Whether food or shipping, hygiene products or waste disposal - when it comes to transport or outer packaging, there is no way around plastic bags and pouches. Lemo Maschinenbau from Niederkassel is one of the world market leaders in this field with its economical and innovative systems for the production of flexible film packaging. Baumüller has been supplying the company with components and assemblies for many years.

The decision to have a new film bag machine both designed by Baumüller engineering specialists and completely automated with Baumüller systems had several reasons. The Nuremberg-based company has been a reliable business partner for Lemo for many years and also has many years of interdisciplinary engineering expertise. A large number of customized complete solutions have been implemented in the past.

Intelligent overall solution increases efficiency

Lemo wanted a modular system with an increased number of cycles. The Baumüller specialists were able to fulfill this wish with the help of a new automation concept. Among other things, they opted for a modern and lean drive and control architecture - a consistent fieldbus system, a minimum number of devices and a reduced control structure. The control cabinets were optimized and a future-proof communication structure was chosen for the software.

The new film bag machine is based on a complete drive and automation package with control technology, machine visualization, control cabinet, b-maXX inverters and various motors. Thanks to the coordinated machine concept and the use of EtherCAT as a universal fieldbus system, it was possible to increase the number of cycles while maintaining the same high production quality. Thanks to this concept and the standardization of the variants through intelligent modularization, productivity was more than 10 percent higher than with comparable machines. "Thanks to the comprehensive system know-how of the Baumüller specialists, the new film bag machine offers the machine manufacturer and operator absolute flexibility and has an optimum price-performance ratio," says Willi Fenninger, Managing Director and owner of Lemo. Co-owner and Managing Director Bernd Schlarp adds: "This gives our customers a future-proof and cost-effective production system that is characterized by top quality, the latest technology, energy efficiency and maximum production speed."

Standardized modularity and web-enabled visualization

It goes without saying that the film bag machine is "Industry 4.0-ready". Switching between different formats such as loop carrier bags, shirt carrier bags, bread bags or bin liners is no problem thanks to the modular design. The basic machine has six drives in the minimum configuration and can be extended to create a customized machine, depending on whether the machine modules form sealing and stacking chain are required, for example. If more modules are installed than are required for a current production process, slaves in the control system help to temporarily deactivate the modules. This means that the film bag machine can be ordered in different variants despite standardization.

The control cabinet planned and manufactured by Baumüller contains, among other things, the control technology with the bayable b maXX 5000 servo converter series (Image: Baumüller).

The operation and monitoring of the new machine is also future-proof and Industry 4.0-ready. The web-enabled machine visualization can be accessed via mobile devices. Baumüller uses automated software parameterization to ensure that the machine manufacturer can start series production quickly and without errors and that no time is lost during servicing. The production and service concept is therefore a further component in increasing efficiency.

Complete automation in hardware and software

The film bag machine consists of several stations. It begins with the unwinding and folding of the film, which stretches the single-layer web of the film roll into two layers. The process continues with form welding, where, for example, carrying handles are welded. At the sealing bar, the double-layer films are given their actual bag shape by separation welding. The separated bags are then transported onwards via the impeller and deposited in packs on the stacking chain.

The control cabinet planned and manufactured by Baumüller contains the control technology with the bayable b maXX 5000 servo converter series, a b maXX PCC-04 industrial PC and a b maXX-safePLC. The latter is a combination of safety control and standard control functions in one device. The machine is operated via a 17" touchscreen monitor, which is located on a movable support arm. A standard browser is sufficient for the web-enabled machine visualization, and remote access via web-enabled end devices is also possible using an app.

Various operating modes can also be selected via the visualization. To enable service activities, for example, up to four individual operating modes, each with different user rights, can be selected via the machine visualization using a transponder.

The right motor for every station

The entire film bag machine is equipped with Baumüller motors. DSC1 motors are used for the two sealing stations, the stacking chain and the impeller. The servomotors are compact and high-torque. The two feed stations with register control are driven by DSD2 servomotors, as extremely dynamic braking and acceleration is required at this point. The motors in this series are characterized by their high dynamics and good start-stop qualities. The third motor type is a three-phase synchronous motor with integrated electronics. The DSDI drive has a very short design and supports the modular machine design, as it does not require a separate inverter.