Perfect landing – that's how the packaging gets onto the conveyor belt

Whether it's fruit, vegetables, or meat: many food products are offered pre-portioned in packaging at supermarkets. To automatically destack nested trays, cups, or blisters, Groschopp AG - Drives and More developed a special drive solution for a Dutch manufacturer of packaging and processing machinery.

The drive specialist Groschopp, headquartered in Viersen, Germany, has many years of experience in the food and packaging industry and develops customized motors characterized by optimal adaptability to the respective application. "V-Tech Venture B.V. needed a drive solution for a destacker that separates nested packaging such as trays, cups, mugs, or blisters," explains Steven Rommen, technical specialist and consultant at Groschopp B.V. "The challenge was ensuring that the objects fell onto the conveyor belt below at the right time and that the system could be adjusted to different packaging shapes, sizes, or materials." This task was accomplished using four servo motors from Groschopp. These were precisely tailored to the customer's requirements in close collaboration.

Hollow shaft made of stainless steel

The round EGK65-50NR servomotor is equipped with a continuous hollow shaft made of stainless steel, offering several advantages for hygienic, corrosive, and demanding applications in the food and packaging industries. The stainless steel hollow shaft combines corrosion resistance, FDA compliance, and design flexibility. Combined with a plug-in shaft, this results in a modular, maintenance-friendly, and hygienically robust drive concept, ideally suited for applications with Ecolab cleaning regimes and stringent regulatory requirements.

Furthermore, stainless steel combines strength, toughness, and wear resistance. In conjunction with the hollow shaft geometry, this results in an optimal stiffness-to-mass ratio, improving the drive's dynamic performance and reducing bearing loads and vibrations.

Plug-in shaft for high flexibility

The combination of a hollow shaft and a plug-in shaft offers a high degree of design flexibility. Different lengths, diameters, and fits of the plug-in shaft can be implemented without modifying the actual drive. This reduces the number of variants, as the same motor can be used with different plug-in shafts for various applications. Assembly and replacement are also simplified, which reduces downtime and lowers service costs. Furthermore, thermal decoupling and tolerance compensation can be implemented more effectively than with a solid, continuous shaft.

Based on Groschopp's experience and comprehensive consulting services, a robust, flexibly adaptable denesting system for efficient and hygienic packaging processes has been developed in close collaboration with the customer.

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