Bag forming, filling and sealing machine: Hygienic design of the format adjustment

Profile

• What was needed: Linear bearings of the series drylin SET easytube
• Requirements: Lubrication-free and maintenance-free, hygienic design
• Industry: Packaging technology, food industry
• Success for the customer: The system fulfils all requirements for freedom from lubrication and maintenance, while the internal spindle also ensures a hygienic design. The complete solution from a single source also convinced the customer even before volume production started.

Detailed view of the SET easytube in use

Problem

National Packaging Systems is one of the leading manufacturers of bag forming, filling and sealing machines based in South Africa.
Products such as powder, sugar, coffee granules, sauces or other liquids are packed in this vertical bag forming, filling and sealing machine. In the process, the machine doses the product and fills it into the bags, seals and separates the bags and conveys them via a conveyor belt to the next processing step.
 
Depending on the width of the bags, the bag forming, filling and sealing machine can fill up to twelve lanes simultaneously. For this purpose, the customer was looking for maintenance-free bearing technology that can carry out a format adjustment of bag sizes. Since product contamination by lubricants must be avoided in industry, the solution should be able to operate lubrication-free, i.e. in dry operation.

Solution

Since then, the manufacturer of packaging machines has relied on maintenance-free plain bearing solutions from the igus product portfolio.
Overall, 19 different polymer plain bearings are used at different locations.

For the format adjustment for the flexible changeover to different bag sizes, National Packaging Systems relies on a reverse drylin easytube linear tube system. The drylin SET easytube is a linear unit that specialises in light adjustment tasks. Composed of a few components, it is compact and effective in use. The outer tube guides the guide carriage and at the same time protects the trapezoidal lead screw and nut from external influences. The system also meets the requirements of lubrication-free and maintenance-free, while a hygienic design has also been found thanks to the internal lead screw.
The complete solution from a single source also impressed the customer even before the series launch.