The demands of the cosmetics industry on packaging machines are very high: "The lifetime of an overpack is very short, but it plays an important role in the cosmetics industry. The excellent quality of the folding box must be immediately visually recognizable, so it must not show any scratches," explains Sébastien Boileau, Director of Marketing at Citus Kalix. Delivering the best quality while avoiding scratches on the box - that is the goal of Citus Kalix.
The KV800 vertical cartoning machine from Citus Kalix can be equipped with a special wrapping module that allows cartoning of bottles and jars with their protective wrapping. It offers great flexibility for new applications and special bottle shapes and, thanks to its gentle operation, can be used even for particularly delicate products. For the placement and conveying axes, Citus Kalix relies on the overall solution developed jointly with Lenze, both at the control level and on the drive side.
To make the machine setup phase efficient, the FAST application software toolbox was used. These software modules include preconfigured motion functions that save time in the development phase. They also include robotics functions for handling systems, which are gaining a foothold in the packaging sector. For a pick & place motion, for example, the machine builder simply has to select the appropriate kinematic model, then open the technology module in the program and perform the parameterization - and the application can be started. The task allows a structured and largely standardized programming. Frequently recurring functions can be detailed using predefined models. In the end, proven software components that can be used in a modular fashion are available for other development projects.
Because of its current automation architecture, with the Lenze 3200 C controller as the "brain" for motion control, Citus Kalix leaves it up to customers to choose their own robotic system according to their needs and habits. "We have made a clear separation between motion control and sequential control. We can easily change the robot brand because our know-how, and therefore most of the work, is related to motion control," explains Anthony Defois.