IIS InMotion NewsLetter - February 2023

Industrial Indexing Systems, Inc

IIS InMotion Newsletter

March 2023

Servos Enhance Packaging Performance

of Dual Axis Back Folding System

Packaging automation boosts performance by accurately forming, folding and

gluing flaps on the back end of cardboard sheets used in the box making process.

Servo driven motion control and automation solutions, producing enhanced performance for packaging machines, are being applied to dual axis back folding systems used throughout industry in the box making process.

“The main trends in automation used for the packaging industry involve motor design focusing on precise control at high speeds. Trends expect motor shaft position resolution, controlled shaft speed, and reactive torque that today's brushless motors required can provide,” said Christopher Englert, Marketing Director at Industrial Indexing Systems.

Advanced technology offers specific benefits for dual axis back folding systems, and the potential to impact the overall effectiveness of packaging lines.

“Being able to fold a flap from behind in the same direction the product is moving without mutilating the new flap and halting the product flow is essential. Modifying the process as it runs allows the operator to fine tune the action of forming the fingers as production increases,” Englert said.

Air-conditioned control system cabinet

SYSTEM SOLUTION

The term "back folding" in packaging automation is a process where the material and the tool acting on it need to move in the same direction. The software used with the automation controller will accommodate multiple sized fingers and flap sizes, providing optimum performance.

The movement of the folding fingers is an electronic cam sequence created with input through the HMI by the operator. Finger length, flap size, and contact point distance relative to the score line produce elements forming the cam sequence to define the 360-degree motion profile.

Adjustable folding fingers

CHALLENGES

What challenges do packaging automation engineers face that dual axis back folding control systems are helping to address?

“One challenge is assuring the fingers are at rest and out of the way of the following product before and after the fold is made. The second challenge is adjusting the finger contact point without stopping the process flow and ensuring the finger touches the material without marking it,” Englert added. “The finger must decelerate to a slow constant speed, following the material but just enough to fold it forward"....