Compact drive and control technology in a cosmetics filling system

Lehnen Industrial Services introduced a filling machine for lip balm that was flexibly and efficiently adapted to market requirements using Beckhoff technology.

Founded in 2001, Lehnen primarily serves customers in life sciences. “Our niche is purpose-built equipment for cleanroom environments with small footprints. That involves significant design optimization to condense extensive functionality into small spaces,” President Peter Lehnen says. When the company completed its first lip balm filling system, he figured it would be the last. Sure, it combined a host of features – container loading, in-parallel filling, cooling, capping, labeling and coding – into one compact machine. But the system did not fit into any category. “With this type of filling equipment, typically one class is low cost and low speed. Then, an industrial class offers high throughput but costs millions of dollars per installation,” Peter Lehnen says. “There are few options in that middle space.”

The ProFill system brings all processing steps into a self-contained unit measuring just 11 feet 8 inches by 5 feet 5 inches (308 x 142 cm). Even with its sturdy stainless steel construction, the portable system can move on casters to work in any location with compressed air and 240-V AC connections. In addition, the design simplifies filling head changes, whether for cleaning or product changeovers.

During the development process of a standard system the engineers wanted to ensure that the machine would maintain its small footprint and high-precision filling to avoid dripping hard-to-clean, waxy liquid on conveyance equipment. Working with Beckhoff, Lehnen began the redesign in January 2023.

The system relies on a C6015 ultra-compact Industrial PC (IPC) as its machine controller. Beyond its extremely space-saving dimensions, the IPC’s memory options range from 40 to 320 gigabytes. A CP3918 multi-touch Control Panel from Beckhoff brings intuitive smartphone-style operation even to tough production environments. Programming of the HMI, PLC and motion control takes place in TwinCAT 3 automation software.

The standardized lip balm filler maintained its high performance and compact footprint. The system processes trays of eight tubes at a time with a throughput of 60 tubes per minute. In continuous operation, the machine can fill, cap, label and serial code 30,000 sticks per day.

With space-saving controls, networking and servo drive hardware from Beckhoff, the machine also freed up space in the electrical cabinet for future functionality additions. “On top of having a better overall system, we reduced costs significantly,” Peter Lehnen says. “In terms of control hardware, we saved roughly 40% by standardizing on Beckhoff.”

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