat blanks to erecting the packaging, is automated and integrated into a single dividing machine. While the TLM comfort feeder always works together with an A6 erector, the A6 erector can also be used without it. In this case, a vertical magazine can be used. For the following steps connect other Schubert packaging machines, for example, a TLM cartoner for filling and closing cartons. Machines for upstream work steps, such as a TLM flowpacker for packaging products in tubular bags, can also be easily combined with the TLM comfort feeder. Thanks to the The modularity of the machine concept offers consumer goods manufacturers the greatest possible flexibility, as all components of the „Schubert modular system“ are compatible with each other and can be combined again and again to create efficient packaging lines. For companies, the modular design also means that they can start with the packaging function that is most important to them and expand this at a later date if required - an advantage that should not be underestimated in economically challenging times.
Schubert at ProSweets: Hall 10.1, Stand F030-G031
