Edson Packaging Machinery Ltd (www.edson.com), a Hamilton-based packaging machinery company, turned to technology to satisfy their client’s needs and ended up with a new product which open doors to new markets.

The company saw an opportunity to minimize the lengthy setup time between runs. It is an inherent technical glitch in most packaging equipment.

Case packers of all types are indeed notorious for extended changeover time when switching the machine parts to accommodate packaging requirements and differing product configurations.

Machine operators routinely rely on their charts to reconfigure the machines, which typically have many combinations for different set-ups and require up to 60 points of adjustment.

“One of the biggest concerns we’ve heard from our customers was around machinery set up and center-lining and the length of time it took,” says Robert Hattin, Edson’s president. “For us the technology was never there to cost-effectively automate it.”

However, after countless research for the most suitable automated servo technology for their machinery – the required standard fittings to retrofit to the existing machines; a small body that does not require much panel space; absolute encoders to eliminate re-homing; and a low-voltage motor for easy wiring – Edson turned to a German automation supplier, Festo Inc (www.festo.com).

While working with Festo’s engineers, Mr. Hattin said that Festo came up with the low-voltage servo technology that is offered at a palatable price with a good return on investment (“ROI”) for the end user.

The servo, branded the Edson E-Just (“electronic adjustment”), was the lynchpin that made Edson’s new SR 3600 tray and large case packer a possibility. It combines a sleek mechanical assembly with multi-servo automation, becoming Canada’s first case packing innovation.

The SR 3600 is an innovative, tray and large case packer that is flexible, fast, and designed to accommodate a wide case size range. It can operate both as a HSC tray or case packer and when paired with Edson’s flexible SC collator, the machine provides accurate, high-speed results.

The SR 3600 features a Case/Tray Erector with two KDF panel gripping assembly to raise reliably large trays and cases that works well on thin gauge corrugate; a Case/Tray Dispenser with proprietary servo rotary over and under case dispenser that handles light corrugate; and operating flexibility with wide product and case size range that can handle various case sizes, product sizes and pack patterns. It also features integrated controls that have multi-axis servo drives with full diagnostics and field bus wiring for easy programming with graphic menu, fast diagnostics and quick installation.