PKR-23-06-0001 A+F Case Study tray erector Interpack EN web.pdf
Op timiz ed tr ay er ect or for y ogurt jars Innov ative c arton bonding A + F Automa tion + Fördertechnik GmbH
Optimized tray erector for yogurt jars
Innovative carton bonding
A + F Automation + Fördertechnik GmbH
The ProBlue Flex hotmelt application
system as an OEM version
The ProBlue Flex hotmelt application system as an OEM
version A + F Automation + Fördertechnik GmbH enjoyed
a great deal of interest at this year’s Interpack with the
presentation of a system specially designed for placing
yogurt jars in perforated crates. The end-of-line solution,
which was delivered to a South Tyrolean dairy processor aer
the trade show, is a combination of the proven 216-S crate
erector and a Twinline pick-and-place packer operating in
continuous flow. The innovative machine is completed by a
modern hotmelt applicator from the ProBlue Flex series from
adhesive technology manufacturer.
The Challenge
In addition to food and beverage producers, the dairy industry
in particular represents a dominant customer group for A + F
Automation + Fördertechnik GmbH – known as A + F for short
– based in Kirchlengern Germany, which will celebrate its 50th
anniversary next year. Since 2017, the medium-sized company
with 120 employees has been part of the end-of-line group based in
Kirchlengern and organized under the umbrella of EOL Packaging
Experts GmbH, which also includes BMS Maschinenfabrik GmbH,
the US subsidiary Standard-Knapp Inc. and the Portuguese
company NEO Conveying Intelligence Lda. This international
composition already indicates the worldwide activities of the EOL
Group as a supplier of integrated end-of-line packaging machines.
A detailed examination of the configuration presented in
Düsseldorf reveals the eiciency of the complete line. The crate
erector, equipped with nine servo axes, meets a customer-
requested output of 17 cartons per minute, producing 2 x 5-hole
crates. The maximum capacity of the 216-S model, which has been
tried and tested for many years, is 45 cycles/min – depending on
the flat blank being processed.
As an alternative to plastic cup handling, the line is designed
for the insertion of jars – in this case 150-gram yogurt jars. This
is accomplished by the downstream Twinline pick-and-place
packer, which also has servo-driven axes. Even its type designation
indicates that two conveyor lines are arranged in the packing cell.
The finished crates are fed onto one conveyor while the products
enter the other via a screw conveyor and are then transferred into
the cartons according to the packing scheme with the aid of a
robot arm. The Twinline achieves an impressive output of around
10,000 jars per hour.
Innovative & Improved
2 | Innovative carton bonding
The solution
In addition to the secondary packaging of jars, which is – at
least still – rather rare in the yogurt segment compared to
cups, the carton gluing management also has some special
features. With regard to the gluing of the erected or folded
crate blanks, A + F has been working for many years with
Nordson Deutschland GmbH, the European headquarters of
the U.S. adhesive technology specialist based in Erkrath, and
of course makes use of its state-of-the-art developments.
In the specific case of the system shown in Düsseldorf, for
example, ProBlue® Flex with a 7 liter tank is installed and
supplies five MiniBlue® II application heads with hotmelt for
proper gluing of the center webs and side flaps. They operate
with a minimum switching time of 2 ms and feature a long
service life of more than 100 million cycles. The hotmelt used
is a Technomelt Supra granulate from Henkel.
The ProBlue Flex represents the latest generation of hot melt
equipment from Nordson Corporation. Designed primarily for
end-of-line applications, they combine all the advantages of
their predecessor series as a universal platform. The systems
are modular in design and thus serve as a configuration basis
for a wide variety of melter versions that can be adapted
to the dierent needs of various industries. The flexibility
also includes subsequent scalability of the application by
upgrading with additional hoses or, for example, integration
of the Adhesive Tracking System for precise adhesive flow
measurement.
The innovative hotmelt applicators are basically available
in two versions: as end-user or OEM models. With the
same size, they dier essentially in terms of their control
system. While the former are equipped with a large, clear
OLED display for stand-alone operation, for example at
the cartoner, the versions specially developed for the
plant manufacturer have only a few function buttons and
do without a display, as they can be integrated into the
main control of the parent machine via LAN or fieldbus.
Accordingly, A + F has opted for the use of an OEM version
and uses the direct control option of the melter via the HMI of
the riser erector. As an added bonus, the adhesive applicator
features digital pressure control, enabling precise setting
or adherence to operating parameters as well as simple and
reliable format changeovers. This also includes complete
documentation of all changes and deviations.
In the configuration described, this is a melter with
conventional, manual filling. However, both the OEM and end-
user units can also be equipped with automatic adhesive feed.
The tankless melt-on-demand (MOD) melters with Autofill
and Smart Melt technology oer a reduction in coking, are
particularly energy-eicient due to reduced heat-up and heat-
through times, and minimize the risk of burns.
The controller is integrated into the HMI of the parent machine.
Tray bonding with MiniBlue II application heads
Innovative carton bonding | 3