Getting off to a quick start with the lightline Flowpacker
- Installation and commissioning within just two weeks
- Space-saving machine layout
- Simple operation with outstanding flexibility
ANFORDERUNG
Large quantities of confectionery call for an exceptionally efficient flow-wrapping machine
Turkish confectionery manufacturer Sölen has been satisfying sweet tooths for over 30 years with chocolate bars, biscuit bars and pralines. The chocolate specialist now offers more than 200 products and exports to over 120 countries worldwide. Some 2,300 employees at the two Turkish sites in Istanbul and Gaziantep produce up to 330,000 tonnes of confectionery every year. That an extremely efficient packaging process is essential to handle these impressive quantities goes without saying. Schubert machines have been in use at Sölen for many years. The manufacturer needed a new, highly efficient flow-wrapping machine for its chocolate-coated biscuit rolls, which are produced in various sizes in Gaziantep. Sölen not only wanted to benefit from the latest Schubert technology, it also prioritised quality control to ensure that only biscuit rolls with an intact chocolate coating would be packaged.
Die Lösung
Schubert lightline machine series guarantees a quick start
This time, the confectionery specialist opted for a Flowpacker from Schubert’s lightline series. Adnan Akman, Sales Account Manager, explains the benefits of the series: “The lightline system is unique in that it consists of preconfigured machines. This enables rapid delivery times as well as quick planning and assembly processes.” Sölen greatly benefited from this compelling advantage. Cemal Karakuş, Technical Manager at Sölen, reports: “Schubert installed and commissioned the Flowpacker at our site within two weeks. We were very impressed.” As with Schubert’s customised packaging systems, the lightline series is based on a modular machine concept with technologically advanced and tried & tested system components. With the new lightline system, Sölen can capitalise on the exceptional machine quality and state-of-the-art robot technology customers expect from Schubert.
Schubert installed and commissioned the Flowpacker at our site within two weeks. We were very impressed
Cemal Karakuş
Technical Manager at Sölen, February 2024
Technical Details
- lightline Flowpacker
- 300 flowpacks per minute
- Double and single picks possible
- Fully automatic carrier change
- 99% machine efficiency
A compact flow-wrapping machine with controlled processes
“The unique feature of all our Flowpackers is their space-saving machine layout, in which the pick & place infeed and the flow-wrapping unit are compactly integrated into a single line,” highlights Adnan Akman. “The pre-grouping of the products for the Flowmodul is performed either by F4 robots, as is the case at Sölen, or by robots from our T-Line.” 3D-printed format parts developed by Schubert ensure precise gripping and gentle product handling. The Schubert vision systems detect the position, orientation and quality of the products and ensure that the robots only pick up flawless goods. With six F4 robots, three scanners and the Schubert Flowmodul, Sölen’s lightline Flowpacker enables a consistently controlled and gentle packaging process in a single system – with the very best product and packaging quality.
Identical performance with twice as many products
The new Flowpacker is currently used to pack one or two biscuit rolls of varying thicknesses and lengths into flowpacks – with the lightline machine achieving an output of 300 flowpacks per minute for both types of packaging. The chocolate-coated and partially decorated biscuit rolls enter the system via a 1,000 mm wide product conveyor, are checked by the vision system and, as long as the product quality is perfect, are placed into the carrier chain by the robots. The pick & place process can be carried out both as a single pick and as a double pick, in which the robot picks up two products one after the other before placing them into the chain at the same time. This enables the performance of the pick & place process to be adapted to the specific format – and the output of 300 flowpacks per minute is maintained even with 600 packaged biscuit rolls. At a film speed of 60 m/min, the pre-grouped biscuit rolls are then packed into flowpacks and fed into an existing Schubert cartoner.
Easy operation with quick format changes
The new lightline machine excels with its very simple operation and high flexibility in spite of it being a preconfigured solution. This is achieved thanks to the quick format changeover in 20 minutes at most. The integrated fully automatic carrier change independently exchanges the carriers in the chain, while the machine operator can change the dies of the F4 robots and the forming shoulders in the Flowmodul via plug & play. After the programme change, the lightline Flowpacker immediately runs with optimum process quality – without the need for run-in time.
A format with four biscuit rolls per flowpack is also planned for the future. Sölen is delighted with the new system and its many benefits: “With our new Flowpacker, Schubert’s signature combination of efficiency and flexibility has once again really impressed us,” raves Cemal Karakuş.
One or two biscuit rolls are packed into flowpacks at a film speed of 60 m/min.
The machine can switch between single and double pick, so that two biscuit rolls can be placed into the chain at the same time.
In Schubert’s Flowpackers, the robot-supported pick & place infeed and the Flowmodul flow-wrapping unit are compactly integrated into a single line.
