Film packaging: Technology from one source

The German packaging technology industry is booming. Innovations and international business are giving the sector a boost. This climate is ideal for Tobias Vester and Manuel Schuster. At the end of 2014, the two engineers took over the product range and the production hall of Weprotec GmbH Handling & Verpackungssysteme into the newly founded Veprotec Automation GmbH in Dürnau.
The first machine type from the predecessor's product range that the two inventors tackled was a film packaging machine for bed linen. This machine is used to pack already folded bed linen in various formats in film. The bag packaging machine is a completely new design. Nothing has been left as it was, every component has been completely redesigned. Only the functional principles have been largely adopted. The aim was to modernise the whole thing, with modularity being a major issue. The new system is equipped in such a way that different modules can be installed. This is because not every customer wants the machine to have a hole punch or a labeller. Both can be selected as options, but the machine is designed in such a way that such parts can simply be omitted. With a completely modular base frame, Veprotec has developed a modular system, so to speak, which did not exist in this form before.
Veprotec's packaging machines are equipped with a large number of format adjustments and positioning units. This allows the various sizes of packaged goods to be covered or the film roll and hole punch to be positioned. The machine manufacturer was looking for a suitable solution for this.

Today, drylin® SHT spindle linear tables from our comprehensive modular system play a very important role in the new design of Schuster and Vester. The lubrication-free linear axes are driven either by trapezoidal thread, steep thread or toothed belt. From plastic to stainless steel construction, there is always a suitable solution. The linear tables are lubrication-free thanks to the use of polymer bearings and polymer nuts and offer eight trapezoidal thread pitches and four steep thread pitches. They can also be installed both horizontally and vertically.
For these reasons, a total of 13 drylin® SHTaxes are used in the pouch packaging machine for format adjustments and positioning tasks. They fulfil a wide variety of functions here:

Positioning the film roll
In the film depot section of the system, the film roll is positioned manually using a drylin® spindle-linear system of the type SHT-20-EWM with a driven and a pulled carriage as well as the torque support via a drylin® floating bearing.

Positioning of the hole punch
A drylin® linear system SHT-12-EWM with one driven and one travelling carriage and a NEMA 17 stepper motor is used for the automated positioning of the hole punch.

Format adjustment at the filling station
Unlike the positioning tasks, for which Veprotec offers both manual and automated operation, the format adjustments are exclusively automated. For example, the adjustment in the bed linen filling station area is carried out using a reverse drylin® SHT spindle-linear system with a flange-mounted NEMA 17 motor.

Format adjustment of the labeller
And the automated format adjustment of the labeller is carried out using a drylin® SHT -20 with NEMA 23 motor.