1 Introduction
Bosch Packaging Technologies GmbH, part of the German Bosch Group, was originally named Doboy in the 1940s and is a renowned developer and manufacturer of bag sealing packaging machines. The company's products enable people to package cereal products into cellophane bags to maintain the freshness of food.
Today, Bosch Packaging serves industries such as food and snacks. Its extensive product range includes equipment for horizontal and vertical bagging applications, sealing and closure devices, forming and sealing machines for cartons or trays, as well as feeding systems and pick-and-place robots. Typical applications include packaging for fresh and frozen foods, cereals, snacks, confectionery, pasta, rice, flour, coffee, pet food, and more.
2. More flexible molding, filling, and sealing operations
As one of the highlights of PackExpo 2013 in Las Vegas, Bosch Packaging Technologies Ltd. unveiled its newly developed CCM3100 case packer, which can be seamlessly integrated into vertical and horizontal bagging production lines. The CCM3100 increases production workflow speed and enhances packaging process flexibility. “The CCM3100 can be used in conjunction with other Bosch packaging machines, further enriching our range of flexible and adaptable secondary packaging solutions, which can be tailored to user needs in terms of bag shape, display arrangement, and packaging specifications,” explained Craig Collett, Director of HFFS and Secondary Packaging Systems at Bosch Packaging Technologies Ltd. The CCM3100 can handle a variety of bag and box sizes and types, including standard open-cut boxes, semi-open-cut boxes, and other shelf-ready packaging. (See Figure 1.)
To achieve a throughput of up to 180 bags per minute, a single stand of the machine is connected to the feeding system, receiving products from VFFS and HFFS secondary packaging machines. Depending on their characteristics, products can be handled individually or in groups. Products are picked up and placed by a dual-axis robot equipped with a vacuum nozzle or gripper end effector. The CCM3100's settings can be quickly modified according to the orientation of vertical or horizontal bags, different bag formulations, or different machine configurations. The machine's large data storage capacity, providing space for over 1000 formulations and a formulation wizard, makes this possible. The CCM3100's open architecture also ensures easy, rapid, tool-free setup changes and high productivity. A built-in inspection station on the feed conveyor allows users to control quality before the packaging process begins, ensuring all bags are correctly formed and aligned for easy boxing.
“The CCM3100 is easy to use and has a long service life, capable of running 24/7. Operators can quickly switch between vertical and horizontal packaging modes to optimize secondary packaging processes,” Collett said. (See Figure 2.)
3. PC-based control platform as the established standard
Bosch Packaging has been using Beckhoff control equipment since 2004. Since then, the company has implemented the CX series embedded controllers and EtherCAT I/O technology in several generations of its machines. For example, the CCM3100 uses a powerful CX5020 with a 1.6 GHz Intel® Atom™ processor as its central automation and motion control platform and communicates with its servo drives using EtherCAT. The CX5020 connects to a control panel to handle machine operation, recipe management, and troubleshooting. Machine control and robot programming are implemented through TwinCAT automation software. The system can also communicate with older machines via the TwinCAT virtual serial port driver. “For most applications, Bosch Packaging has developed a standard control solution based on the CX5020 embedded controller and EtherCAT, which is currently in use on several of our production lines,” said Phil Koehler, Engineering Manager at Bosch. “Bosch Packaging has adopted EtherCAT as its standard bus system because of its high speed, widespread market acceptance, high cabling flexibility, and ease of implementation.”
Another advantage of the Beckhoff control platform, Mr. Koehler added, is its 16-channel high-density (HD) terminal modules, which reduce the machine's I/O equipment space requirements by 75% in the electrical cabinet: "The high-density terminal modules reduce the machine's footprint, which is increasingly becoming a selling point. The use of EtherCAT and CX5020 allows us to offer a control system with excellent performance and flexibility at a competitive price," as shown in Figure 3.
Joe Franek, Engineering Director at Bosch Packaging, agreed: “Beckhoff is currently the standard PC control platform used across most of our product lines, from horizontal and vertical forms, filling and sealing machines to Delta robots to carton forming and sealing.” Phil Koehler summarized: “By using a PC-based motion control system and EtherCAT, we were able to achieve faster scan times and a higher number of axes in our motion systems. Compared to the PLCs we used before, we significantly reduced our control costs while accomplishing all of this.”
