Positioning pour spouts on cartons

Day after day, millions of people across the world quench their thirst with drinks from cartons. A major contributor to their success has been the advent of resealable spouts with threaded closures. These plastic pour spouts not only have made it possible to seal drink cartons, but they have also helped beverages stay fresh longer. Small flip-tops or screw-caps attached to the carton improve quality and allow drinks to be poured without creating a mess. Research has also shown that consumers greatly value being able to pour the contents smoothly.

SIG Combibloc, Inc. (www.sigcombibloc.com) is one of the world's leading manufacturers of aseptic beverage cartons and is also a supplier of corresponding filling machines. The plastic caps that go along with them come from SIG allCap (www.sigallcap.com), a SIG Combibloc group company, with headquarters in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland. Some of the company's innovations include combiLift and combiTwist closures. With combiLift, the package can be opened by simply pulling up on the flap. With combiTwist, the closure can be opened with a single twist of the hand.

Bosch Rexroth supplies many components for packaging equipment. Learn about components on a vertical form/fill/seal machine at Senba USA at www.packagingdigest.com/ info/senba

As many as 15,000 drink cartons go through the SIG allCap machines every hour, so the repetitive precision of the system is extremely important. The company uses pneumatic components from Bosch Rexroth Corp. (www.boschrexroth-us.com) to ensure precise positioning for the pour spouts.

During the packaging process, the container's spout is attached to the filled and sealed cartons in the last step by using an "applicator." In this stage, the accurate setting of the spout over the perforation in the carton is extremely important. Depending upon the type of closure, the foil lining is punched through at the appropriate location, or the closure will not have a tight seal.

Gripping mechanisms are controlled by Bosch Rexroth pneumatic valves and cylinders, so they can place the caps at exactly the right spot. Synchronous couplings are also pneumatically controlled in order to prevent sudden overloads during the process.

Upon leaving the applicator station, any faulty cartons are discarded immediately. The pneumatic system is especially well suited for this, since the cylinders always return to the same end position. Specific positioning is not necessary, as the same force is always applied to the same location. Various types of cylinders from Bosch Rexroth are used for this, including compact and mini cylinders, which can process large quantities with low levels of friction and wear.

The Bosch Rexroth washdown-rated, pneumatic, directional control-valve manifolds, with pressure regulation for individual valves, control the cylinders in the machine. Maintenance units with high flow rates provide clean, compressed air in the system and simultaneously keep the operating pressure in the machines constant.

All of the pneumatic components in the SIG allCap machines are coordinated with each other, which significantly reduces maintenance expenses for the machines. Bosch Rexroth manufactures many hygienically designed and washdown-rated pneumatic components specifically for food and packaging applications.

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