WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 02/2018

Technically proven components
never go out of style
High quality, high performance lubrication-free plastic solutions from igus
make Krones’ new series of labelling machines for food and beverage
industry further more ideal. With more than 25 years of collaboration,
Krones and igus now have more than supplier-buyer relationship.
MOTION AND DRIVES
01 Crosswise adjustment
of belting station with dirtrepellent
and lubricationfree
iglidur J trapezoidal
thread flange nut
02 Height adjustment
of sleeve brush with trapezoidal
lead screw nut and
RJMP polymer bearing
The company, Krones AG was founded in 1951 and is headquartered
in Neutraubling. This small town near Regensburg in
southeast Germany is as old as the company itself. Established after
the second world war, it is now home to various German Mittlestand
companies. The company manufactures machinery, plants
and systems for the beverage and liquid food industry and sees
itself as a system provider and not just as a pure machine supplier.
“We offer our customers turn-key systems that are tailored to their
needs,” explains Josef Mayer, Head of Product Management Inspection
and Labelling Technology at Krones. “This covers all processes,
from beverage production and packaging, labelling and control up
to palletising.” There are various methods for labelling, among them
the stretch or shrink technology of the Sleevematic series used by
Krones.
The newly developed series of labelling machines ‘Sleevematic
TS’ from Krones AG can label up to 50,000 containers per
hour with just one unit. This number alone convinces the client
about Krones technical expertise and capabilities. The company
has successfully doubled the performance of this new system as
compared to the previous one. A major technological change that
Krones made is that instead of the classic cutting of the sleeves
they are now micro-perforated. Another major reason for Krones
success is the reliable supply of technically strong and high quality,
high performance components from its suppliers, like igus,
who has been supplying lubrication-free plain bearing components
for many years.
Technology for high performance output
With the Sleevematic TS, the TS stands for ‘Top Speed’. With it, it
is possible to label up to 50,000 containers per hour with just one
unit. “The sleeve technique has since blossomed from a niche
into a mass product,” says Josef Mayer. “Even in bottling plants the
demand to achieve ever higher performance means to move faster
and be able to label faster and faster.” Krones has taken a big stride
in performance with the Sleevematic TS compared to the previous
series, which means the output of labelled products has doubled.
Before the individual sleeves are applied (shot) on the bottles,
cans or other containers, they are no longer cut individually from
the roll as in the previous technology, but the sleeve is now microperforated.
It is thus possible to dispense with the clocking operation
during cutting, thus permitting continuous movement of the
sleeves. Instead of cutting blades, the Sleevematic TS uses two
rotating perforation cutters. In addition to the increased output, a
further advantage is the significantly longer service life of the cutters.
The previous product series required four cutting blades, with
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32 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 2/2018