SEW-Eurodrive
Starter set for aseptic area
Constantly changing consumer trends, smaller batches and sustainability demand more flexibility and modularity in the production process from the beverage industry. A starter set helps to adapt machines and systems to the market.
Rapid and increasingly individual - this is the best way to describe the changing consumer trends in the beverage industry. What is popular today will be of no interest to consumers tomorrow. Whereas in the past only the chocolate drink was consumed over a long period of time, today it is the chocolate chino in the light version, tomorrow perhaps the lactose-free yoghurt drink and the day after tomorrow the vegan almond milk latte macchiato. The industry has to keep up and retool machines to produce and fill drinks using the turbo principle. However, frequent product changes as well as the smallest batches and cup quantities also entail higher cleaning requirements and increasing cleaning cycles - for which the machines and components must be designed.
Added to this is the trend towards greater sustainability. While the horizontal filling and sealing machine still packs and seals beverage cups with aluminum lids today, tomorrow sustainable packaging made of glass will be just as much in demand as cups made of mono-material or reusable polypropylene. However, this also changes the standards for the sealing process, such as the time required for sealing and the temperature used. How can machine manufacturers meet these requirements and bring machines to market for the beverage industry that allow faster changeovers in the filling process while complying with hygiene regulations?
Holistic automation solution for horizontal filling and sealing machines in the aseptic sector: "Starterset Horizontal Fill and Seal progressive 637". It relieves machine builders in the planning and implementation of horizontal filling and sealing machines. The software and hardware packages included are perfectly coordinated.
© SEW-EurodriveAdapt machines flexibly
SEW-Eurodrive meets these requirements with an integrated automation solution that makes it possible to convert machines more quickly and meet the increased demands in terms of hygiene and the sealing process. The 'Starterset Horizontal Fill and Seal progressive - Hygienic (637)' is suitable for the aseptic area and therefore meets the high demands of the beverage industry. The components included are optimally matched to each other and allow machine builders to use the individual automation components and thus flexibly adapt machines to the market.
The 637 starter set has been specially developed for horizontal filling and capping machines, for beverage filling at high cycle rates without spillage.
© SEW-EurodriveTo meet hygienic cleanability requirements, such as easy cleanability and resistance to cleaning agents, the automation specialist relies on servomotors from the 'CM2H' series. Thanks to the hygienic design in stainless steel and smooth surface with radii >3 mm and a roughness <0.8 µm, the motors are particularly suitable for use in food and beverage production machines and have been designed in a hygienic design without corners, edges or cavities. They therefore meet the high demands of hygiene, are very durable and particularly easy to clean. The compact units consisting of synchronous servomotors and planetary gearboxes are IP69K-certified and therefore resistant to high pressure, superheated steam and corrosive cleaning agents. The drives can also be used for effective, but for drive components challenging, automated cleaning processes such as Cleaning in Place (CIP) and Sterilizing in Place (SIP). They are available in five sizes in different lengths in the nominal torque range from 1.0 to 103.6 Nm and four different ratios per gearbox.
Software reduces sloshing behavior
At the heart of the Movikit bundle: the 'Movikit AntiSlosh' software module. Specially developed for horizontal filling and capping machines, it shortens the time a liquid needs to settle after a movement. The result: filling at high cycle rates without sloshing.
© SEW-EurodriveAnother special feature when filling liquids is their sloshing behavior. Due to the cycle operation of the machine, there is a risk that the liquid will vibrate and spill over. This can lead to sealing problems due to contamination, for example - which increases rejects and thus reduces the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). SEW-Eurodrive has therefore developed the 'Movikit AntiSlosh' software module specifically for the horizontal filling and sealing machine, which prevents the liquid from sloshing around during cyclical movements, regardless of the speed and acceleration specifications. For this purpose, optimum movement profiles are created based on an intelligent adjustment to the physical properties of the fluid. As the excitation is reduced, the liquid takes considerably less time to come to a standstill again after acceleration and deceleration phases.
Resistant to high pressure, superheated steam and corrosive cleaning agents: The synchronous servomotors are IP96K-certified and suitable for Cleaning in Place (CIP) and Sterilizing in Place (SIP) processes.
© SEW-EurodriveClean filling with optimized, intermittent transport of open liquids and reduced product waste results in an increase in machine performance of up to 25 %. The spill protection ensures hygienic transportation of the liquids and reduces the cleaning effort in the machine environment by up to 20 %. The sealing quality is increased as the sealing surfaces remain clean, which also prevents recalls due to contamination.
Flexible and scalable solution
The starter set consists of a modular, scalable construction kit. Software and hardware packages are optimally matched to each other. This pre-selection of the basic components enables machine builders to reduce the time and effort required for project planning and programming and thus shorten the project duration by several weeks.
In addition to the aforementioned stainless steel servomotors from the 'CM2H' series, the starter set includes the higher-level Movi-C controller for automation and motion synchronization, machine-specific I/O modules, a web-based HMI operator panel for simple machine operation and the Movikit 'FillSeal' bundle for application implementation in the controller. This software bundle consists of 15 Movikit software modules, including the 'Movikit AntiSlosh'. These modules cover all functionalities for the automation of horizontal filling and sealing machines: Licenses for the 'AutomationFramework' programming template, web visualization, OPC-UA data server, cam functionality, vibration-free motion profiles, support for fieldbus masters and other typical machine functions (wrapping, cutting and sealing). In addition, the Movikit modules are pre-programmed and can therefore be put into operation in a short time, allowing important functions to be implemented quickly through parameterization. SEW-Eurodrive also works with a freely programmable Codesys environment, which enables specific adaptations to be made. This means that the machine manufacturer's individual know-how can be incorporated into the machines, while programming effort for standard functions is eliminated.
Continuous communication
The 'Movikit Automation Framework' software module is particularly noteworthy for packaging machines. This state and mode manager, standardized according to Packaging Machine Language (PackML), forms a "shell" for the user program. This means that all software modules contained in the Automation Framework work with the same state - they wait together or start together. If a new module is integrated, it is part of this synchronization. This simplifies system expansions or changes and ultimately saves time and costs during commissioning and diagnostics. To support consistent communication, the PackML standard includes the 'PackTag' interface, which ensures that incoming and outgoing machine information is standardized.
The author: Hans-Joachim Müller is Market Manager Drive Electronics at SEW-Eurodrive in Bruchsal.
© SEW-EurodriveData access to external interfaces is made possible using the 'Movikit OPC UA' software module. This allows machines within a production line to communicate using the same language and simplifies subsequent tasks such as external data visualization.
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