Only a few years ago, no one would have expected the rapid pace of digitalization of packaging machinery. With the increasing speed of the electronic process, there was a need to increase the distribution box. However, when the number of cables required by the bus system can be greatly reduced, coupled with the emergence of decentralized computers, it means that there is no need to increase the volume of the distribution box. Nowadays, independent power distribution boxes are no longer necessary in the packaging industry. Digital packaging machines take up less space than previous mechanical or electromechanical packaging machines.
Automation brings changes to packaging
The era of automation in the packaging industry began about 20 years ago. At that time, all-mechanical equipment was equipped with a programmable logic controller PLC, which was used to control the logic functions and the mechanical power shaft of the drive. However, the flexibility of this first-generation automation equipment is not satisfactory. Consumer products, especially food, have shortened life cycles and diversified products, which has stimulated a greater demand for equipment flexibility. In the second-generation automation equipment developed later, more and more functions were transferred from the mechanical power shaft to the electronic drive system, and the logic function was still controlled by the PLC system.
Control and drive technology has proven to be a key technology in the field of packaging machinery structure. Today, the fully electronic third-generation machine has all the advantages of servo technology and at the same time establishes a new industry standard. Digital packaging machinery can not only provide greater output and stronger equipment flexibility, but also adds many new features, such as: remote maintenance, integration with the company's ERP system, and evaluation of production data.
The logic function originally performed by the PLC is losing its importance, and now it is the electronic motion function that dominates. As the requirements for equipment flexibility increase, the number of servo motors is also increasing. This means that due to different programming languages and systems, physical and logical interfaces are no longer needed. Since the mid-1990s, some companies have driven the trend of integrated motion control and logic control solutions in the field of packaging machinery.
Top loading equipment is becoming more and more popular in carton packaging. The flexible cartoning machine loads goods from above, which is more flexible than horizontal machines. The robot arm can be equipped with different vacuum fixtures to adapt to the vastly different products. This solution is also very effective for composite packaging. For example, in medicine, blister packs, ampoules, medicine bottles, medicine instructions and medicine spoons can all be packed with top-loading equipment. In the field of confectionery, top loading equipment is used to put chocolates of various shapes into deep dishes. The flexibility of top loading equipment operation is also effective for larger packages. The machine only needs to make small adjustments to adapt to different container shapes. This means that new product types can meet future requirements.
