Inever is a Spanish vertical packaging machine manufacturer founded in 2002 in Dosrius (Barcelona). The 17-employee company manufactures the StickPack product, a tubular packaging format for granulated and/or liquid products such as coffee, sugar, medicines etc. It is increasingly used in food industry, cosmetics or pharmaceutical industry customized by e.g. Nes tle, Kraft, Gelos and Almirall Prodespharma.
Control system
A couple of years ago the management realized that the previous automation solution was becoming obsolete and a radical change was needed. The main requirements were reducing production costs, increasing productivity and implementing a tool for integration of the automation solution with possibility of remote maintenance. Inev er decided on technologies from B&R, which provide a high degree of modularity and possibility to be integrated in different machine types.
The Spanish manufacturer produces four basic machines adaptable to the requirements of the respective project. With B&R’s Automation Studio tool, it is possible to integrate controllers, visualization units, drives, field-buses, safety technology, etc. into the machines. Program sections created with the tool can be adjusted to specific hardware configurations, which reduce programming.
Equipped with power panels combining control and visualization units in one device, the packaging machines have a simplified topology and require less space in the switching cabinet. The smallest machine is equipped with a PP45 power panel connected to X20 I/ O modules and Acopos servo drives. Communication via CAN network guarantees fast data transfer. Machines with higher performance, which are equipped with a PP400 panel featuring a 5,7‑inch or 10,4‑inch touch screen, communicate via Powerlink.
In order to achieve production capacity of up to 1 000 StickPacks per minute, the machines can be equipped with up to 24 dosing units, each controlled by a servomotor. Servomotors from the 8JS series offer a high level of freedom in the application, because of small size and therewith a possibility of densely devices alignment. Additionally, It is possible for service technicians to make a remote connection to machines via VNC (virtual network computing) and Internet. Thus, costs and travel times can be avoided and downtime reduced.
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Encoders, speedometers and speed-switches often have to prove their reliability and precision in tough industrial use. Typical applications are offshore wind power plants, presses, punches, rolling mills, container cranes and paper-making machines or in food and beverage industry where machinery is vapor-cleaned to the last corner. To prevent downtimes resulting from encoder malfunctions in mentioned applications, specially engineered heavy-duty configurations should be employed. Extremely sturdy combinations of encoder, speedometer and speed-switch unite many functions in the same device with a common shaft providing high shock-, vibration- and humidity-resistance and enduring temperatures from -40 °C to +100 °C in both electronics and mechanical design.

Encoder combinations

The Motion Control product segment by Baumer Hübner offers solutions for rough industrial environments. A massive light metal housing with special surface coating and large, sturdy bearings that afford heavy axial and radial loads characterizes company’s HeavyDuty configurations. Electrically insulated bushes prevent the ball-bearing from damage resulting from shaft currents. The HeavyDuty incremental encoders feature shock and vibration-proof electronics and are available as continuous or hollow shaft configurations. Short-circuit proof line drivers with temperature-monitored power transistors, filter switches for voltage supply, rotatable EMC-approved terminal box and flexible stator coupling or solid torque support enhance reliability under extreme ambient conditions.
The single- or multi-turn absolute encoders of the AMG/HMG series do not require a gearbox or a battery. Using its CANopen, SSI or Profibus DP interface the encoders may be implemented in master control systems. Also available are configurations for explosive areas and for safety-relevant applications utilizing redundant networks. Two same (e.g. two CANopen interfaces) or different interfaces (e.g. SSI and Profibus DP) form a redundant system. Incremental HTL or TTL square wave or sinusoidal signals are additionally produced as an option. Utilizing the respective interfaces in conjunction with each other makes a second encoder superfluous.
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