High-performance motion control increases flexibility and machine speed

For their their tea-bag packaging machine, Teepack relies on PC-based control and drive technology from Beckhoff, and thus is setting a new benchmark in terms of speed and precision.

Who ever thinks about how the tea gets into the small tea bags and how the leaves are kept inside when brewed? The tea bag packaging machine manufacturer Teepack, for example. Up to 450 tea bags per minute are filled, folded, and sealed with the utmost precision by this top model – the Perfecta 450 – from the Meerbusch-based manufacturer of tea-bag packaging and form-fill-seal machines.

The higher speed and precision compared to the previous model stems from switching to an electronic coupling of the main axes via servomotors and software. “Previously, we had the main process mechanically linked via cam plates,” recalls Franz Andel, head of automation technology at Teepack. In the Perfecta 450, this is now handled by the AX8000 multi-axis servo system and AM8000 servomotors in conjunction with TwinCAT NC I.

“The web tension control implemented with Beckhoff technology across all drive axes prevents the filter paper from tearing – even with dynamic speed changes,” says Sascha Theine, who is responsible for hardware and software development at Teepack.

Where previously the filter paper transport was rigidly coupled to the main movement, for example, the motion sequence is now controlled by two separate servo drives.

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