A flexible TLM packaging line from Schubert for Bahlsen
Absolute biscuit indulgence, packaged in a small space
Bahlsen’s new “Keks’n Cream” creation delivers a lot of taste in the layers of its filled double biscuits. To enable the pastry manufacturer to pack the sensitive products safely, quickly and attractively, a total of 24 pick & place robots had to be accommodated in a machine area of less than ten metres. Moreover, a building support post had to be integrated into the system. A customised TLM machine from Gerhard Schubert masters these challenges while offering flexible packaging options and high output within a minimum of space.
Individually planned and compactly built
The requirements with which the manufacturer approached Gerhard Schubert GmbH, the market leader in top-loading packaging machines, initially sounded like a standard inquiry. But the hall intended for packaging the new product range represented an additional challenge: A freestanding building support post stood in the way of the packaging line, requiring a specially adapted yet compact, high-performance system. “Since the post could not be removed, we simply integrated it into the somewhat extended system,” reports Sales Account Manager Michael Voelskow. “It was especially important for Bahlsen to be able to run other tray sizes in the future as well. Furthermore, low maintenance and low spare parts costs had to be ensured,” adds Michael Voelskow. The experts at Schubert developed a line that is ideally adapted to the specific conditions, yet still impresses with its extremely compact dimensions.
24 robots in the smallest of spaces
At the head of the packaging line, the plastic trays are taken from the magazines and fed into the machine on both sides, so that the product placement into the trays can also run on both sides of the line. A total of 24 pick & place robots work in four TLM frames. Arranged in pairs, they pick up the biscuits and place them into the trays passing by in the opposite direction. After filling, the trays are rotated by 90 degrees so that they can be discharged lengthwise from the picker line to the subsequent flow-wrapping machine. On one side of the new TLM system, there is also a single storage belt. At the push of a button, individual placement of the biscuits on this grouping belt for flow-wrap bag packing without plastic trays can be activated. This works without having to stop the system. The individual discharging and the placing into trays then run in parallel, i.e. simultaneously on both the left and righthand side of the machine.
3D scanner for quality control
In the picker line, four 3D scanners ensure that only intact biscuits are detected and enter the packaging. Products containing no filling or less than the specified amount of filling, as well as those not clearly bearing the Leibniz lettering, are rejected. This ensures that only flawless products get into the packages.
Biscuit manufacturer Bahlsen invested in a new picker line at its Polish site in Skawina near Krakow.
The TLM system ensures high performance and low wear while taking up a minimum of space.
The double biscuits with filling can be placed into trays or on a single delivery belt.
