PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2017

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 09/17 www.petpla.net 70 Handling technology with a new approach on conveying and accumulation Product handling all-in-one The packaging industry is increasingly facing sophisticated consumption trends that present various challenges to the production and distribution of goods. Gebo Cermex is responding to these ever-changing complex needs with the introduction of the product handling technology AQFlex. Packaging line performance of this new system is offered together with agility and contactless product conveying and accumulation, in a compact space. With packaging quality playing a key role in brand recognition and ever-increasing production diversity, a growing number of stock keeping units (SKUs) and even product and second- ary packaging personalisation now possible, manufacturers are looking for improved flexibility and responsiveness from their existing packaging systems. Easy re-engineering of existing lines is also important if producers are to easily adapt to big changes in demand. Producers and brand owners are therefore becoming increasingly demanding when it comes to their line requirements. They look for packag- ing solutions that are space-saving, easy to maintain, ergonomic in design, simple to use and sustainable. In face of these ever changing demands, Gebo Cermex claims that the product handling system AQFlex would help manufacturers meet all their current performance objectives, as well as pre- pare for the challenges of tomorrow. According to Gebo Cermex, AQFlex is designed as a new concept in packaging solutions that accom- modates any product, whatever the application, whatever the market, in all container materials, formats and shapes, full or empty while also enabling automatic changeovers via an intuitive and user-friendly Human Machine Interface (HMI). Care of product integrity is ensured by the single-lane, contact- free product handling and accumula- tion system that is able to process even fragile, unstable or premium containers. First-in, first-out operating principle The system is able to operate at any speed, from 1,000 to 100,000 containers per hour, delivering energy savings of up to 60%, without com- promising high efficiency (99.5% even at high speeds) or sustainability, says the company. This is ensured by high line perfor- mance regulation, together with a high accumulation performance to main- tain continuous product flow - at any speed with the use of advanced robot- ics based on a proven logic motion technology. A centralised system architecture ensures the accurate syn- chronisation of motion control for all the servo axes of the equipment. Ludovic Tanchou, Vice President Strategy, Products and Innovation at Gebo Cermex says: “Moreover, for greater product traceability and continuous control of production qual- ity, the solution works according to a ‘first-in, first-out’ (FIFO) operating principle.” Up to 40% space saving All the conveying functions of AQFlex, including contactless accumu- lation and multilane machine infeed, are regrouped into this single handling solution. As all conveying and accu- mulation is carried out as a single-file process, the usual peripheral convey- ing functions associated with mass accumulation - such as deceleration, de-grouping, combining and laning - are eliminated. Its compact design provides up to 40% space savings compared to traditional solutions and can be easily integrated into existing produc- tion lines. The solution has a clear and open design that gives full accessibility at floor level for enhanced ergonom- ics and easy cleaning. Having only a few added mechanical parts compared to a conveyor, maintenance of AQFlex can be compared to that of a standard conveyor - without the need for any lubrication. www.gebocermex.com Hall A6 - Booth 330