Sustainability And Automation Courage to Modify

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Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA)

There is potential in packaging machines—and not just for handling and packaging various consumer goods. They also offer a wealth of levers for energy-saving production.

It doesn't always have to be the materials: It is true that EU regulations such as the Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) lead directly to packaging materials, for which there is now a wealth of recyclable options. However, the PPWR also indirectly exerts pressure on manufacturers to save resources and produce less waste. Truly sustainable production therefore also means using energy as sparingly as possible—whether in gluing or transport systems, robot tools or sealing units. With appropriate modifications, considerable energy and process-related potential can be exploited.

Without pressure, temperature and time, numerous packaging processes would come to a standstill. Compressed air, for example, drives pneumatic cylinders that perform movements such as gripping, pushing or lifting, and supports transportation and handling. Empty bottles or bags can be brought into position with blasts of air, while suction pads enable gentle pick-and-place with the help of negative pressure.

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As indispensable as compressed air is in many places, its share of the plant's power consumption can be just as high: To generate compressed air, systems require compressors and sufficient electricity to reliably produce the medium for the entire duration of production. In industry, compressed air accounts for around ten percent of electricity consumption (EU-wide > 80 terawatt hours/year). In packaging-intensive areas, it can be significantly higher: Case studies in the pharmaceutical industry determined shares of between 30 and 40 percent . Weak points can quickly become cost drivers: Insufficient system pressure, leaks or inefficient piping systems can quickly lead to additional costs that can be avoided by making targeted adjustments.

Components from the 3D Printer

In vacuum systems, for example, the shape and length of the media-carrying pipes or hoses determine how efficiently the devices work. Right-angled pipes mean more air resistance; the pumps required to generate the vacuum have to deliver correspondingly more power. If the pipe geometry is altered, the air resistance is reduced: flatter angles enable a much more energy-efficient vacuum generation. Electric vacuum ejectors allow even more energy-saving operation: The compact systems, which are positioned close to the product, are only in operation when a vacuum is required; their demand-dependent use helps to reduce electricity consumption.

The same applies to tube lengths: In robots with several grippers, for example, the air is extracted via several hoses. If these are of different lengths, vacuum generation can take different amounts of time. The disadvantage: the suction cups work unevenly and, in the worst case, place objects inaccurately—with undesirable consequences, not only for the products themselves. To compensate for the suction power, the systems have to take countermeasures, which increases electricity and compressed air consumption.

Additive manufacturing provides a remedy: Using 3D printing, pipes, hoses and suction tools can be designed in advance so that they have the necessary internal or external geometry for clean, reproducible vacuum generation. Flat angles, hoses with a uniform length: the use of modern processes such as 3D printing offers advantages that go beyond power consumption. While the path of a part through the factory is often long and complex in traditional production processes, 3D printing eliminates many of these intermediate steps. This not only saves manufacturers time, but also material, energy and transportation costs—a clear benefit in terms of efficiency and environmental compatibility.

Tight or Not?

Correctly placed products are ready for initial packaging. Tubular bags are often used in the food and pharmaceutical industries as they can be produced quickly, cost-effectively and hermetically sealed. Depending on the packaging material, manufacturers have different sealing processes at their disposal, from hot to cold to ultrasonic sealing. Regardless of the method, the focus is on tight sealing seams and as few rejects as possible.

Innovative heat sealing systems can determine the energy input during the sealing process and thus provide indirect information on whether a seam is sealed or not. If there is no feedback from the sealing system, this means that no energy has been transferred from the sealing element to the film and no heating has taken place—in this case, the seal has not been applied. There is a similar check for ultrasonic sealing: here, the systems measure whether energy has actually been transferred from the sonotrode to the anvil. If this feedback is not received, a tight seal has not been achieved here either. The advantage: this indirect product control does not require any destructive processes and reduces material wear.

This allows manufacturers to significantly reduce their sampling rates: Instead of testing every thousandth product, as was previously the case, it may now only be necessary to sample every ten thousandth product. As sampling is always accompanied by the destruction of the product—for example when immersed in water—the reduced test frequency through indirect leakage measurement promotes the careful use of resources. The latter is also reflected in the energy consumption of the sealing systems: Because heat is only generated at certain points instead of over a large area and no sealing jaws need to be brought up to temperature in advance, the consumption of ultrasonic sealing systems in standby mode is reduced by a factor of 3.5 compared to the heat-sealing variant. During operation, the savings amount to 40 percent, as measurements by Gerhard Schubert GmbH have shown.

As Much Glue As Necessary

For tubular bags or other primary packaging, the process rarely ends without further protection. To ensure that secondary packaging such as boxes or transport cartons remain stable, packaging machines apply hot melt to pre-defined points on the blanks. Glueless approaches now also exist, such as the Dotlock technology developed by Schubert, which guarantees maximum stability even for heavy products. However, hot melt is likely to remain in use, as it enables hermetically sealed and robust packaging that offers optimum protection in demanding environments such as damp rooms.

Nevertheless, the direct requirements of the PPWR—particularly those for recyclable, lightweight and minimalist packaging—may mean that manufacturers have to adapt their packaging technology, retrofit machines or reconfigure them. If packaging machines are to process cartons with minimal wall thicknesses or with new gluing techniques in the future, they will have to enable special cycle times or adhesive applications—and have modified gluing systems if required. Manufacturers should take an ecological approach to glue application in particular, as melting the glue granulate and storing the glue mass requires a certain core temperature—with corresponding energy consumption.

The amount of hot melt itself is a key factor: Instead of using a blanket application of the binding agent, manufacturers of consumer goods can fall back on systems that apply glue as required and thus work in a more material-saving and cost-efficient manner. Corresponding glue systems are based on known production values in order to calculate consumption precisely: Using the number of cycles per minute as well as robot paths and speeds, machine manufacturers can determine the exact amount of glue required per hour in advance and transmit this to the system control.

This also regulates the glue application. This means that the glue system processes exactly the amount of glue that the cartons require. This has a decisive advantage: designers can reduce the size of the glue tank in advance, which in turn requires significantly less energy to heat up and maintain the temperature. Gone are the days when the glue unit had to be re-parameterized or glue nozzles had to be changed every time the program was changed.

Save With Compact Technology

The transport systems within packaging lines can also be designed according to requirements. Transport robots such as the Transmodul from Schubert perform an important, highly flexible function within lines: they transport primary-packed products to cartoners or already filled cartons to other stations in the process. For format changes, only the format plates or transport tools on the Transmodul need to be exchanged. A vacuum blower holds the cartons or products securely in place.

This is precisely where there is potential for savings: powerful, compact vacuum ejectors save a significant amount of space and energy compared to conventional ejectors or pumps. Modern solutions enable significantly higher vacuum flows than standard systems, which means they not only achieve faster cycles, but also reduce their energy consumption. The high efficiency is maintained.

The solutions also stand out in other ways: as they are small and lightweight, they can also be used inside machines, in end-of-arm tools such as robot grippers or directly on transport robots. This eliminates the need for bulky central vacuum pumps in the production environment. If there is no need for vacuum systems—for example for bags with liquid that are also labeled—the ejector can simply be switched off or removed.

However, there is potential for greater sustainability far beyond the examples mentioned: whether in the path calculation of robots, more ecological packaging materials, new recycling streams or innovative production methods—the process offers manufacturers further opportunities to make their production more sustainable. In view of tight regulatory deadlines and ambitious climate targets, it is important to seize these opportunities as soon as possible.

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