Lantech develops automated stretch wrapping control
automated stretch wrap systems, which it claims offers a number of
productivity advantages.
For example, the system features five pre-programmed wrap patterns that can be changed by the user and switched on the fly. In addition, the control readily accommodates custom wrap patterns with separate settings for film overlap (up and down) as standard.
The control upgrade also includes a new ANSI-compliant signal light and horn for alarms, a complete alarm history, animated "help" screens keyed to faults, and combination starters for all motors to eliminate fuses. Allen Bradley devices used throughout the control enclosure reduce maintenance cost and time by making it easy for the user to find local replacement components.
Plastic stretch films are familiar to most consumers. Stretch films are used in supermarkets and grocery stores, usually in conjunction with a plastic or fibre tray, to package individual cuts of fresh meat, poultry, fish and other food products.
Meat packaging represents one of the largest applications for stretch film, and is a sector that has seen significant innovation in recent months. Packagers in this industry require film that has enough oxygen permeability to allow the formation of oxymyglobin, which gives the desired fresh red look to the meat.
The new control from Lantech could therefore enable food packagers to take proper advantage of a growing market. The system eliminates the need for a laptop PC to change standard programme timers or monitor the PLC I/O for troubleshooting, while free PLC programming software from Lantech allows full access to the control's code for in-depth changes.
"This control gives the customer digitally precise control of wrap patterns, overlap and overwrap from the touchscreen," said William Caudill, Lantech product manager for automatic systems. "And in an automated environment, the control can also switch between wrap patterns as it receives information from upstream equipment.
"The control's fault tracking capability lets the user see operational trends as they develop, and 'help' screens keyed to displays facilitate training and troubleshooting. Most system changes can be executed without a laptop PC, but when in-depth edits are needed, our free PLC programming software saves the user thousands of dollars."
Lantech is the world's largest manufacturer of stretch wrapping technology, with 50,000 systems around the world. It has manufacturing operations in the US and the Netherlands.
