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NORD Drives and inverters control bottling plant

  • February 01, 2011
  • Case Study

Summary

February 1, 2011 -Nord Drivesystems provided drives and gears for the packaging, palleting and transport technology systems designed and installed by BMS Maschinenfabrik in the new factory of the Hacklberger Beverage company. Distributed capability, high positioning accuracy and low energy consumption of the Nord Drivesystems solutions are key success factors for this new installation producing up to 36 000 bottles per hour. The Hacklberger Getränke- und Logistikcenter (Hacklberger Beverages and Logistics Center) (HGL) founded in 1998, is a spin-off of the Hacklberger brewery, where according to historical documents, beer has been brewed since 1618. The company supplies about 1,200 beverage dealers and is one of the largest breweries in the German area of Bavaria. The beverages bottled here include 14 different types of beer, 25 types of alcohol-free beer, four types of mineral water and 12 kinds of merchandise. Over 300,000 hectolitres leave the production facilities each year; and the new bottling plant fills up to 36,000 bottles per hour.Consumers usually tend to put a mixture of various bottles type into the crate in order to return it to the store. This is difficult to manage when the crates of mixed bottles arrive at Hacklberger. On arrival the crates are loaded onto a conveyor system that brings them into the actual production hall. Then the crates are put onto a specific dedicated belt where they are automatically identified and moved to the appropriate storage areas. Bottles and crates which are not recognized are arranged into the correct sequence for manual sorting. The crates then pass through a crate-washing system. In the next stage the screw caps are removed from the bottles as necessary. Crown caps and other closures are also removed here. The bottles are then conveyed to the washing system. After a sophisticated washing process the bottles are checked for damage and dirt or defective bottles are automatically rejected. After the bottles are refilled with beverage they are automatically fitted with screw caps or crown closures and labelled. In the next stage they are conveyed to the output station, where the bottles are packed into crates and then stacked on pallets. Once the pallets have been banded, they are finally transferred back to the central storage area.Packaging, palleting and transport technology are provided by a single source, the BMS Maschinenfabrik company. "One of the important things was the interaction of automated technology, as well as the possibility of being able to use the various containers which are unpacked by the system using a wide range of sorting methods. Customers always come to us when they require a special solution which seems impossible. That is so to speak our 'niche' ", explains Gerhard Bielmeier, designer at BMS Maschinenfabrik."It is the speed of the system which is decisive, and the speed is provided by the drive units. Therefore, the drive technology is the decisive factor for the productivity of our systems. Our success is certainly partly due to the innovative drive technology from Getriebebau NORD, which we have used consistently for many years.” says Bielmeier.NORD mechanical and electronic drive technology is used in the BMS packaging, palleting, and conveyor systems. Distributed system concepts are being implemented with the compact trio SK 300E, a combination of a geared motor and a fully equipped frequency inverter. The SK 300E frequency inverter is mounted directly on the motor and is therefore integrated into the drive unit. The inverter has a maximum protection class of IP55 or IP66. The CANopen interface on the frequency inverter enables the parameterization and control of the devices. Up to 127 participants can be addressed on a single bus. In addition to distributed drive units, centrally installed SK 700E series frequency inverters are also used. They include POSICON positioning control, which enables the implementation of relative or absolute position control. "The additional positioning possibilities simplify the task of the control system. For example there is the possibility of using a photoelectric beam detector to directly control the drive unit, so that it stops or starts again. That is easy to program", says Bielmeier.Company background BMS Maschinenfabrik is a leading supplier of complete systems and stand-alone machines for the beverage industry. The development, production and sale of palleting systems, packaging machines and transportation systems is carried out from the company's facility in Pfatter in Bavaria. BMS has many years experience and intensive partnerships with established manufacturers of bottling and in-line systems. BMS specialities include planning expertise for complete industrial systems for beverage, food and pharmaceutical manufacture as well as for the chemical industry.Company backgroundNORD was founded in 1965 to develop, produce, and market drive technology. As an industry leader ranking # 2 in US & Canada and # 2 as the Global Leader, NORD reaches nearly all markets. With 2600 employees and 35 assembly factories worldwide, sales and support is available in 60+ countries. Learn More

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