In 2012, FlexiCase rewrote speed, footprint and packaging size range for products in the home and personal care markets in particular. The new Flexicase adds an even lower footprint and height.
End-of-line compactness is a differentiating factor for the industries to which Flexicase caters. The range relies particularly on vertical forming to reduce the space it needs. In the new version of Flexicase, the sealing operation has been optimised to also reduce the overall machine length by 1100 mm.
The addition of a new compact robot to the Cermex range of gripping arms offers a significant advantage where low ceilings are a major constraint too. The 2014 gripping arm barely extends beyond the machine frame, making installation easier. Flexicase 2 is more compact in all its dimensions.
Depending on their shape, length and resistance, plastic bottles of shower gel, shampoo, washing liquids or detergents are handled using grippers, membranes or suction cups. The gripping heads, previously made of steel parts and small tooling, are now available in carbon and aluminium, in a beehive structure, reducing head weight by 30% on average, without compromising secure gripping and product integrity.
Flexicase 2 can work with lighter and quicker gripping arms, consuming less energy. For an equivalent number of products gripped, inertia during loading trajectories is reduced thanks to the lighter combined weight of the head plus products. This contributes to equipment longevity (reduction in wear and tear). For an equivalent payload handled by the gripping arm, the reduction in the tooling weight also potentially increases the number of products that can be gripped at a time, as well as increasing the speed. In addition, the mechanical design of the dual-axis gripping head safety mechanism makes it more sensitive to any collisions (machine stopped quickly in order to prevent damage to the tooling).
FlexiCase is able to use a wide range of gripping arms to provide a constant level of performance and precision, whatever the payload, the required work envelope or the desired speed. The numerical axis gantry (AN) is capable of handling payloads of up to 260 kg.
Cermex will show its new robotic gripping arm, the ER20, for the first time at interpack. This has two combined polar and Cartesian axes, to make it a top performer for speed, payload and layout criteria, while also being more compact than the competition. It uses a high-speed, compact gripping arm for light loads, efficient up to 30 cycles per minute, and an externally-sourced 6-axis poly-articulated robot, for maximum flexibility.
"The efforts made to lighten tooling have brought two benefits: improved coverage of the various speed/payload scenarios and the possibility of using a more compact gripping arm. If we also consider the shorter configuration of the sealing function, it is clear that we are offering a more economic FlexiCase unit in terms of space, energy consumption and maintenance," stated Jean-Philippe Béduneau, market director for home and personal care.
