Peanut flips and popcorn are just two of the many snack specialties with which XOX Gebäck is represented on the shelves of German retailers. The company, based in Hamelin, has been producing snacks and cookies since 1908. XOX has invested in a new production line to expand capacity. The order for packaging the snack products in tubular bags went to Wolf Verpackungsmaschinen. Implemented throughout with drive and automation technology from Lenze.
Down with makeready times
"For our new production line, we wanted a highly automated packaging solution that would enable batch-size production with few and, above all, time-saving changeovers," is how Edmund Besecke, Owner & Managing Director of XOX, sums it up.
In order to increase productivity through the shortest possible set-up times, the VPC 250 vertical flow wrapping machine operates with servo drives and precisely fitting cams. "Machines with fixed sealing jaws are indeed faster and can easily achieve 230 bags per minute. However, changeover is time-consuming, which is why this technology is usually used on lines that run around the clock with one product," explains Arno Wördemann, sales manager at Wolf Verpackungsmaschinen.
The heart is in the motion control
As far as motion control is concerned, the automation heart of the packaging machine is in the motion control system jointly developed by Lenze and Wolf. Wolf's core know-how includes the actual machine functions based on Codesys as well as PackML standards. Filigree curves are characteristic of the motion sequences for sealing. The technology template for electronic cams was used here, a standard software module from Lenze FAST. The advantage: The basic principle of the motion control is mapped in the "cam plates" module, while at the same time leaving the freedom for individual adaptations. The high level of standardization, in conjunction with prepared technology templates, leads to a noticeable reduction in engineering times.
