Long service life thanks to polymer plain bearings in bag forming, filling and sealing machine

The multi-head weighers, the transverse sealing tools and the longitudinal sealing unit of this flow-wrapping machine require linear and rotary bearings that have to fulfil different requirements.

Hot, cold, dusty or damp: These are just some of the challenges that flow-wrapping machines from Hastamat Verpackungstechnik GmbH in Lahnau near Giessen face when packaging a wide variety of products. They must also be easy to operate and clean. The demands placed on the installed machine elements are correspondingly high.

Dust, powder deposits and moisture are the rule during the packaging process. The machine is often only roughly cleaned after production or simply blown off with compressed air. In terms of design, there are only two options here. Either the entire technology must be elaborately sealed, or there are machine elements that can deal with these contaminants and do not lead to premature failures.

Working in continuous operation without operating personnel, quick retooling and easy cleaning are further essential components of the machine concept.

Plastic plain bearings on the machine stations withstand all external influences and ensure the necessary service life. Matched to each other, they are easy to install and, as they are completely maintenance-free, there is never any product contamination from lubricants. This means that there is no build-up of bacteria and dirt that would have to be laboriously removed.

Multihead weighers
igubal double joints are used for the container actuation of the flap opening mechanism on the multihead weighers. They are insensitive to dust and dirt, maintenance-free and durable.

Cross-sealing moulds
Maintenance-free linear plain bearings in combination with hard anodised aluminium shafts are used for the bearings of the transverse sealing tools, the sealing bar. They are made of a wear-resistant iglidur material. The tribologically optimised high-performance polymer is predestined for applications in which the plain bearing elements have to achieve maximum running performance. The dimensions are compatible with standard ball bushings. The special geometry guarantees robustness, even in extreme environments. Even wash-down applications pose no problems for them.

Longitudinal sealing unit
Four drylin EasyTube linear units  are used for adjustment tasks in the longitudinal sealing unit. Customers have two options here. When adjusting the format, they can adjust the adjustment carriage manually using drylin W clamping units or do this automatically using the drylin EasyTube positioning unit. When changing formats, the user always finds his exact position again, thus avoiding adjustment errors.