Safe format adjustment in inspection technology at Krones AG

Inspection technology is becoming increasingly important in the beverage industry. On the one hand, it maintains quality standards and, on the other hand, it represents a cornerstone for modern reusable concepts.
Plant manufacturer Krones also offers testing systems for empty containers as well as filled bottles. In the former case, the Linatronic 735 is used, for example, which ejects foreign bottles before refilling and checks the remaining bottles, e.g. for contamination or breakage.
After filling, bottles are checked for the fill level, correct sealing or labelling, for example. In all of these cases, it is not only necessary to adjust the system to different bottle sizes, but several camera systems are also used, which must also be handled reliably.

Traditional components were unsuitable because lubrication and grease would cause issues with hygiene and downtime costs money so eliminating or reducing downtime was a big requirement.

Krones relies on dryspin TR16x2 nuts for its Linatronic so that different formats can be tested during the inspection of empty bottles. In the downstream rejection system for unwanted bottles, iglidur plain bearings and a drylin SLW-1660 linear system are used for format adjustment.
To open the inspection system, the hinges previously used were replaced by iglidur PRT-01-50 slewing ring bearings for maintenance-free and lubrication-free mounting: an important contribution to hygienic design.
The plant manufacturer also relies on the torsion-resistant aluminium double-shaft profiles of the SLW series for format adjustment when inspecting products that have already been filled. Cameras are adjusted using the drylin SLW-1660 and SLW-25120 linear axes to check the filling and the closure. The camera technology cables are moved safely using E2 mini e-chains.
The alignment of the bottles before labelling is handled by a drygear Apiro gearbox RL-A9.0108 and a dryspin trapezoidal lead screw nut.