Sviluppo di soluzioni innovative per l'alimentazione sincrona di macchine confezionatrici ad alte prestazioni

My research is the result of a period of three years of corporate work and experimental analysis dedicated to the study of a new technology introduced in the field of linear drives. The host company which granted the opportunity to carry out the work experience is CT PACK srl based in Fossalta in the province of Ferrara. In a current highly competitive market, CT PACK responds by designing, building and installing packaging lines highly automated and highly innovative in the most exclusive world of Packaging. For this reason, the R&D department preserves the interests to work closely with the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ferrara. Among the various sectors of production within the company, it was decided to deepen the branch related to the flowpack type of machines, which are now a standard production widely used by most companies belonging to this sector. Example of areas that most commonly use such architectures are, for example, biscuits, snacks, crackers, granola bars, tablets, chocolates, sweets, soaps. A product arriving from the production line continues its path through this type of system to be packed into the destination wrapper. Observing the most common flowpack architectures and the field of industrial automation in general, it’s simple to notice that most of the movements of the machines are accomplished by the use of electric motors. Since the appearance of the first machines used in this sector, the vast majority of the used actuators is rotary type. It is licit to say that, exploiting its structure, you can easily get rotational movements. It is not possible to say the same for linear movements. A traditional rotary engine requires a reducer and a mechanical transmission for converting rotary motion into linear motion. These mechanisms increase the number of elements of the kinematic chain leading to increased complexity and dimensions, introducing friction and mechanical play with the contact surfaces which involve loss of power and, consequently, loss of energy efficiency. Also from the dynamic point of view of the system there are limitations. In fact, at high accelerations, the power supplied to the motor is almost entirely consumed by the motor and by the transmission. Also, the more the dynamic is high, the more the effects of inertia affect the members of the kinematic chain by increasing usury and, consequently, increasing the problems of precision, positioning and maintenance. Taking into account that most of the motions to be performed within an industrial automatic system are linear types, it is obvious how important it is to have an actuator which operates directly in this way. These reasons have significantly stimulated CT PACK to undertake a research study regarding those drives, seeking the identification of valid innovative solutions to their configurations exploiting the use of new technologies. Particularly, the subject dealt relates to a prototype of the latest generation in the context of linear drives, recently introduced to the market by Jacobs Automation, a US company based in Erlanger in the state of Kentucky. The product concerned, known by the acronym iTRAK (the intelligent trak system), is a patented technology that allows independent control of multiple magnetic propulsion motors in curved and straight paths. The goal of this research is therefore to verify the performance of iTRAK and the eventual identification of an alternative solution within a flowpack system exploiting the enormous development potential and the flexibility introduced by this innovative product. Therefore my research involves the development of innovative solutions for the synchronized infeed of high-performance packaging machines. We focus on the analysis and the study of a new generation of packaging machine using the system iTRAK. The objective is to identify a valid alternative to the production process, exploiting the potential provided by Jacobs Automation’s system. In my research I have described packaging machines commonly used with rephasing conveyors, and their problems, then I switched to the theoretical analysis performed on different types of engines. Particularly, I have deepened the study of existing linear motors and the related principles of operation and analysis of the increasing use of these linear motors in the market and the aspects of improvement which involves appropriate use in the industrial field. Afterwards I have dedicated myself to the study of the characteristics and the operating principles of iTRAK and the description of the hardware and software used for the new considered prototype. Finally, I reported the set of experimental tests carried out to verify the reliability, the performance of the Jacobs machine and the conclusions reached in experimental investigations. In conclusion, concerning the tests and the results obtained so far, we can certainly say that the iTRAK system actually provides a new technology with great potential in the field of linear drives. CT PACK, based on the steps matured during these years of research, has managed to integrate the iTRAK system in a flowpack production line present in their establishment. This will make it possible to observe that the system actually offers the potentials and requirements for the identification of an alternative solution to existing production systems.