Food and beverage automation solutions at MachineBuilding.South

The packaging end of the food production line is an obvious place to start looking at automation. The demand for ever more powerful machines and increasing regulatory requirements, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), are fundamentally changing the rules in the packaging industry. OEMs are under growing pressure to design packaging that is as small, material-efficient, and sustainable as possible - while maximising space utilisation and flexibility.

Lenze (Stand 99) highlights how increasing complexity in packaging machinery can be mastered with well-engineered drive solutions, intelligent electrification, and engineering tools that place speed and simplicity at the forefront. Lenze offers application-specific motion control solutions for the packaging machines of tomorrow. With its IE5/IE6 drive system, Lenze offers a decentralised solution with servo-like performance. In combination with the Lenze i650 motec frequency inverter, the Motor Drive System achieves IE5/IE6 energy efficiency classes and supports machine optimisation through sensorless positioning and integrated regenerative capability - helping OEMs process sustainable packaging materials more effectively.

Further, experts from Lenze will be on hand at MachineBuilding.South to discuss how machine architectures can be adapted flexibly and how high dynamics, precise motion, and reduced hardware effort can be optimally combined for modern packaging machines with demanding motion profiles.

Robotic pick-and-place provides another opportunity to enhance the food production line. Rockwell Automation (Stand 66) reports that Cranswick, one of Britain's leading manufacturers of premium gourmet foods, has commissioned a new robotic end-of-line pick-and-place system using autonox Robotics.

Every year, Cranswick produces millions of "pigs-in-blankets" (sausages wrapped in bacon) for the Christmas market. The final stage of the process - picking the sausages off the conveyor belt and placing them in their packaging - was still performed manually, which introduced delays and other constraints. Cranswick commissioned CWM Automation to design and deliver a fully automated pick-and-place system, allowing those employees to take on more skilled tasks.

"Automating this stage of the process presented some complex challenges," said Asa Arvidsson, regional vice president EMEA north region, Rockwell Automation. "The new system had to operate with remarkable precision and speed. With our strategic collaboration with autonox Robotics, we were able to support CWM Automation in making this possible."

Powered by Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley Kinetix VP low inertia servo motors controlled by an Allen-Bradley GuardLogix 5380 safety controller, the new end-of-line pick-and-place system accurately detects the presence and orientation of each sausage. It then uses an autonox Delta robot to pick up the sausage, properly align it and place it in the appropriate package - 240 times a minute.

A key challenge on food industry production lines is maintaining hygiene, particularly on areas of the production line that make physical contact with food stuffs. Boosting productivity without compromising hygiene presents numerous difficulties, but igus (Stand 104) product manager Alan Hicks asserts that coatings can provide part of the solution. In particular, he highlights how iglidur power coatings can be instrumental in saving customers time and money.

A manufacturer of packaging and processing machines was able to reduce frictional resistance, improved rigidity, shorten throughput times and increase hygiene standards on a series of machines by applying an iglidur IC-05 tribo coating to a sliding carriage. And since the 60-100 micrometre thin lubricating coating is FDA approved, contact with food is also no problem in this application. The previous rollers made of uncoated metallic material carried the potential risk of contamination of the packaging materials despite regular cleaning of the machine.

Hicks says these coatings represent an extension of the company's broader expertise in tribologically optimised polymers. You may know Igus from our polymer bearing technologies and products, and what we have now is a great powder coating material that can be applied to any conductive surface, he explains. The technology is designed to allow conventional steel or stainless-steel machine components to be retrofitted with advanced polymer surfaces that reduce friction, improve wear resistance and limit product adhesion.

Another technology you will find in abundance at MachineBuilding.South is sensors for food production applications. As an example, ifm (Stand 11) has recently released two new ultrasonic flow meter solutions, engineered to deliver precise measurement and seamless system integration. The new SU Puresonic Hygienic (SUH series) serves the rigorous demands of the food and beverage sector, whilst the SUW series with flange connections offers a robust solution for the water industry. Both product lines provide highly accurate flow measurement of conductive and non-conductive media.

The new flow meters share an advanced ultrasonic technology framework designed for maximum reliability and efficiency. Each device features a robust stainless steel measuring tube completely free of internal measuring elements, seals, or moving parts. This innovative design eliminates the risk of wear, leaks, and blockages, resulting in maintenance-free operation. Furthermore, the unobstructed tube ensures minimal pressure drop, allowing facilities to maintain energy-efficient operations over the long term. Both the SUH and SUW series also feature standard IO-Link integration to transmit high-accuracy data directly to control systems for better process monitoring.