BluePrint Automation Group is a well-known maker of secondary packaging
solutions for a variety of primary packages, both rigid and flexible.
But it has a reputation for being especially good at secure gripping of
tough-to-handle plastic bags. It’s HVP (Horizontal Vertical Packer)
series of case packers is a good example. Available for several years,
BluePrint now offers a model that’s marked by a number of advantages
over its predecessors.
Essential to the development of this machine are an energy-efficient
vacuum delivery system and a new breed of suction cups. Both are from
Piab (www.piab.com). The BL40-3P polyurethane suction cups have a very
thin, flexible, and forgiving lip to give them a secure grip even if
the surface of the bag being lifted is uneven or wrinkled. The cups
also feature an extra-long bellows that adds forgiveness at the moment
where cup meets bag. This cushions bag contents from damage.
As for the energy-efficient vacuum-delivery system, it’s a combination
of the Piab P6010 vacuum pump and a Piab feature called Cruise Control
option. R.M. Hoveling, R&D manager at Blueprint, describes the
vacuum system’s benefits by comparing it to a more conventional
alternative.
“A standard machine uses a centralized vacuum pump that works reliably
enough. But it makes a fair bit of noise if you don’t enclose it in
some sort of sound-dampening cabinet, and if you do that you wind up
occupying a lot of floor space. It also runs nonstop, whether you are
picking bags or not. So energy use is a bit higher than you’d like.Also, because the pump is a centralized source providing vacuum to a
multitude of suction points some distance away, you need a lot of
tubing to carry the vacuum flow from the pump to the suction points.
The size of the pump prevents you from mounting it anywhere near the
suction points.
“This new Piab solution lets us put the vacuum source close to those
suction points. That means less tubing and less chance for loss of
vacuum. In addition, the compressed air is turned on only when needed.
So we gain energy savings, more reliable vacuum, and a quieter
operation.”
When Hoveling says compressed air is turned on only when it’s needed,
he’s referring to Piab’s Cruise Control feature. It shuts off pressure
flow when a pre-set vacuum level is reached. Consistent and reliable
vacuum level is guaranteed at the suction point and not wasted
somewhere between a centralized pump and the suction point.
Hoveling says the HVP series machines can have anywhere from five to 11
axes of servo motion. Operating speeds, he adds, are up to 35
cycles/min.
