Dry-running bearing technology for labeling machines

• What was needed: iglide® J flanged lead screw nuts,  drylin® R linear slide bearings, drylin® W linear rails, drylin® SLW lead screw actuators, drylin® N low-profile linear slides, xiros® plastic ball bearings
• Requirements: For the bearing points, completely finished system solutions were needed that work without lubrication and maintenance.
• Industry: Beverages sector, labelling technology
• Success for the customer: Our bearing technology is used in a lot of places ranging from the belt station and the sleeve brush and the inlet and outlet sensor up to the manual adjustment in the pre-shrink and the height adjustment of the deflection rollers. It operates completely lubrication-free and maintenance-free and reduces downtimes to a minimum.

Scenario

For more than 25 years, and have partnered to drive innovation in the beverage and packaging industry, with customer-driven ideas continually leading to new technologies. Collaborating together on the Sleevematic TS (Top Speed), which can label up to 50,000 containers per hour with a single unit, significantly increasing production capacity.

To achieve this output, the Sleevematic TS uses micro-perforated sleeves rather than individually cutting sleeves from the roll, enabling continuous sleeve movement before application to bottles, cans, and other containers. Instead of traditional cutting blades, the machine uses two rotating perforation cutters.

The new design delivers both higher throughput and significantly longer service life. While the four cutting blades used previously were designed for approximately five million cuts, the two perforation cutters in the Sleevematic TS are designed for up to 70 million cuts, reducing maintenance requirements and increasing operational efficiency.

Throughout the machine, igus lubrication-free rotary and linear bearing solutions support reliable operation at high speeds. In beverage and food production, where the highest consumer safety standards apply, these components eliminate the need for external lubrication, removing the risk of lubricant contamination.

Transverse and height adjustment of belt station (Picture 1):
The transverse adjustment of the belt station is ensured by an iglide® J trapezoidal thread flange nut, which is insensitive to dirt and lubrication-free. For the height adjustment, iglide® J flange nuts and FJUMT adapters are used for easy installation in combination with the sheet metal bending parts.
 
Transverse and height adjustment of pre-shrink unit (picture 2):
Clamping, position indicator and crank for format adjustment. The compact design allows for easy integration. The transverse adjustment can also be precisely adjusted in width with a hand crank.

Transverse and height adjustment of pre-shrink unit (picture 3):
The height adjustment of the pre-shrink unit was implemented with a drylin SLW-1040 lead screw actuators

Adjustment of the safety door (picture 4):
Finally, the adjustment of the safety door is ensured via the drylin® N-27 series. The extremely flat guidance could be accommodated in a narrow space and secured with the Plexiglas protection door in front of the access into the perforation.

Height adjustment of the down-holder (picture 5):
A SLW-2080 lead screw actuator is used in the height adjustment of the down-holder. It enables a simple and user-friendly operation of the machine. In addition, plastic energy chains undertake the guidance of the cables.

Adjustment of inlet and outlet sensor (picture 6):
Both the inlet and outlet sensors are adjusted with a WS-1040 linear rail and a carriage including a manual clamp. By the individual weighing, the adjustment could be made very compact and flexible.