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Controls platform brings cartoning flexibility

Pedigree Ovens of Harvard, IL, a contract manufacturer in the niche market of high-end dog treats, recently decided to invest in cartoning technology to improve productivity and increase capacity.

Ultra Packaging’s Veronica is a user-friendly seven-axis cartoner that erects cartons from flat paperboard blanks and efficiently transports, closes, and glues the cartons.
Ultra Packaging’s Veronica is a user-friendly seven-axis cartoner that erects cartons from flat paperboard blanks and efficiently transports, closes, and glues the cartons.

It chose the compact Veronica Vertical Cartoner from Ultra Packaging, Inc., which operates with a complete Bosch Rexroth control and drives solution that delivers the flexibility, high throughput, and fast changeover times that Pedigree required.

While some of Pedigree’s clients use conventional folded-top cartons, others request a gable-top closure for improved shelf appeal. In addition, Pedigree supports multiple package dimensions, ranging from 4 to 10.5 inches high, 3 to 9 inches wide, and .75 to 3.5 inches deep.

With approximately 60 clients—each with multiple treat types or flavors and up to five packaging variations—Pedigree’s success depends on its ability to meet all client requests. Until recently, the company used a manual cartoning process to fulfill customers’ needs. Once treats were bagged, a conveyor brought the filled bags to manual stations where they were inserted into erected boxes. The boxes were then manually sealed with glue guns.

Ultra Packaging’s Veronica (see photo) is a user-friendly seven-axis cartoner that erects cartons from flat paperboard blanks and efficiently transports, closes, and glues the cartons. It’s engineered to be a cost-effective solution for growing companies that need fast changeovers and flexibility. Key to the Veronica’s versatility is its advanced control and drives platform from Bosch Rexroth.

“Rexroth components help make the Veronica as powerful and as versatile as it is,” says Bob Stockus, owner of Ultra Packaging. “With Rexroth’s components, the Veronica is user-friendly and can be adapted for each user’s needs, while staying within a budget.”

The Veronica uses the IndraMotion XLC motion logic controller, Bosch Rexroth’s premiere platform for motion, robotic, logic, and hydraulic control applications, which is programmed according to the PLCopen standard IEC 61131-3. This results in synchronized motion control on each axis as well as logic programming, and it features a wide range of open interfaces, including Sercos III, PROFINET, and EtherNet/IP.

Rexroth’s IndraDrive Mi cabinet-free drive/motor system drives each axis. With drive electronics integrated into the motor housing (see close-up photo), servo units can be housed on the machine itself; this helps make the Veronica a very compact and modular machine that can be easily fit into tight factory workspaces.

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