Refined Electric Drive Concept Replaces Hydraulics

Commodore Technology from Bloomfield, NY, manufactures tray packers, ie machines for packaging all kinds of food. Everyone knows the trays produced on them from the supermarket, in which fish, meat, sausages, fruits or vegetables are offered fresh and in portions. Fast food and take-away dishes are also packaged in packaging that can be produced in a wide variety of geometries.

The tray is usually made of expandable polystyrene (EPS), better known as styrofoam. The extremely light EPS packaging consists of 98% air and only 2% polstyrene and is therefore ideal for food because it provides excellent insulation against cold or heat.

On the Commodore Technology systems, deep-drawing processes are used to manufacture polystyrene shells of various formats and shapes from a continuous film with a heated tool. This thermal process (thermoforming) requires adherence to precise cooling and hardening times. In order to achieve the desired material thickness for the respective packaging, a constant pressure force that varies greatly depending on the shape and material thickness is necessary. For this, process sequences of the highest precision are required, which can only be fulfilled with a high level of control engineering.

Looking for a more sustainable solution

Until recently, the Commodore Technology thermoformer was driven by two hydraulic cylinders arranged opposite each other. The company was no longer satisfied with this drive technology and was looking for an alternative.

What was needed was a more sustainable solution that could avoid the unfavorable properties of the hydraulic variant, such as possible liquid leaks and a high maintenance frequency. In addition, those responsible hoped for a new drive technology to improve the performance of the systems and improve the quality of the EPS shells in terms of stability.

A new mechatronic drive concept now fulfills all the wishes of the US company: The hydraulics are eliminated and the packaging machines are more efficient than before.

Supplementary to the topic of mechatronic modules as an alternative to hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders

The system house for drive technology A-Drive Technology GmbH has been working with its partners since 1990 on the development of mechatronic modules as an alternative to hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders.

The range of hydraulic and pneumatic systems cannot be meaningfully replaced with just one drive technology in order to open up advantages. The aim of A-Drive's development work is to outperform existing systems and to compensate for the additional costs caused by the use of electric actuating cylinders.

Improve process quality

The complete drive concept was developed by A-Drive Technology GmbH, the system house for drive technology from Taunusstein. At the heart are two electric actuators that offer an energy and environmentally friendly alternative to hydraulics. With the use of electric drives, A-Drive enabled a system that leads to process improvements. The new drive can be easily controlled in terms of power, speed and position. This significantly improves the process quality. "In applications with short travel distances of 100 mm to 300 mm and very high feed forces, electrical systems have already completely replaced pneumatics and hydraulics in many industries," explains Kurt Metz, product manager for servo drives at A-Drive.

The FT35-0410 actuating cylinder from Exlar proved to be the optimal solution for the thermoformers from Commodore Technology. Features of this actuating cylinder are the heavy-duty roller screw drive and the motor connection by means of a toothed belt and 2: 1 ratio.

Linear technology

Portfolio expanded by further directly driven linear axes

Content of the article:

• Page 1: Refined electric drive concept replaces hydraulics
• Page 2: Actuators designed for the food sector
• Page 3: Plant output increased by 85%

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