Drives & Controls April 2022

With its new machine, the German packaging machine-builder Wolf is showing how a linear transport technology can move products with unprecedented flexibility and delicate handling. 40 n CONVEYORS AND MATERIAL-HANDLING April 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com Linear system moves paper bags flexibly and gently M ajor retail chains and global players in the packaging industry are aiming to complete the transition to environmentally friendly packaging within the next few years,” says Markus Schmachtel, head of design and engineering at the German packaging machine-builder, Wolf. Since it was founded in 1988, Wolf has delivered more than 3,000 filling and packaging machines, making a name for itself especially in the food industry. Looking back on his long career in packaging technology, Schmachtel recalls many upheavals along the way.“Typically, a design engineer will try solve new requirements with a mechanical approach,”he says.“As the variety of packaging types and materials continues to grow, however, packaging machines need transport solutions that are substantially more flexible and gentle on the product than the purely mechanical chain-driven conveyors that have been prevalent thus far.” One item inWolf’s portfolio is a vertical form-fill-seal (FFS) machine with an easy changeover between all commonly used types of bag, including flat or gusseted bags, as well stand-up bags with sealed edges. Until recently, a top-closing machine connected to the FFS machine has transported the products using coupled chains with pusher dog attachments that form compartments for the bags. The bags are pushed along in a standing position, together with the entire transport mechanism, all synchronised with the FFS machine. As the bags move, the bottom glides over the transport system’s baseplate. Paper chase For a combination of marketing and environmental reasons, paper is gaining in popularity as a packaging material. However, especially at higher transport speeds, the bottoms of paper bags can be subjected to too much strain, or the bags can be deformed by shearing forces. Coarse and stiff paper Short product lifecycles and a trend towards individualisation are pushing assembly and production machines to their limits. A German packaging machine-builder is using a linear transport system to move products with unprecedented flexibility and gentle handling. “