Page 39 - Packaging News Magazine Sep-Oct 2019

MEMBER NEWS
DIGITAL TWINS MEAN FEWER ERRORS
OEMs can benefit from a process called “virtual commissioning” to spot errors before equipment is produced, according to technology giant Siemens.
Virtual commissioning involves creating a “digital twin” of a machine before manufacturing; according to Milan Bawa, business development manager at Siemens, the goal of this is to achieve faster commissioning by reducing mechanical and software errors.
“The ideology behind this technology is that an OEM should be able to virtually test the prototype of their machine before starting the physical build,” says Bawa. “The digital twin can be created as early as the design stage of the project, and involves all aspects of the production line in a virtual environment.”
The Australian market can benefit from virtual commissioning, as local OEMs are often under pressure to compete against global manufacturers with lower labour costs, better exchange rates, and more bargaining power with suppliers, says Bawa.
“The technology of digital twin will change the playing field for all local and global manufacturers, by providing the value of being able to perform ‘what if’ scenarios prior to manufacturing.
“The simulation process allows OEMs to analyse why errors are occurring, eliminate the root cause of the problem, and prevent unpredicted commissioning delays, therefore reducing their time to market,” he says.
When considering virtual commissioning, OEMs should ask themselves a number of questions to determine if the technology is the right fit for their business.
These include: if there is a need and opportunity to reduce commissioning times; what can be done to better control fixed costs and predict variable costs; if greater customisation can be offered to end users without incurring greater business costs; whether earlier and more accurate machine behaviour prediction would benefit the business; if additional value can be offered to end users; and if reducing time to market and commissioning costs, and offering predictive maintenance, would help the company gain a competitive advantage.
A “digital twin” can help OEMs spot problems before manufacturing.
MGRIP GRIPPERS TAKE THE CAKE
APPMA member Romheld Automation is exclusively offering the mGrip modular grippers from Soft Robotics, which are aimed at food manufacturers plus packaging and processing technology businesses, in Australia and New Zealand.
Peter Hope, general manager of Romheld, bills the mGrip as an on-demand modular gripping system with human hand-like dexterity, which offers grasping solutions without the need for sensors, complex vision, or computations.
“Production-ready systems can be built in minutes with custom configurations and spacing options. Using interchangeable components, this remarkable mGrip gripper can cycle three to four times per second to keep up with demanding applications,” he says.
Hope says end of arm tooling is shaking up global supply chains.
“We’ve seen dramatic changes in the last few years and are in a good place to offer revolutions to production and fulfilment needs for Australia and New Zealand. A lot of emerging businesses need efficiency solutions, and these robotic systems are the answer,” he says.
Hope also believes that bakeries, with their many product variations such as cookies and bread rolls, are a natural fit for automation systems like the mGrip.
“Ideal for high mix environments, this modular system can be modified and adapted quickly using mGrip spacers designed to keep up to speed with any industrial robot.
“It offers easy to handle product variations in size and weight; gentle product handling for any food composition; safe, clean operations for all food contact; higher speed production in rate and change-over; and workforce simplicity for production operators,” he says.
The mGrip is available in a circular or parallel kit, each containing all the necessary components for a gripper with variable fingers. They are available in standard aluminium, and food-safe stainless steel options. 
The mGrip gripper from Soft Robotics.
water, CSDs and sensitive products.
“It undercuts the already very low energy and
compressed-air consumption of the Contiform 3 Pro by another up to 15 per cent,” says Krones.
Also on display will be a direct printer with inks that can be removed during recycling, and new injection moulding technology that can handle a flake content of over 70 per cent recycled PET.
Krones says its solutions for a closed plastics cycle are simple and profitable in practice.
The portable NomaSense O2 analyser.
KRONES CLOSES THE LOOP AT K
Krones will display solutions for a closed plastics cycle at K 2019 which will run at Messe Düsseldorf, Germany from 16-23 October.
On the Krones stand (15.1 of hall 15) will be the MetaPure W washing models, which Krones says can be used not just for PET, but polyolefins as well.
“Millions of PET bottles a year are already being recycled on Krones’ MetaPure systems – depending on the demand involved, in different material qualities up to and including food-grade PET.
“Because the company is pursuing a holistic approach, it is step by step expanding its technology to cover additional types of plastic,” it says.
For blow moulding, Krones will exhibit the Contiform 3 Speed, which it says can handle 100 per cent recycled preforms. “With a station output of up to 2,750 containers per hour, it produces application-tailored packages for still
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