Green –Your Way

“Some shrink wrapper manufacturers guarantee up to a 25% reduction in film usage through gentler handling of thin-gauge films and through more precise cutting/sealing that produces less edge scrap,” notes Campbell. “The use of these films and reductions in waste are only possible through the use of leading-edge, servo-based motion-control technology.”

Another example of automation technology that enables material savings is Cyclero, a soft can product that uses advanced machinery to form and ultrasonic weld a can-shaped flexible package. “The use of this design reduces material consumption by up to 80% compared to flexible bag packaging,” adds Campbell.

Recycle 

Recycling can drive machine builder businesses in a number of ways. The first is directly, as with Break Rubber Technologies in North Liberty, Ind., an OEM that manufactures and rebuilds mills that grind recycled tires into crumb rubber (Figure 1).

REGENERATED POWER Figure 1: This Break Rubber mill uses regenerative motor controls to provide high friction ratios while converting waste heat from the 125 hp slave motor into power shared with the 250 hp master motor via a common 900 Vdc bus. The end result is higher production with lower power consumption. Source: Break Rubber Technologies

Crumb rubber is used in athletic fields, playgrounds and asphalt for roadways and is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly product that greatly reduces old tire inventory. Many NFL teams, colleges and even high schools are using synthetic turf that employs crumb rubber for support and cushioning.

Recycling is the driving force behind Break Rubber’s business, and the company embraces the green technology for energy saving when they build their machines. “Our mills use motor controls that increase production rates while cutting power consumption,” says Dave Futa, manager at Break Rubber. “The key for that is common bus regenerative drives. Our machines convert what normally would be waste heat into power shared with the other motors.”

The machine’s primary shaft roll is driven by a 250 hp motor, and the secondary roll is driven by a 125 hp motor. The secondary roll runs in a regenerative mode due to the forces of the shredding application. The two rolls use parallel-shaft, helical-gear units to produce a combined torque of nearly 800,000 lb-in. “These 28:1 gear units are more than 94% efficient,” explains Tom Ellis, district sales manager with SEW-Eurodrive. Ellis’ company supplies parallel-shaft helical-gear units to drive the motors on the Break Rubber machines. “They typically replace other less-efficient technologies like worm gear, which is about 70% efficient or open-spur gearing which is about 80-85% efficient.”

Break Rubber’s customers appreciate the energy savings of their machines. Recycling Technologies International in Hanover, Pa., was using a conventional single motor direct drive 250 hp cracker mill with a fixed friction ratio and roll speeds. It switched to Break Rubber’s mill and realized dramatic savings.

“The dual-drive mills generate up to 30% more material by employing twice the horse power while consuming a third less power,” notes Tim Leighty, former plant manager at Recycling Technologies and now an independent consultant to the scrap tire and rubber recycling industry.

Resuse of waste energy also is important to CP Packaging in Appleton, Wis. The company designs and manufactures vacuum packaging machinery, primarily for the food industry. Its machines are cyclic, so each process has an acceleration and deceleration component to make a given product.

RECYCLED ENERGY Figure 2: This horizontal form/fill/seal machine from CP Packaging stores and reuses deceleration energy like a hybrid car. All machine motion axes are tied together via a common power bus so that one section's deceleration energy can be used to provide power for another section’s acceleration needs. Source: CP Packaging

Its machines store and reuse deceleration energy in the same way a hybrid car does. A common power bus ties together all the motion axes on the machine. One section's deceleration energy powers another section’s acceleration requirement. The battery or storage device is in the power supply in the form of a capacitor. By storing and reusing energy, CP’s machines don't lose the energy as heat (Figure 2).