Festo and PCE Automation help Frugalpac increase production of sustainable wine bottles

14 June, 2022

The gluing and wetting solution was tested and sized at Festo’s UK Application Centre to prove that the desired cycle times could be achieved. It uses the Festo CPX-E-CEC Controller as the PLC to deliver interpolated soft motion, controlling multiple axes at the same time to achieve the complex curves on the glue paths. Festo CMMT servo controllers feature in the three handling systems for precise and repeatable loading, gluing and unloading. Festo core pneumatics products, valve terminals and process valves are also used extensively throughout the gluing and wetting system.

Bottling success

The PCE automation cell needed to achieve a cycle time of just 19 seconds to meet Frugalpac’s requirements. The gluing and wetting solution delivers a gluing time that is claimed to be 50% faster than specified, enabling the entire machine to meet the overall cycle times required. It achieves this by batch-gluing eight bottles simultaneously, with different glue patterns being applied to the front and back blanks.

John-Paul Grogan, product director at Frugalpac, says: “Frugalpac is committed to the development of more sustainable packaging. The application of automation in the production of Frugal Bottle will help us to achieve our aim of reducing the carbon of wine and spirits packaging.” Festo and PCE are now working with Frugalpac to develop an automated method for the forming of the Frugal Bottle itself.

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