Specific packaging solution for a specific bottle size

9 different bottle sizes
75–250 ml bottles (optionally: 50–375 ml bottles)
Format change in just a few minutes
Compact design
High line efficiency
Pre-grouping of products on the Transmodul

Requirements

120 bottles or folding boxes packed per minute

The brand-name haircare product manufacturer Dr. Kurt Wolff opted for a fully automated packaging line from Schubert when it restructured its production and packaging processes.

As the manufacturer of both Alpecin and Plantur, the successful sales of the two brands meant that the business needed a fully automated packaging line in order to structure its production processes more efficiently than before. Due to the different bottle shapes used by these brands, the ease of size changes also played a key part in the purchasing decision. The logical and technically polished overall concept of Schubert packaging lines was a convincing factor, as were the pre-grouping of the products on the Transmodule and the placing of the entire bottle group into a carton. Another plus point is that the Schubert line’s compact design saves space inside the production hall.

Solution

Quick size change, intelligent pre-grouping

An impressive feature of the Schubert packaging line is that it pre-groups the products on the Transmodule and the speed of its size changes with quick restart times, even for as-yet-unused bottle sizes. One of the challenges of the packaging process was the specific shape of the Alpecin bottle with its semicircular curve: it needed to be oriented individually so that the bottles could be packed in single or multiple rows while saving space.

The unique challenge in developing this line was implementing the many different shapes and packaging configurations with the shortest possible changeover time and with the fastest possible restart time following a size change.

Stefan Hoffmann

Project Manager at Schubert

Technical Details

Pre-grouping ensures a secure packaging process

As a modular system, the TLM line for Dr. Kurt Wolff consists of two Transmodul sections and two-, three- and four-axis robots with image recognition systems. This means the products can be fed into the Schubert packaging line in two different ways: the bottles can either be arranged in transport carriers (pucks) or fed into the TLM line already packed on their side inside folding boxes. When the bottles are fed in, the four-axis robots use a single pick-up process to pre-group the bottles on the Transmodul. The cartons are oriented parallel to this in the line. Once the individual bottles or folding boxes have been pre-grouped, the next step is for an F2 robot to place the complete bottle formation into the cartons, which have already been erected and are in place. The filled cartons are then glued. The finished product undergoes a completeness check by passing through a check weigher and a labelling station, and the individual cartons are then palletised.

120 bottles or folding boxes per minute
6 sub-machines on a length of 12 meters
Integrated check weigher and labeller

The highly flexible, 12-metre-long packaging line consists of six sub-machines, including a palletiser, and is designed for nine different bottle sizes.