Optimization of packaging machines.

Packaging machines Cut and seal quickly and precisely

2024-07-24 Source: Keba Industrial Automation GmbH | Translated by AI 5 min Reading Time

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An Italian manufacturer of packaging machines has switched its automation system to Ethercat and looked for new drives. It was important to note that the precision and synchronization of the axes are crucial in the production of shopping bags. The manufacturer found what it was looking for at KEBA.

At Mobert, the automation system was converted from PLC to industrial PC and controller.(Image: KEBA) — At Mobert, the automation system was converted from PLC to industrial PC and controller.
(Image: KEBA)

The In.Pack Machinery Group, based in Milan, manufactures packaging machines that cover the range of bag packaging demanded by the market. These include over 100 different types of bags, such as rolled bags, loose sacks, stick stack bags (block edge bags), side seals, and pouches. "Of course, one can make a great hype about the progress and technologies we use in the development and production of machine solutions for the packaging industry," explains Roberto Trezzi, Automation Manager for the Mobert brand, one of the four brands of the group. "I would like to quote my father, who founded the company: all we need to do is provide a seal that also works—so the bags are perfectly sealed and manufactured at top speed. That's all, no more, no less," says the Automation Manager. A minimalist mission, one could say, but Trezzi now explains this in more detail.

In search of the automation philosophy for the coming decades

Roberto Trezzi is a passionate engineer, a mechanical engineer who loves his craft. He is a self-taught and self-made man. When he knew that it was time to rethink the basic philosophy of machine construction of his product range, he planned the way there.

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Based in Milan, the In.Pack Machinery Group manufactures packaging machines that cover the range of bag packaging demanded on the market.(Image: KEBA)

The production of shopping bags is a highly precise process - cutting and sealing take place during operation.(Image: KEBA)

The machine builders must keep up and ensure that their machines can process these new materials with the same or even better quality than before.(Image: KEBA)

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"At that time, I was considering switching the automation system of our machines from the classic Siemens PLC and analogue drives to an IPC-based system with a digital network," Trezzi recounts. "The IPC concept was still in its infancy." It took months for him to decide to switch from PLC to industrial PC and controllers. "I was not happy to start with Windows, to be honest," Trezzi admits. He first checked the available bus technologies and after comparing the technical data, he decided on Ethercat, because it is an open and stable system with the right performance. At the SPS trade fair in Nuremberg, however, Trezzi questioned some of his ideas.

In search of new drives

The next step was the selection of new drives. He devoted a lot of attention and time to this topic. Trezzi began by examining and improving the movements of the numerous axes present on thermal welding machines. "Already in the 1990s, top machines could achieve very fast production cycles and this has increased over the years. Since the 2000s, there has been a real race to increase the number of cycles per minute and technically demanding products were presented at international trade fairs and to customers,” Trezzi recalls.

There were real challenges with the more powerful axes, which were hugely stressed by these machines: The drives with 45 amps have peak currents of 90 amps and on machines with 350 cycles/min they were pushed to their limits. "So I did a lot of research to find out which of the various manufacturers had been developing devices with important power levels for a long time, perhaps also from the world of inverters. In any case, they should provide solutions characterized by high dynamics and inertia," Trezzi recalls. This led him to Lust Antriebstechnik GmbH, today Keba Industrial Automation. "Aldo Bucci from KEBA allowed me to visit one of his customers who uses water-cooled drives with 250 to 500 amps. I knew immediately: I am in the right place—this visit marked the beginning of our cooperation."

Problems along the way and support

The history of industrial automation at Mobert is just one of a few problem points for which the specialist for Industrial Automation, Handover Automation and Energy Automation offered a solution. "To be completely honest: KEBA has helped me every step of the way. I started in the analogue world. I needed help from the first to the last axis to find the right drive, to calculate the inertia correctly, to determine the appropriate size of the drives, etc." The production of shopping bags is extremely precise and the cutting and sealing must be done quickly. Here, precision and synchronization of the axes are crucial. "KEBA helped me to check all levels and motion sequences – we examined this together for all axes."

The pursuit of excellence never ends. The engineers of the automation specialist have since supported Mobert in further increasing the performance of the machines and were able to make valuable suggestions and encourage improvements in the movement of the axes. Trezzi reports: "Actually, the collaboration was much more than just consultation. The KEBA staff, especially engineer Gianluca Mangialardo, with whom I spent days, even weeks side by side in production, spent a lot of time optimizing each individual axis. This is fundamentally important for us, as precision in handling is reflected in the quality of the product." When asked what features he appreciates most about the automation specialist, Trezzi replies: "We can certainly name helpfulness and competence as the decisive point why I chose KEBA. For the same reasons, KEBA also has an excellent reputation throughout the IN.PACK group."

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Trends in the bag packaging industry

"There are many trends and changes in the industry, but one thing probably always stays the same," Trezzi sighs. "Most people perceive plastic as bad and this probably won't change. We can hardly use the word anymore." Therefore, many suppliers are developing alternative raw materials that are biodegradable, decomposable and/or recyclable, i.e., mono-materials.

Many raw materials are now multi-layered products. Machine manufacturers must keep pace with this development and ensure that their machines can process these new materials in the same or even better quality than before. Trezzi: "This presents a real challenge for us: The machines must be designed in such a way that we can cut and seal these materials, which, by the way, have different properties, in the desired quality and at the required speed." Because one thing is actually constantly changing: Speed is becoming increasingly important. Trezzi: "For example, sealing PE/PE (polyethylene, a mono-material) in high quality is very difficult. We are talking about more than 120 cuts per minute. For such processing processes, we need different steps for a single closure position," he adds.

Machines with complex automation

Machines that can process such materials also have complex automation: A conventional tape may have 10 or 15 drives, but the tapes now required may need more than 20 drives to achieve speed and precision (of tension). This ensures that the seal is perfect and the speed can be maintained or even increased. "We hold a European patent that allows us to precisely control the film tension thanks to an electronic dancer control. This system is operated with a KEBA drive," says Trezzi.

The next important topic for the machine builder is energy consumption. Trezzi: "Customers are starting to demand explanations and information on energy consumption as part of the CO₂ footprint of their end products, which has been exacerbated by the tremendous price increase in recent months."