Paper Mill Roll Wrap Line Label Applicator
Scope:
The existing label applicator uses an outdated dot matrix printer. The replacement is a laser printer enclosed in a environmentally controlled enclosure. A label is to be placed on the belly and the end of the roll of paper. A system needs to be designed to move the label from the printer to be applied to a roll of paper. The system cannot impact the cycle time of the wrap line. The new applicators must be compatible with the existing space and control systems.
Description:
A small 2 axis gantry was designed to retrieve the label and place on existing application system. A belt conveyor is used to catch the paper as it comes off of the printer. A set of vacuum pads are used on a platform to pick of the paper and hold it until it is released on the existing conveyor. The system was designed with standard off the shelf parts with an aluminum extrusion frame. This simplified construction and maintenance while providing great reliability.
The applicator for the belly label placed a label on an existing conveyor that transverse the label allow the roll to pick of the label. The second applicator was placed over an existing head applicator system. The applicator places the label on a pad then it is transversed to be applied to the roll.
The PLC running the wrapline was an Allen-Bradley PLC 5 with a DH+ network. To minimize installation time and cost Allen-Bradley FlexIO was used. This tied in the existing PLC 5 DH+ network, almost all electrical wiring could be completed at our shop and tested before installation. A enclosure for each machine was designed to house all controls and pneumatics. A control panel was placed on the enclosure to allow operators to easily work with the applicators.