DAC 2021_12

34 n CONTROLS. HMIs AND SOFTWARE November/December 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com Perfecting the packaging of pasta T he Italian machine-builder Martini has established itself as a supplier of precision weighing and packaging machines to the food industry, with applications ranging from dry pasta to baked goods. It handles food packages in all of the main formats, including pillow, square bottom and double square bottom. Martini’s recent MCRS-VD machine can package up to 180 packs of pasta per minute in the pillow format, or 160 as double-square bags. Every stage of the process – including folding, sealing and labelling – is automated. Padua-based Martini created the system to meet the growing demand for higher speeds, efficiencies and flexibility from pasta producers around the world. The machine consists of a vertical box-motion packaging machine mounted on a segmented belt with several stations and intermittent feeds, driven by brushless motors. The machine is fed by a double weighing system called Infinity with 22 independent heads that optimise performance and allow non-working stations to be bypassed. The digital multi-head system allows users to dose the pasta quickly and precisely, with the doses being conveyed to two packaging machines. A digital filter in each weigher head ensures the accuracy of the doses. The machine is managed by an Omron NX701 1600 controller which synchronises the operation of the weighing system with the packaging system. The controller can handle up to 128 axes in real time, and supports all of the main industrial communications standards, including EtherCat, EtherNet/IP and OPC-UA. In the Martini application, the controller manages 34 1S servos and six 3G3MX2 inverters, also supplied by Omron. Some of the drives are responsible for sealing the packages using Omron’s NX-TC Perfect Sealing technology which stabilises temperatures by filtering all disturbances caused by thermoregulation. This allows the thickness of the packages to be varied and cuts the costs of packaging films. It can operate at temperatures as low as 2°C, allowing pasta manufacturers to use thinner or eco-friendly films (as thin as 7μm), cutting both waste and material costs. The machine’s modularity allows it to be adapted to suit products other than pasta. By combining the appropriate weighing and packaging elements, it is possible to handle items ranging from dried fruit to granular products. The stations can be customised – for example, to apply open/close labels to the bags. n An Italian machine-builder has created with a machine for weighing and packaging pasta and other foodstuffs in which every stage of the process – including folding, sealing and labelling – is automated. The machine, supervised by a 128-axis controller, is said to improve speed, accuracy and sealing quality. Martini’s pasta-packaging machine can produce up to 180 packs per minute Martini’s food-packaging machines combine vertical packaging machine with horizontal intermittent chains with several stations