automation S O L U T I O N S
C O M P O N E N T T E C H N O LO G I E S
Simple, Straightforward Savings
REDUCING COSTS WHILE
Festo’s rugged and
reliable VB series
proves that there’s a
place for polymer
valves in packaging.
CONSERVING ENERGY.
B Y J I M PA R S O N S
“G
ood enough” is one phrase you
don’t hear very often on packaging floors anymore, particularly
when the topic is reducing operating
costs. Sure, you can do things like switch
to energy-efficient lighting, cut material
waste and manage changeovers like a
NASCAR pit crew.
But when the results of those moves
show up on the balance sheet, is it really
enough to stop there? Or, can you be
doing more to trim those costs?
It’s nice to know that manufacturers of
pneumatic systems and components are
thinking the same thing, and looking at
ways to make their products as much of
an energy miser as the packagers who’ll be
using them.
“Energy conservation has become an
industry-wide focus because of its growing
financial and social implications,” says
Pam Ohlemiller, product manager at SMC
USA, Noblesville, Ind. “Yet with machine
builders and packagers also moving away
from standardized products, it’s important to provide pneumatic systems capable of specifically meeting infinitely
diverse requirements.”
For example, SMC’s engineers took a
look at pneumatic cylinders. “Traditionally the energy used by a cylinder is not
closely monitored,” Ohlemiller says. “The
working and non-working strokes operate
at the same pressure.”
But by developing new Series
ASR/ASQ Energy Saving Valves, SMC
found that the cylinder’s energy use could
be reduced from 100 psi to 50 psi on the
cylinder’s non-working side. And voila, the
system’s overall annual energy use is
reduced as well.
“The ASR functions as the pressure
valve, acting as a regulator with a check
valve and speed controller,” Ohlemiller
explains. “The ASQ functions as the flow
valve and speed controller, giving quick
supply and exhaust capabilities.
SMC’s series ASR/ASQ valves are available for 14⁄ , 38⁄ and 12⁄ in. ports, and with 6, 8,
10 and 12mm outer diameter tubing in
nylon, soft nylon and polyurethane. Fixed
and variable pressure-type options are
available, all with a maximum operating
pressure of 145 psi.
SMC’s ASR/ASQ valves provide a
number of other benefits as well, including the prevention of jerky movement in
the vertical operation of cylinders and
quick air charge at the stroke end for
press applications.
“Our
customers don’t just have production efficiency quotas, but many
have energy savings quotas,” Ohlemiller
adds. “The ASR/ASQ valves represent a
simple solution, but one that can have a
tremendous effect on a company’s efforts
to control energy waste.”
CLEARING THE AIR
Speaking of energy, air compressors
represent another area where packagers
are realizing that “close enough” is not as
good as once thought, particularly when it
comes to energy use and air quality.
“Most compressors are oil-lubricated, fixed capacity units, which lack
the ability to match output with packaging equipment needs,” says Nitin
Shanbhag, senior manager of the Air
Technology Group at Hitachi America,
Ltd., Charlotte, N.C. “The result is
higher energy consumption, and higher
maintenance costs.”
What’s more, Shanbhag adds, “oillubricated compressors are counter to the
growing concern for natural resource conservation and airstream contamination.
As a result, end users are looking for
cleaner, more efficient compressor technologies that will reliably deliver the
capacity necessary for their current and
future needs.”
This convergence of concerns has led
to the development of the Hitachi SRL
Series Multiplex Compressors. Available
in 7.5, 11 and 16.5 kW models with pressure optimization at 122 psi or 145 psi,
the SRL Series combines innovative scroll
technology with what Shanbhag describes
as “anticipatory” controls that will match
the output of the compressor to the
demand of the packaging equipment it’s
powering.
“By matching the output with operation of up to three pumps, the end user
will get reliable performance along with
lower energy consumption,” he explains.
“The unit’s standard microprocessor
makes it easy to set and monitor operational parameters. Users can also maintain a very tight pressure band of operation to ensure more consistent air usage,
while also maximizing energy savings.”
And because the unit is 100 percent oilfree, the high purity level of the compressed air maintains safeguards to eliminate downstream equipment from
contamination.
“This also reduces overall total cost of
ownership, and protects the environment
by eliminating emissions,” Shanbhag adds.
Finally, the SRL series is also quiet,
operating at a relatively quiet 57 to 61
decibels that allows it to be easily placed
near its point of use. “That’s a big change
from older technologies that often require
specialized compressor room installations
and hearing protection,” Shanbhag says.
CHANGING WITH THE
TIMES
Next year, the pneumatic lockout valve
celebrates its 50th anniversary. Before you
break out the balloons and old 45 rpm
records (“Surfin’ USA” and “Blue Velvet”
were among the top hits of 1963, by the
way), it’s helpful to remember what has
changed over the years—and what hasn’t.
