Yaskawa iCube controller brings every movement together in perfect harmony

Flexibility first

Belgian machine builder Scaldopack specializes in pouch packaging, developing machines that fill and seal flexible pouches fitted with a spout or nozzle. “We may not be the largest player in the world, but we do aim to lead on technology,” says Saelens. Scaldopack’s competitive edge comes down to two kinds of flexibility. “First, our ability to turn standard machines into tailor-made customer solutions. Second, the flexibility built into the machines themselves. For our competitors, changing over to a different packaging format or spout takes four days on average. On our machines, with the right tooling, we can do it in an hour.” The secret? “Years of continuous development until we had complete control over the process,” Saelens explains.

Picture: Scaldopack specializes in pouch packaging, developing machines that fill and seal flexible pouches fitted with a spout or nozzle.

A fresh start

For the latest generation of its spout insertion machines, Scaldopack wanted to go back to the drawing board. “Not for the machine concept itself, but for the entire architecture behind it,” Saelens explains. “We want to keep innovating and improving. Usually, you build on what already exists, but over time that can make certain movements unnecessarily complex. By simplifying them again, we gain ease of use, stability and, ultimately, output.” With that in mind, Scaldopack took a close look at the existing machine to identify what could be done differently and better. The aim was to double the speed of the SI-60 by adding a second head, provided the machine could continue to run reliably. At the top of the wish list? A new controller. “The one we had was reaching its limits and would sometimes become overloaded.”

Picture: When Harald Saelens saw a demonstration of Yaskawa’s iCube controller, he knew straight away that it was the right fit.

Everything on one platform

Initially, Scaldopack was simply looking for a motion controller to take some of the workload off its PLC. But when Saelens saw a demonstration of Yaskawa’s iCube controller, he knew straight away that it was the right fit. “It allowed us to bring everything onto a single platform: the linked axes, the drives, the robot, the camera system — everything is controlled by iCube. That brings enormous benefits when it comes to synchronizing all the movements in the machine. And when you consider that our machines can have up to 30 axes …” So what difference does that make in practice? Saelens points to the servo control on the machine’s carousel. “It is still the same mechanical component and the same motor, but the movement now takes 180 ms instead of 200 ms, simply because we were able to eliminate jerk. It now stops exactly where and when it needs to, with no overshoot. The carousel may appear to be moving more slowly, but in fact that shows it is running more smoothly and putting less strain on the mechanics.”

Picture: The linked axes, the drives, the robot, the camera system — everything is controlled by iCube

Easy integration, scalable performance

Components from other suppliers are just as easy to integrate with the iCube controller. “Everything is connected via EtherCAT. Since that was already our way of working, the impact was minimal. Even when you start with a clean slate, you still want to change as little as possible. We even kept the same machine frame,” he laughs. Another feature that immediately won Saelens over was iCube’s scalability. “Everything you could ever need is already included. Whether you want to control a machine with three axes or forty, you can use the same PLC. iCube works with licences that you configure and activate according to your needs. You only pay for what you use. That greatly simplifies stock management and makes it easy to upgrade machines later on.”

Picture: The SCARA robot also comes from Yaskawa

Fine-tuning the details

The fact that the iCube controller had not yet been released did not put Saelens off. He was more than happy for Scaldopack to act as a pilot project. “We have been working with Yaskawa since 2018. The servo motors, the SCARA robot — in our machines, they all come from Yaskawa. We know they build high-quality products and provide excellent service. Communication is always direct, so there was no question of trust.” Scaldopack was also able to make full use of that support. “A new controller means rewriting all your programs. It is a reset. But this was the perfect moment, given the simplification we wanted to achieve. The programs had become too extensive. We knew what worked; it was a matter of translating that into new code. And we could rely on Yaskawa’s specialists to help us fine-tune everything.” From now on, development is carried out in PACKML. “It is the new industry standard. Customers were already asking for it, so we now have a future-proof machine.”

Picture: Scaldopack could rely on Yaskawa’s specialists to help fine-tune everything. (L to R: Scaldopack CEO Harald Saelens, Yaskawa Product Manager iCube John Glorieus)

Double the output, without the drama

The result is a machine that is already proving its worth on the shop floor. “The first one has now been running in production at a customer site for six months without any issues. To be honest, we expected nothing less. The previous generation was already mechanically very well engineered. We did not make any fundamental changes there; we simply streamlined the software. The KISS principle — keep it simple, stupid — can sometimes be hard to apply in engineering, but with our new SI-120 it has clearly paid off. It comfortably reaches speeds of 65 to 70 units per minute per head. We have even achieved 85. But by capping it at 120 overall, with two heads, we keep the machine comfortably within its limits,” Saelens concludes.

Pictures and video: Rune Nollet - Different Video Agency 

Author: Valérie Couplez - Valpen