Because the end user’s speed requirement of 150 cans/min was beyond ProSys’s 120 cans/min filling maximum using pneumatic operations, ProSys turned to Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, WI) for an electronics-based solution. The redesigned system’s integrated Allen-Bradley ControlLogix® controller oversees 5 servo motors and drives.
After one servo indexes a can into position, the remaining four servo axes assist filling. The electronic gearing ensures that the can drops away from the fill nozzle at an optimum, programmable rate as they’re filled, resulting in a can devoid of air pockets. Additionally, electronic servo control simplifies changeover, enabling operators to make adjustments to fill rates and volumes via a touchscreen panel.