Developed at a time when there was
only a general ANSI standard governing
pneumatic lockout valves for the packag-
EQUIPMENT MISFIRE LEADS TO SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS
In the spring of 2010, Starflex Packaging Systems, Jonesboro, Ga., found
that its PL-100 poultry bagger was failing to operate correctly. Since the PL100 requires no electricity and is operated with pneumatic parts from
Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc.,
Starflex Director of Operations Dennis
McGinn sent one of the baggers to
Clippard for assistance in finding the
root of the problem.
The day after the machine arrived at
Clippard’s Cincinnati, Ohio, headquarters, they notified McGinn that the
machine was failing to operate because there was an engineering oversight that originated at Starflex.
“To me the real relationship with Clippard—in particular
[Business Development Manager] Rob Clippard—started
with the engineering mistake that we ourselves had created,”
says McGinn. “Not only did they discover the problem, they
also developed an alternative solution.”
Clippard manufactured a new manifold from an acrylic
base at a cost that was comparable to Starflex making it.
Behind the scenes, Clippard took a concentrated look at how
the PL-100 was constructed and asked
McGinn if they could propose an alternative design to the machine. Although
it was fully functional as designed, Clippard engineers came up with a way to
reduce the number of parts by more
than half, while maintaining the same
exact operational specifications. This
new design cut the assembly time of the
machine from over eight hours down to
two hours.
“Without removing the top cover to
the machine to see the inside, the PL100 looked exactly the same—which was
extremely important,” McGinn says. “I instantly dubbed
this new version of the PL-100 as the Green Machine
because of the reduction of natural resources required to
build. With the skyrocketing price of raw materials, this
allowed me to maintain my price point with my customers
while achieving my goals of cutting costs.”
Starflex displayed the new PL-100 Green Machine at
Clippard’s booth at PACK EXPO Las Vegas and was pleased
with the attention that it received during the show.
automation S O L U T I O N S
ing industry, these devices must now be
easy to operate and capable of being lockable only in the “off” position. They must
also have a full-size exhaust port and a visible pressure indicator.
Other OSHA requirements and best
practices have evolved over the years as well,
including ease of access and identification,
and location in a non-hazardous area.
“All of these requirements are intended
to provide a safe, easy and quick lockout of
pneumatic energy for when users must
access equipment all of which can lead to
greater uptime,” explains Eric Cummings,
global industry manager for safety at Ross
Controls, Troy, Mich.
However, most standard lockout valves
up to now have been available only in
painted aluminum-cast bodies—a construction that is not well-suited to washdown applications.
“This left the OEM and user with a few
choices,” Cummings says. “Using an aluminum lockout valve in a washdown area
presents issues of eroding paint and corrosion, which leads to frequent replacement. They can locate the valve in non-washdown area or a stainless steel cabinet, both of
which may limit access. Some have even
attempted to use a stainless valve not
designed for lockout, or one that does not
meet all of the current lockout valve standard
requirements.”
Because none of these “close enough”
options sound particularly appealing,
Ross Controls has developed the new corrosion-resistant 316 stainless steel pneumatic lockout valves that allows OEMs
and end users to meet all of the standard
requirements and best practices.
In addition to its rugged, self-draining
design, Ross Controls’ 316 lockout valve
features reliable fluorocarbon seals that
can withstand contaminant ingression, a
standard pressure sensing port with an
optional pressure switch or visual indica-
tor to verify pressure downstream to the
next obstruction, and a simple, yet reliable
large handle with push/pull for direct
manual operation.
“OEMs and packagers need to be
fully aware of the requirements for lockout/tagout, and the products available
PIAB’s modular piGRIP suction cup
system improves handling capability
for the growing range of bags and
stand-up pouches. Flexible lips are
available in a variety of sizes for even
and rough/textured surfaces.
to them,” Cummings says. “There’s
more than material cost at stake; it’s also
a matter of downtime, product quality
and long-term machine upkeep.”
POLYMER POWER
Polymers have become increasingly
prevalent in our daily lives. They’re in the
toys our kids play with, the cars we drive,
even the clothes we wear.
So why aren’t they used for pneumatic
valves in packaging machines?
“Historically, OEMs generally avoided
incorporating polymer valves in their
machines, as they were considered cheap
and unreliable,” explains Troy Sanders, a
valve product specialist with Festo Corporation, Hauppauge, N.Y. “But just as
polymers have enhanced fuel efficiency
in cars and the protective qualities of
safety equipment, they’ve also emerged
as a lightweight, low-cost solution that
OEMs and end users can rely on with
confidence while maintaining the costeffectiveness of their operations.”
Festo’s investment in polymer
research has yielded further evidence of
their viability in packaging—the VB
pneumatic valve series.
“This basic valve series acts as a simple
replacement option for any existing valve
technology by using standard connection
sizes with basic valve functionality,” Sanders
says. “The entire VB family is IP65-compliant, and boasts a higher resistance to corrosive environments than standard valves.”
