PDMM AKD motion controllers for lacquering of screw caps

Todema was founded in 1960 in the province of Lecco and, since then, has acquired expertise in the manufacturing of industrial machinery and in the implementation of evolved automated systems. These automated systems include machines for the production of capsules, cages for bottling wine and other liquids, bending machines, lamination and printing systems, systems for the production of electro-welded chains, packaging systems and lines for the household appliances industry, as well as control systems that can be integrated in woodworking.

The client portfolio ranges from a number of different industries, from the food sector to the metal and woodworking industry, and from different countries including Italy, Germany, Spain, USA, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. During the past few years, the design and programming of automated and robotic lines has given a strong boost to the industrial processes covered by Todema.

Ing. Giovanni Todeschini, owner and Chief Technical Officer, explains: "For this project, we contacted Kollmorgen because we needed to develop a system for colouring and printing screw caps for bottling wine and spirits. Our client required high-quality and production standards concerning rotogravure colouring, tampography, silk screen and hot foil printing. Our objective was to build a fully servo-driven machine, which was going to be a first of its kind in this sector."

The biggest challenge was to replace the traditional mechanical systems of the machine with mechatronic systems in order to obtain a new type of machine, which would be highly versatile and configurable by the client depending on their production needs. It was necessary to develop an integrated mechanical and electronic control system, achieving a seamless combination of the two engineering aspects. More specifically, the Todema design team, consisting of mechanical and electronic engineers, had to work quickly and systematically with Kollmorgen experts from the very first drafts of the project.

Aluminium screw caps are largely used for bottling spirits, mineral waters, oil and most recently wines too. Todema provides COLTAL for the lacquering of cylindrical objects and capsules: lacquering and silk screen printing or embossing, from video, hot foil or tampographic with very high visual quality. COLTAL is effective on various materials, such as tin, aluminium, plastic and poly-laminated materials. An integrated servo-driven system fully controls the machine operation ensuring a check of the result even with variable or unforeseeable conditions, such as the different quality and level of deformation of the materials, the type of friction or the differences in dyeing.

Exact positioning

In order to check the exact positioning of the two spindle-holding tables without further mechanical parts, two Direct Drive Cartridge DDR servomotors are used together with the related AKD drives. These motors allow direct control of the motion, thus eliminating all the mechanical transmissions that used to generate too much elasticity in the motion. In order to ensure the required precision, a direct-drive motor system was needed. Cartridge motors are the quickest and simplest solution to implement.

The quality of printing and embossed lacquering depends on the precision and accuracy of the machine movements, which are provided by the torque motors and the related Kollmorgen control systems. The disposal of the mechanical transmission systems has considerably reduced the frequency of maintenance operations, the need for spare parts and improved the ease of maintaining the overall machine accuracy level over time.

The process is controlled by a smart PDMM AKD system with integrated PLC and motion control for the development of a virtual master for the generation of the main reference, and electronic cams for the positioning and motion sequential control. This key development, which has led to a great reduction of costs in terms of hardware and installation, as well as space needed in the electrical cabinet (up to 30 per cent) and wiring reduction, was made possible due to the cooperation with Kollmorgen from the very first steps of this project.

The AKD servo amplifier combines innovative technology and outstanding performance within very small dimensions. These servo amplifiers with multiple features provide solutions for nearly any application, from basic torque and speed control, to register control, through to fully programmable multi-axis applications with embedded Kollmorgen Automation Suite.

Universal AKDs set the standards for efficiency and power density. The ADK series has been designed with the versatility, connectivity and power needed to increase the machine performance as well as the speed of integration. The motor setup mainly occurs through plug-and-play and offers a wide range of feedback. Among the various possibilities of Ethernet connection, options for both open and closed protocols are available. Online diagnostics and the data verification enable faster and error-free programming. A wider power range, enclosed in a compact design, allows you to use these robust drives with a single interface.

Todeschini recalls: "Our client 's objective was a machine with a production of approximately 60/70 pieces per minute. We largely exceeded that target. Our clients are highly satisfied with COLTAL. The quality standards have been fully met and the production targets have exceeded our expectations by 15 per cent. Kollmorgen staff worked with us painstakingly and quickly to ensure that the components that we used were highly reliable and high-performing. Our initial objective has been fully achieved and in fact we have highly exceeded our expectations particularly in terms of accuracy and quality."

For further information please contact visit the website at www.kollmorgen.com