May 2021

37 www.drivesncontrols.com May 2021 LINEAR MOTION n Linear transport system slashes L’Oréal throughput times T he cosmetics industry is characterised by small batch sizes and a highly competitive market. To survive, producers must strive for maximum efficiency, and adopt flexible production methods. The French machine-builder Secad specialises in producing production machinery for this industry.“Every new project presents new challenges,”says Kevin Gomes, a machine engineer with the company. Secad faced such a challenge when L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetics company, decided that it wanted to merge six separate production operations – including the unstacking, filling and labelling of cosmetic bottles – in one single production line, and to cut its throughput times significantly. Handling small, light and fragile cosmetic and pharmaceutical products requires specialised machinery. Traditionally, conveyor belts with“puck”handling systems have been used to move products from one workstation to the next. The puck – also called a product carrier – transports a cup or carrier, ensuring that it remains stable and in the correct position. At first glance, this seems a sensible and economic approach, but on closer inspection it has weaknesses. In the traditional method for moving items on production lines, individual workstations are connected by a series of conveyors that together occupy a large area. Furthermore, additional equipment and machinery is needed to collect and transport the pucks after they have passed through each processing station. These machines need to be serviced and maintained, adding to the costs. In L’Oréal’s case, the cosmetics giant needed several accumulation vessels to transfer pucks from system to system. It also needed a large number of pucks to achieve sufficient product throughput and ensure continuous flows where processing times for different stations differ. In its previous plant, L’Oréal was using 300 pucks. Secad came up with an idea for a new approach where the number of pucks could be reduced by 76% to 70, while simultaneously increasing productivity. The accumulation vessels would also no longer be needed. It achieved this improvement by adopting Beckhoff’s XTS (eXtended Transport System) technology, which combines rotary motors with a linear drive system. The pucks are placed on top of carriages, each controlled individually using“movers”consisting of an electronic drive element mounted onto a steel clamp which fits onto steel tracks, supplied by HepcoMotion, onto which the electronic parts are also fitted. Because each mover is controlled individually, it is possible to combine asynchronous work processes into a single high-speed production line. Software control of the movers allows workstations to be added or product formats to be changed rapidly. The mechanical guidance system can accommodate the loads and forces that result from the high accelerations and the stop-start operation of the new production line. By adopting the XTS system, Secad was able to achieve a maximum speed of 4m/s with an acceleration of 40m/s 2 . To achieve the required system life of more than five years for a system that operates with 800g payloads for eight hours a day, six days a week, the XTS system was integrated with Hepco’s modular GFX 1-Trak Lite system, which comprises a steel sub-structure with clothoid track sections. The clothoid segments provide an optimal path for movers as they traverse 180- degree turns. Hockey stick – or J-shapes – are a space-saving way to incorporate multiple workstations on one track. The system that Secad installed to replace the original installation has 70 movers. Magnets mounted on eachmover provide the drive in combination with Beckhoff linear motor modules. An encoder flag sends the mover position to the motor module. All of the product processing is carried out on one side of the system, giving the potential for an extra work steps to be added on the unused side. Secad reports that the new installation has increased throughput substantially – typical throughput times have plummeted from ten hours to just 15 minutes – while achieving greater flexibility and reducing noise levels. n The cosmetics giant L’Oréal has combined six previously separate production operations in a single production line that uses individually controlled “movers” to transport items from one station to the next. The installation has slashed throughput times from ten hours to just 15 minutes In the L’Oréal cosmetics application, six separate production lines have been merged in a single production line with a focus on maximising efficiency and throughput, and saving space and costs.