Automating. Your packaging lines

Any packaging line automation project must begin with thorough planning. Bosch Rexroth Corp. suggests a 3-step plan that focuses on determining project needs, selecting the right automation partner, and evaluating long-term goals and costs. Throughput, accuracy, and changeover time are prime parameters for measuring the level of automation needed, including the overall layout of packaging lines and the number of lines needed to handle a given set of products. PLCs still dominate the overall control architecture of packaging lines, however software-based and PC-based control are on the rise. Focus of packaging automation in the past 5 years has been to increase throughput of individual machines. Success has come from using servos, integration of IEC 61131-3 motion and logic controls on the same processor, and various initiatives now part of OMAC Plug-and-Pack guidelines. Packaging line automation increasingly makes use of machine vision for product inspection. Touchscreens, operator displays with online diagnostics, weigh scales, and similar devices represent yet another branch of automation.