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Integrated packaging unit

Areas of applications“Octopus” fully-automatic packaging machine

Festo’s taskSupply of a complete system for each Octopusfor everything from air preparation and drivesthrough to a high-performance controller suchas the CPX-MPA, compact design, flexible hand-ling

BenefitsNo need for costly ordering and supply of in-dividual components, modular flexible controltechnology for easy installation and modifica-tion, reliable safe components for higher pro-cess reliability, end users benefit from qualitycomponents

Valves and valve terminals

It’s a wrap!

Anaesthetize and grip – fast! The way that an octopus catches its prey has inspired the

Finnish packaging machinery manufacturer Haloila. Instead of tentacles, this packaging

machine which is known as the “Octopus” surrounds its “prey” with plastic sheeting – but

only for its own protection. This process of seamlessly wrapping goods is carried out using

Festo pneumatic drives and a modular CPX/MPA terminal.

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The “Octopus”, a fully-auto-matic packaging machine and probably the only bearer of thisname to be shy of water, has itshome unusually far north. This“Octopus” operates entirely with-out ink and “has the flexibility tobe able to pack almost anything,”says Jari Paavola, the manager of the Haloila factory. No matterwhether the goods to hand are pallets with crates of drinks orstacks of cement sacks: Flexiblewraps provide protection andsecurity for transportation.

Transparent wrapsIn contrast to the case with otherpackaging machines, with Octopusthe pallet itself does not rotate.Rather, a sheeting magazinemounted on a guide ring circlesthe palleted goods and wrapsthem seamlessly. Transparent and

resilient, the PE sheeting used isbetween 12 and 30 μm, dependingon requirements. The sheeting isstored on rolls in a magazine,which is carefully levelled to allowthe sheeting to be unrolled easily.A telescopic frame constructiontravels down to the pallet fromabove, thus ensuring that even tall or irregularly-shaped palletedgoods are wrapped evenly. Variouswinding programs can be selected.The Octopus can wrap 50 to 110pallets an hour in this way.

On a rollGrippers take up the cut edge ofthe sheeting, tension this andbring it to the goods to be packed.A special system is used to pre-stretch the resilient sheeting bet-ween 0 and 300 % to ensure thatthis grips the goods better. Afterthe first encirclement of the goods,

the sheeting sticks to these andcan be released by the grippers.Standard Festo cylinders Type DSNare used to open, turn and closethe grippers. Installed in varioussizes and in the version withoutposition detection, these reliabledrives fully meet the stringentdemands of the application withregard to running properties andservice life. Air preparation is pro-vided safely and reliably by serviceunits from Festo’s D series – whichform part of the complete pack-age, including a controller, for each Octopus.

A little on the top ...... is what each pallet gets at thestart of the packaging process. Toensure full protection, a piece ofspecial wide sheeting is laid on thegoods by means of a fully-automa-tic cover placer. This sheeting is

available in two widths as requi-red. The projecting ends of thesheeting are pressed around thegoods by compressed air until thefirst layer of the enveloping stretchsheeting fixes the cover in placeand seals it air-tight. The functionof the transparent cocoons ofsheeting is not only to hold thegoods in question together se-curely on the pallets but also toprovide especially sensitive goodssuch as paper against moistureand the penetration of dirt anddust. In these cases, intermediatelayers of sheeting are inserted.

A never-ending flow To ensure that the supply of resilient protective sheeting nevercomes to an end, arrangementshave been made for automaticreplenishment. A roll changingsystem integrated into the Octo-

www.festo.com/en/cpx www.festo.com/en/mpa

Quick change: Controlled by a CPX/MPA, Festo drives provide fully-automatic replace-ment of an empty sheeting magazine by a full one.

3 Valves and valve terminals ... It’s a wrap!

is 0609DGC rodless drive

is 0610DNCB standard cylinder

is 0611CPX electrical terminal

is 0612MPA valve terminal

Infoservice

pus replaces empty magazineswith full ones. This is controlled bya modular CPX electrical terminal,installed directly on the roll chan-ger. This in conjunction with anMPA valve terminal combines elec-trical and pneumatic componentsin a single unit. The CPX/MPA is afieldbus terminal and has a veryhigh level of modularity which al-lows the easy and rapid replace-ment of electronic modules. Thecomplete pneumatic control chainis controlled by I/O modules andvalves connected to a fieldbusinterface. The roll changer has two magazine holders oppositeeach other and can be turnedthrough 180°.

Once equipped with a full maga-zine, the changer system advancesto the guide ring. Two rodlesscylinders Type DGC press themagazine out of its holder with avertical motion. A pair of DNCB drives simultaneously position thefull sheet magazine on the guidering and transfer out the emptymagazine at the rear. The Octopusis now ready to continue with itspackaging work.

www.mimaitw.com

In just the right position: The sheetingmagazine encircles the pallet at lightningspeed to provide a protective sheath.

Festo components

on Haloila machine

CPX/MPA electrical terminal

DGC rodless drive

DNCB standard cylinder