Established in 1988, Conflex, Inc (Germantown, WI) quickly became one of the largest suppliers of automatic L-Bar Sealers in the United States. To meet the growing demand for high-speed shrink-wrapping equipment, Conflex began building horizontal form/fill/seal machines that can wrap everything from frozen pizzas to CDs. These machines featured simple relay logic that soon became outdated as users required even faster speeds, fewer manual adjustments, and networking capabilities among their machines and to other production systems.
Taking a leap forward in automation functionality, Conflex engineers decided to implement a powerful, yet easy-to-use, solution that combines machine and motion control in one package. In addition to providing the required speed and networking capabilities, this compact solution from GE Fanuc Automation, a unit of GE Infrastructure, saves valuable panel space and reduces overall costs by more than 20% both for Conflex and its customers.
It''s a Wrap
"When we decided to build a servo-driven horizontal form/fill/seal machine, we wanted to keep it very simple, intelligent, and user-friendly," says Mark Lorenz, electrical applications engineer at Conflex. "We also wanted to minimize the mechanical adjustments that would be needed." He cites component costs, readily available technical support, and a company with an outstanding industry reputation as key factors in determining which vendor''s automation products to use and making the final choice for GE.
After specifying GE Fanuc''s S2K servos for motion control, Lorenz was pleased to discover early in the development process that the S2K could also perform all of the machine''s logic, including the flexibility of multiple "recipes" for wrapping various products. This alleviated the need for a PLC -- saving panel space, reducing the overall cost of the machine by thousands of dollars, and simplifying implementation -- which helped speed the new machine to market, giving Conflex a competitive advantage. (For more on the S2K, click here.)
The 3-axis motion machine features three S2K controllers that communicate via a DeviceNet peer-to-peer network. Three GE Fanuc S-series servo motors follow an infeed conveyor motor through the electronic gearing feature. Additionally, one of the S2K controllers is networked via Modbus RTU to a 6-in. GE Fanuc QuickPanel Jr, a highly compact but fully graphical, easy-to-use touchscreen operator interface.
All of the machine''s control logic is programmed directly into the S2K using GE Fanuc''s Machine Edition Motion Developer software.
"Initially, we found this challenging, as the language is different than the usual PLC or ladder logic," explains Lorenz. "However, once a GE Fanuc support technician showed us how easy it was to write the machine logic, we were on our way to developing a solid product in much less time."
Because of the in-depth support provided by engineers from GE Fanuc and distributor Power/mation, Conflex was able to program the first prototype machine and ship it to a customer site within a 2-day deadline. Lorenz notes that GE Fanuc''s response time is always within a day, enabling Conflex to quickly address and resolve any machine control issues for its customers.
Based on the company''s success using GE Fanuc''s S2K servos to reduce panel space and material costs while enhancing the performance of the horizontal form/fill/seal machines, Conflex is currently developing a new single-axis S2K-based system for controlling print registration. And, whether the machines are packaging products or clearly labeling their contents, Conflex and its customers will continue to wrap up some airtight benefits from the new servo system.
Results
- 20% cost savings with integrated motion and control solution
- 20% reduction in panel space
- Sophisticated machine control in a user-friendly package
- Fast, easy programming
- Outstanding service and support.