This intelligent conveyor system masters the challenge of linking multi-floor packaging lines in a demanding factory environment without stopping production. It ensures hygienic transport of delicate chocolates and retail displays, boosts capacity, and achieves seamless integration under tight schedules.
In the food and beverage industry, especially confectionery production, connecting packaging lines across multiple floors in a busy factory without stopping production presents significant challenges. Achieving increased production capacity requires a sophisticated automation solution.
Such a solution must be capable of navigating complex, existing environments (often referred to as "brownfield" sites), meeting impeccable hygiene standards, and integrating within tight schedules. Core challenges include the handling of complex and sensitive goods. This involves products like heavy, unstable stacks of open praline trays (over 5 kg) and lightweight, scratch-sensitive retail displays at high throughput rates (over 100/min).
The demanding plant layout necessitates conveyor systems that integrate into densely packed, multi-story production environments where space is extremely limited. Furthermore, strict hygiene requirements are paramount in food production, particularly with open chocolates, to prevent any contamination from abrasion or dust (ensuring FDA compliance).
Finally, phased implementation in a live plant is often required to avoid disrupting ongoing production. This necessitates flexible integration within very short, planned shutdown windows. An intelligent conveyor system with a hygienic design offers a comprehensive solution to automate the entire material flow between process steps.
Technical Solution
The technical implementation is designed for maximum efficiency and hygiene:
Intake and Vertical Transport: The system receives the heavy stacks of praline trays from eight different primary packaging machines. Specially designed Spiral Conveyors gently and efficiently lift the delicate stacks to another production level, saving valuable floor space.
Distribution and Transport: Once at the upper level, the VarioFlow plus system distributes the trays to the secondary packaging lines.
Removal to Palletizing: A separate VarioFlow plus system (VF 90) then takes the finished, lightweight retail displays and transports them over a long distance of more than 30 meters to the final palletizing area.
A decisive advantage of our solution lies in the details of our technology. Unlike competitor solutions that use abrasive, dust-generating pressure rollers, our Spiral Conveyors feature a unique, spring-based pressure system with cleanroom-compatible bearings. This superior hygienic design reliably prevents product contamination and was the key deciding factor for the customer in the food production industry. The entire project was completed in a record time of just three weeks during a planned holiday shutdown.
Key Features & Benefits
Increased Productivity: The smooth automation led to a demonstrable increase of approximate 5 % in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
Maximum Product Safety: Thanks to the superior hygienic design of our spiral conveyors, the risk of product contamination is eliminated, and the highest food safety standards are consistently met.
No Unplanned Production Downtime: The installation within the planned shutdown window ensured a smooth production start-up without costly delays.
High Investment Security: The local presence of our partner directly at the customer's plant guarantees the fastest response times for service and maintenance, ensuring consistently high plant availability.
Build your Application with Bosch Rexroth Products
The solution shown here is based on a system that integrates various Bosch Rexroth components, including advanced software, drive technology, automation platform, and structural elements. Please note that you can also purchase these components individually from us to build your specific application. The links to the respective product pages are listed here.
Bosch Rexroth VarioFlow Belt Systems: Enable smooth and reliable transport of workpiece carriers up to 20 kg.
The Bosch Rexroth Aluminum Profiles and EcoSafe Protective Fence Components: Are flexible and ensure compliance and safety.
The ctrlX AUTOMATION Platform from Bosch Rexroth: Manages all processes and tasks and is a flexible gateway to other systems.