Toothed belt axis for failure-free product transport in packaging system

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• What was needed: drylin ZLW toothed belt axis and iglidur J plain bearing
• Requirements: A reliable, lightweight, compact and lubricant-free system was needed that also supports a high number of cycles over long periods of time with low wear. The solution should require little maintenance and also be cost-effective. It must also be resistant to the paraffin in the system.
• Industry: Packaging technology
• Success for the customer: The durable drylin ZLW toothed belt axes work precisely, smoothly and vibration-free. After more than 4800 hours, no failure has yet occurred.

At this station of a packaging system for candles, four candles are always packed simultaneously by a gripper arm and deposited at the next station. There they finally travel on to the actual packaging station on a linear path.
In order to realise the linear travel path, a linear bearing system was required that is resistant to the raw material paraffin, which is used in the system and can be found everywhere in the air. Under these conditions, a reliable, lightweight, compact and lubricant-free system was required that could support a high number of cycles over long periods of time with low wear. In addition, the maintenance effort had to be reduced and the costs had to be low to make the project profitable.
Previously used recirculating ball bearing guides were unable to fulfil the service life requirements as they quickly became dirty, which limited the function of the system.

The designers finally found a suitable alternative solution in a drylin ZLW toothed belt axis in combination with iglidur J plain bearings. The ZLW linear modules are particularly suitable for long travels where high precision is required, among other things. By using the products, it was possible to overcome the problems of the previous solution. After the last inspection of the system and more than 4800 hours of operation, no maintenance work has been required on the solution to date - and there is still no end in sight to the failure-free operation. Thanks to the lightness of the trolley, the movements are precise, smooth and elegant, as there is little inertia. The machine manufacturer was also impressed by the system's lack of vibration and low costs.