Faster format changes, precise filling, efficient packaging

• Controllable and flexible movements without compressed air and with no leakage
• High energy efficiency and low maintenance requirements
• Tailored complete solutions for stable and economical processes

Increasing demands on product quality, product variety, and process reliability are putting greater pressure on machinery and equipment manufacturers in the food, pharmaceutical, and packaging industries. At interpack, Bosch Rexroth will be demonstrating how linear movements can be precisely controlled, flexibly adapted, and economically implemented using electromechanical cylinders. At the Rexroth booth, visitors can find out which applications benefit from the precisely controllable and low-maintenance actuators – including dosing and filling, portioning and cutting, as well as cartoning, folding, and wrapping.

With individual and high-quality products, frequent format changes, and high demands in terms of quality and hygiene, pneumatic solutions are increasingly reaching their limits. What is needed are economical machine concepts that make motion processes such as dosing, filling, cutting, or packaging manageable over a wide range of forces and achieve reproducible results.

"Electromechanical cylinders play to their technical strengths wherever there is a need for precision, flexibility, and a low risk of contamination," explains Tobias Gerhard, Business Development Manager Fast Moving Consumer Goods at Bosch Rexroth. "This is especially true when different product formats are to be processed on one line, movements are to be positioned exactly, or forces are to be metered."

The EMC series of electromechanical cylinders from Bosch Rexroth are designed specifically for the industry and allow precise positioning, defined motion profiles, and exact force control. This enables stable processes to be implemented and adapted during operation, even with varying requirements.

Typical applications of electromechanical cylinders include precise dosing and filling processes, linear filling with varying container sizes, and force-controlled capping or sealing. The precisely controllable actuators are just as impressive when portioning and slicing with force as they are when packaging and cartoning – including folding or flow wrapping with tension control.

With a variety of versions and industry-specific options, the EMC series meets the requirements of hygiene-sensitive applications. These include food-safe seals, lubricants (H1), and components such as stainless steel piston rods. The EMC's hygienic design with smooth surfaces, EG1935/2004-compliant design, and IP65 protection class prevents the accumulation of dirt and facilitates cleaning. Compared to pneumatic solutions, electromechanical cylinders also reduce potential contamination risks.

From an economic point of view, electromechanical cylinders boast significantly lower maintenance requirements and lower energy consumption than pneumatic actuators. Depending on the application, the investment costs are usually recouped within two to three years. This applies in particular to tailored complete solutions that include servo motors and drives, with which Bosch Rexroth also minimizes the engineering effort.

With extensive industry and application experience, Bosch Rexroth assists machinery and equipment manufacturers in the food, pharmaceutical, and packaging industries in identifying suitable application scenarios for electromechanical cylinders and finding the economically optimal solution for their specific requirements.