The VUVB inline valve, available with
flow rates ranging from 200 to 1000 l/min,
offers the highest corrosive resistance
because it’s assembled with an individual
sub-base constructed from the same
high-grade polymer as the valve. Other
options of the VB series—the VTUB12
and VTUB20, which have flow rates of
up to 400 l/min and 1000 l/min respectively—are mounted on an aluminum
manifold block. In addition, the
VTUB12’s poppet design produces a
valve terminal with very low leakage, providing enhanced air utilization for a
more “green” machine design.
In addition to its low-cost polymer
design, the VB series offers users easy
installation and maintenance.
“Each valve is attached to the manifold
with a unique single captive screw,” Sanders
says. “The valve is held in place by a specially
designed hook arm that locks the valve into
place once the screw is tightened. This pro-
vides simple assembly and replacement of
valves to decrease machine downtime.”
What’s more, OEMs and end users
need to stock only a single type of valve
body for both the inline and manifold
mounted versions of the VB series. The
valve’s flow rate is also completely determined by the fittings chosen. And because
the VB employs cartridge fittings, OEMs
and end users can chose sizes from as
small as 4mm to as large as 10mm.
“The VB valve series was also designed
with an airtight specification, preventing
particles from being pulled into the chamber and damaging the valve,” adds
Sanders. “That ensures a long service life.”
Because the VB series is intended for
basic, universal applications, the
VTUB12 is only available with an electrical multi-pin connection, while the
VTUB20 has both individual and multipin connection options. However,
Sanders says a low-cost field bus option
for the VB series is on the way.
“This will enable manufacturers to incorporate these low-cost valves into the more
advanced communication networks found
in today’s packaging machines,” he says.
NO MORE LOOSE LIPS
The growth of stand-up pouches for
both food and non-food products may be
a boon to consumers, but it presents an
increasing challenge to OEMs and end
users—mainly how to efficiently handle
items that don’t have rigid uniform sides.
Although most pneumatic systems use
standard flexible suction cups to handle
bags and pouches, most don’t provide an
optimal seal. The resulting cascade of
issues greatly compromises more than
throughput and machine speeds.
“Energy consumption increases as more
vacuum flow is required to compensate for
leakage and create a seal,” explains Ed
McGovern, vice president sales and business
development—North America for PIAB
USA, Inc., Hingham, Mass. “This also accelerates suction cup wear, which leads to more
changeovers, waste and overall expense.”
Now, stand-up pouches have a suction
cup just for them. Based on PIAB’s modular piGRIP suction cup system, the cup fea-
tions whether it’s case bags and pouches or
more conventional items such as corrugated boxes, cartons and slip sheets.”
An improved seal also reduces energy
requirements, allowing users to handle
these packages with a smaller vacuum
pump. And with fewer drops and
mispicks, downtime and waste can be cut
dramatically.
“The new design also reduces maintenance costs, as users need to replace only
the lip as it wears, not the entire cup,”
McGovern adds.
The size 3 bag lip has a maximum outer
diameter of 48mm/1.89 inch, and will suit
medium-size bags/pouches. PIAB recently
introduced sizes 2 (34mm) and 5 (63mm)
bag lips.
VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE
VACUUM GENERATION
Hitachi’s SRL Series Oil-free Multiplex Scroll
Air Compressor offers a resource-saving,
low-emission alternative for pharmaceutical,
electronic, chemical, food and beverage packaging systems.
tures a special “lip” interface engineered to
provide an exceptional seal and grip on
bags and pouches where existing options
worked only marginally.
Composed of an FDA-approved liquid
silicone 50° shore material for optimal
performance, the bag lip can be combined
with a flat, 1- or 3-bellows piGRIP cup, as
well as a full complement of fitting sizes
for unprecedented bag-handling speeds
and accelerations.
“This is a new technology that enables a
suction cup to have both a stable and rigid
support piece and reduces unwanted
motion during machine operation,”
McGovern says. “The ‘lip’ interface provides an excellent seal on the material
being handled. The piGRIP system
includes different lips designed to provide
optimal handling for different applica-
While robotic systems are shouldering
an increasingly large share of packaging
operations, few system owners can afford
to have their cybernetic systems to consume a comparable amount of workspace.
When it comes to robotic components,
size—or the lack of it—really is everything.
A good example of a suitably small
pneumatic component is the micro-venturis series NGVA mini vacuum generator
from Numatics, Inc., Novi, Mich. Made of
rugged thermoplastic material, the 15g
NGVA series offers a suction flow rate of
.42 and .64 standard cubic feet per minute
(SCFM) at 30-87 PSIG. Nozzle sizes of .7
and .9mm diameter are also available.
Various models in the NGVA series can
be fitted with options such as a monitoring switch to track vacuum level data,
silencers for 10 and 20 dBa noise reduction, and 450-micron filtration to protect
the Venturi vacuum generators from airborne contaminants.
Jim Parsons has written about business and
technology issues for more than 14 years.
Reprinted from Packaging Machinery Technology January/February 2012 issue