PLC delivers functionality and savings

TE bander/shrink sleeve labeler is distinguished by servo motors and a PLC that does motion commands and has print registration capabilities.

PDC International is well known and highly regarded as a maker of decidedly robust tamper-evident neck-banders/shrink sleeve labelers. But management recently issued a challenge to the firm’s engineers: Build a moderate-speed machine that has a smaller footprint and that costs 30% less than PDC’s comparable machines. “Voila,” said the engineers, “meet the 60 Evolution Series Shrinksealer.”

Predictably enough, servo components play a key role in PDC’s new machine, which has a rated speed to 170 containers/min. One servo activates the timing screw infeed that meters containers into the application station. The other servo activates the neck-band feed. Both are MR-E Series motors from Mitsubishi. Also supplied by Mitsubishi are the FX3U-Series PLC, the variable frequency drive that serves as the machine’s main drive, and the HMI.

“This is our first experience with Mitsubishi, and one of the things we like is that they offer such a full line,” says PDC electrical engineer Rich Doran. “In the past we might have gotten the PLC from one supplier, a variable frequency drive from another, a servo motor from a third, and HMI from a fourth. It’s nice having one vendor handle them all.”

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