Safe format adjustment in inspection technology at Krones AG

• What was needed: drylin® lead screw driven actuator, iglide® plain bearing,  dryspin® lead screw nut, Apiro® joint, e-chain® of type E2 mini
• Requirements: Hygienic design, lubrication and maintenance-free, safe and reliable function
• Industry: Inspection technology; Beverage industry
• Success for the customer: iglide® materials in plain bearings and the sliding elements of linear axes are self-lubricating and maintenance-free, and significantly extend the maintenance intervals in the Krones inspection systems.

Inspection technology is becoming increasingly important in the beverage industry. On the one hand, it maintains quality standards and, on the other, it represents a cornerstone for modern returnable concepts.
The line manufacturer Krones therefore also offers inspection systems for empty containers as well as filled bottles. In the former case, for example, the Linatronic 735 is used, which ejects foreign bottles before refilling and checks the remaining bottles for impurities or breakages, for example.
After filling, bottles are checked for fill level, correct closure or labelling, for example. In all these cases, not only are numerous format adjustments required to align the system to different bottle sizes, but several camera systems are also used, which also have to be moved reliably.

To enable inspection of various bottle formats, Krones uses a dryspin® TR16x2 lead screw nut in its Linatronic empty bottle inspection system. In the downstream rejection unit for defective bottles, iglide® plain bearings and a drylin® SLW-1660 linear system handle format adjustments.

Maintenance is also simplified with motion plastics. For example, traditional hinges were replaced with iglide® PRT-01-50 slewing ring bearings, providing a maintenance-free, self-lubricating solution that supports hygienic design.

When inspecting already filled products, Krones relies on the torsion-resistant aluminum double-shaft profiles of the SLW series for format adjustments. drylin® SLW-1660 and SLW-25120 linear axes are used to position cameras for checking fill levels and closures. Camera cables are safely guided using the E2 mini e-chain® system.

Additionally, an Apiro® joint (RL-A9.0108) and a dryspin® trapezoidal lead screw nut are used to align bottles before labeling.