FEATURED ARTICLE

The New Paradigm

Integrated servo modules, easier programming, smaller cabinets and less wiring are some of the changes that will affect motion control technology - and that’s only the beginning.

To get an inkling of the impact that advances in motion control technology have had on packaging, step into your local supermarket, stroll over to the snack aisle and look at the chips. Odds are you’ll find some variety packs - you know, four different flavors, each with its own bag design, all enclosed in a single package. Perform that same stroll in different parts of the country and you will notice that the contents of that variety pack change, based on regional preferences, as determined by market research. And if you find a combination of flavors that you like, better stock up, because tomorrow it might be yanked off the shelves for a new mix.

“Today, it’s all about time to market, configurability and being able to grow with your market,” says Mike Wagner, business development manager for the Global OEM Team, for vendor Rockwell Automation Inc., Milwaukee. This requires packaging equipment that is flexible enough to permit rapid changeover from one type of packaging to another.

OK, the credit (or blame, depending on how you feel as a consumer) for this hyperkinetic flexibility can’t all be laid at the door of motion control technology. Innovations in motion control play out within a nexus of interlinked technologies. Still, motion control can be seen as both an enabler and a symbol of the wider changes affecting the packaging realm.

Small and smart

The key word for packaging today is integration, and it’s evident in the new generation of servo modules that combine the servo motor and drive into a single compact package. Attempts to combine these components began more than a decade ago, with varying degrees of success. Recent advances in semiconductor technology, however, have allowed technology providers to make these units smaller and, more importantly, smarter. Case in point: the GenNext series from Bosch Rexroth Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill... Read more

New Labelers Benefit From High-Speed Serial Network - Simplified programming and smooth coordination of all axes of motion are key benefits gained now that a new-generation PLC has been incorporated in these labelers.

The Series 1500 wraparound and Series 1600 front-and-back labelers from Labeling Systems Inc. (www.labelingsystems.com) are equipped with a new FX3U PLC from Mitsubishi (www.mitsubishi-automation.com) that communicates freely with servos, variable-frequency drives, PLCs, and HMI over a single communications protocol. Better synchronization of all axes of motion is among the chief benefits gained. Less time spent programming is another, as LSI’s Andrew Dondero explains.

“This new PLC has a lot of built-in commands. In the past, we had to write our own command routines, including multiple rungs of ladder code. This is a much more modular approach, which we as machine builders appreciate.

“For the customer who buys and installs such a machine, the advantage is that they can control the entire machine from a single touchscreen interface. In the past, if there were multiple labeling heads, there were multiple operator interfaces, start buttons, potentiometers, and so on. Now at a single interface, the operator can change parameters not only on multiple labeling heads but also on the master conveyor speed, the wrap belt, the top hold down, and the infeed timing screw. All these devices communicate through the FX3U, the master PLC.” Read more

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Free Webcast from MESA International

Register today for this upcoming webcast: “Metrics that Matter: Uncovering KPIs that Justify Plant Improvements.” Thursday, July 19, 11am EDT.
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