Individual transport solutions for the packaging industry

Compact, modular, robust, reliable and with low wear: The VarioFlow plus chain conveyor system from Bosch Rexroth is suitable for use in numerous industries and can be adapted to a large variety of factory layouts. Froneri is taking advantage of the system at its Italian plant in Ferentino for the final packaging of ice cream.

Froneri, a joint venture between the British company group R&R Ice Cream and the Swiss Nestlé Group, operates more than 30 plants worldwide, two of which are in Italy: At its plant in Terni, Froneri mainly produces packaged ice cream for the private label of retail chains. In Ferentino, the company produces ice cream for the foreign market and for its own brands such as Nuii.

Ferentino already has a successful partnership with Bosch Rexroth, in which both companies focus on final packaging. Individual, already packaged and frozen ice cream varieties are first transported to a packaging machine. There they are placed in cartons, which are transported to the palletizing area after being sealed, weighed and checked. The VarioFlow plus chain conveyor system from Bosch Rexroth is of crucial importance here. Based on its modularity, versatility and performance, a customized solution was developed that meets all of the customer's requirements.

“We chose Bosch Rexroth for one of our production lines. The chain conveyor system transports the products coming from the metal detectors and scales to the shrink packing machine. Chain conveyors placed on the floor and mounted on the ceiling transport the cartons further for palletization, depending on the format. "The height differences are overcome using spiral conveyors with minimal space requirements," explains Alfredo De Falco, Group Project Manager at Froneri.

“At Froneri, the choice fell on spiral conveyors based on VarioFlow plus components,” explains Claudio Morabito, Factory Automation End Users Sales FMCG at Bosch Rexroth. "The use of spiral conveyors in conjunction with the chain conveyor system offers several advantages here: In the case of a machine standstill, the products in the infeed can be easily accumulated and temporarily stored in the spiral conveyor. The quantity of products that can be buffered on the spiral conveyors corresponds to a third of the total quantity of products on the conveyors in the infeed at the time of the machine downtime."

"This is an essential aspect," emphasizes De Falco. “As it is possible to reduce the transport speed of the spiral conveyor during a machine downtime, we can accumulate the products in the spiral conveyor. Specifically: If the shrink packing machine stops planned, we can buffer a large part of the products in the infeed on the belts. This allows us to bridge a period of one to three minutes to eliminate the error. The accumulation of products means that the conveyor chain passes under the stationary product. Imprints and labels on the packaging must not be damaged in the process. The VarioFlow plus conveyor chain meets this requirement with its low wear. This is one of the most important arguments for us."

“The spiral conveyor has two lanes. This means that it has two separate spiral conveyor lines. Compared to a single-lane spiral conveyor of the same size, this almost doubles the transport capacity. This will save valuable space in the production area," emphasizes Morabito, another special feature.

“The second reason why Froneri opted for VarioFlow plus from Bosch Rexroth is the possibility of vertical transport. The transport system enables simple and reliable operation on different transport levels. In the Ferentino plant, for example, the conveyor is operated 2.4 meters above the hall floor. This means that not only people, but also vehicles for transporting pallets and other materials can pass under the conveyor system. The third reason, according to De Falco: "VarioFlow plus allows a wide range of conveyor speeds. This property allows it to be adapted to different format types."

“The system offers maximum flexibility and can be easily adapted to a wide range of layout requirements. In addition, it has proven to be robust and reliable in the long term, which is extremely important for us. At no time were there significant downtimes in production caused by malfunctions. This also sets the solution apart from systems from other suppliers," summarizes De Falco the advantages of the chain conveyor system.