Format synchronicity

CHOCOLATE products place heavy demands on packaging machine manufacturers. Speed and flexibility need to be combined with gentle handling. Ever decreasing loads, frequent product changes and rapid time-to-market - these are the challenges that chocolate product manufacturers face. The Italian company Fima specializes in the packaging of confectionery products. To make sure that the machines "stay in time" and that the individual modules are perfectly synchronized, the company uses Pilz motion control, which not only controls the automation and drives reliably and flexibly but also makes the line easy to handle, too. Pilz has been a motion control partner of Fima for many years; with the PMC product series (Pilz Motion Control) and all its possibilities, it has contributed to the success that the packaging machines have enjoyed. Its "Sweet Magic HF"(Hollow Figures) wrapping machine, a modular concept for packaging chocolates, can handle several different wrapping styles for chocolate pralines - from envelope style to single and double twist wrapping, through to hollow figure wrapping. The machine has a belt conveyor with ready-made molds corresponding to the product to be wrapped. To switch the format, or the product, all the operator has to do is exchange the wrapping module for the respective packaging type, the product-specific belt conveyor and the turntable. The remaining adjustments for the new format are made automatically when switching to a new recipe. Particular attention was paid to special functions on the machine, to counteract material waste. Thanks to the 揘o product, no packing material" function, the wrapping material is only unwound and drawn into the machine when the product is actually present. The pick-and-place station is not a separate part of the machine, as is often the case, but receives the data from the same recipe data set. This means it's possible to undergo a complete format or product change in around 30 minutes, including all the mechanical modifications. Versatile motion control System All the servomotors are linked to the movement of the turntable via electrical cams. The cams are defined via the stored recipes, and all the machine's movements are finely coordinated in the process. All the adjustments for new products result from the recipe selection made on the operator terminal. The machine's flexibility was achieved thanks to the versatility of the motion control system PMCprimo Drive, which is employed in these machines. This enables the operator to optimize the synchronization of the individual axes at any time. The "Sweet Magic HF" uses five Pilz servomotors, which are automated via the drive-integrated control system PMCprimo Drive. As no space is required for a separate controller, it's also possible to save space in the control cabinet. With the development of the PMCprimo Drive it was finally possible to meet the various requirements of the packaging machine manufacturers. Fima in particular was able to increase the efficiency of its machines demonstrably. Optimum packaging is achieved thanks to the ability to detect the exact position of both the product and the wrapping material. Also, the control system can react quickly to changes by optimizing a series of pre-defined parameters. In terms of the software, all functions are implemented using ready-made program modules in accordance with IEC61131-3; all that's needed is to set the parameters. So the programming of complex functions is reduced to a minimum. Another feature of the control system that Fima values very highly is the ability to use all the digital outputs on the PMCprimo Drive as digital cams. This means that the status of the outputs depends on the respective axis position. So fast reacAdidas Yeezy Boost