The ConCENTRiX® Horizontal End Load Cartoner from ADCO Manufacturing is notable for, among other things, the extent to which changeover from one carton size to another is automated. Playing a key role in this automation picture are the high-performance compact AG05 actuators for automated positioning, which are made by Siko. Depending on the specific cartoner model, there might be as many as 11 or 12 of these actuators involved. Each has its own brushless DC motor, gear box, and controller.
Thanks to the recipe handling capabilities of the cartoner’s Rockwell PLC, all carton parameters for each carton variety are stored in the PLC. So when it comes time to change from one carton size to another, the operator simply goes to the HMI and picks the carton size desired from a menu of options. The Siko actuators then receive all necessary target values from the PLC so that they can automatically reposition themselves.
