Reduced wear and shortened throughput times for packaging machines

• What was needed: Components to transport packaging material faster in a system
• Requirements: High rigidity, low coefficient of friction, high hygiene standards
• Industry: Packaging industry
• Coating powder: IC-05
• linear guide: drylin® T rail guide
• Success for the customer: Shorter throughput times, reduced wear, no risk of contamination for the packaging materials

The packaging machine takes bubble wrap and/or so-called pads for plastic trays from a roll, stretches and cuts them to size and then places them in trays. Doel Engineering had originally used hollow rolls for this process, but could not achieve sufficient tension in the material to achieve an accurate and fast cut, which meant that throughput times were too long. In addition, the inertia of the rollers meant that they continued to rotate after being switched off, which inevitably led to waiting times before the next cycle could begin. This in turn impaired productivity. The previous rolls made of uncoated metallic material harboured the potential risk of contamination of the packaging materials, despite regular cleaning of the machine.

igus® analysed the process together with production manager Adam Deighton and recommended replacing the rollers with solid metal rods coated with iglidur® IC-05, an FDA-approved tribologically optimised polymer in powder form. The coated rods offered several advantages. They had a higher rigidity than the rollers previously used, so that the machine produced more power and ran smoother and faster with the new components. The start-up time was almost zero and the start/stop process was immediate, which increased the throughput. Like all iglidur® materials, iglidur® IC-05 coating powders are tribologically optimised and therefore not only protect the shaft from wear, but also guarantee excellent friction and wear values at the same time.

In addition, the 60-100 micrometre thin coating is FDA-approved, i.e. it has been verified as "safe for the food industry", poses no risk of contamination and is manufactured in blue for better visibility. In addition, the IC-05 coating means that bare metal no longer comes into contact with food, which reduces the likelihood of oxidisation of meat, for example.