Integrated Packaging Systems (East Windsor, CT) specializes — as their name implies — in providing packaging system solutions for its customers. Two years ago, a manufacturer of calendars approached them to find a way to handle and store calendars coming out of the machine that spiral binds each calendar. At times, the calendars cannot proceed on to shrink-wrapping, the next step in production, either because the calendar doesn't need shrink-wrapping or because the wrapper machine is down. The customer also wanted to link the spiral binder and wrapper machines, eliminating the need for an operator to manually transfer each calendar from one machine to the other. This challenge was made to order for a systems integration firm like Integrated Packaging Systems. Lee Kelting, Systems Engineer at Integrated Packaging, designed a solution for both these needs: a pair of conveyors, each of which uses a Control Technology dual axis servo Automation Controller. One conveyor, called a "Diverter/Stacker," enables the user to either transport the calendars on to shrink wrapping, or place them in a neat stack when they cannot or should not be shrink-wrapped. The other conveyor, called a "Smart Belt," transfers calendars from the Diverter/Stacker to the belt that feeds the wrapper.

The Diverter/Stacker consists of a shuttle integrated with a conveyor belt. The Diverter/Stacker receives each calendar from the Spiral Binder and moves it forward on the belt. When the calendar reaches the end of the belt, the shuttle sharply retracts the whole belt backward so the calendar drops off the end of the Diverter/Stacker belt. By invoking a switch setting, the operator can either transport the calendars on to shrink wrapping or stack them neatly on a tray under the Diverter/Stacker. The speeds of the conveyor belt and shuttle must be finely controlled to ensure that each calendar lands flat on the next device in the production line. Otherwise, the calendars may crumple and possibly jam the production line. Fine control is also essential for stacking to ensure that each calendar lands precisely on top of the previous calendar. To make this application work, the speed of the calendar must be zero when it falls off the end of the conveyor. The CTC controller provides the fine control this application needs.

The Smart Belt conveys calendars from the Diverter/Stacker to an infeed belt for the wrapper. The wrapper belt has several paddles spaced at regular intervals around its entire length; each paddle spans the width of the belt. Lee ’s customer gave the Smart Belt its name because it intelligently positions each calendar so that as it falls off the Smart Belt, it drops onto the wrapper belt between two paddles. Photo eyes at the infeeds of the Smart Belt and the wrapper belt determine the leading and trailing edge of each calendar. The motion of the two belts must be closely coordinated so calendars of different sizes, spaced at irregular intervals, may be accommodated automatically, on the fly, by a single program. When the photo eye at the infeed of the wrapper sees the leading edge of the next calendar, it advances the wrapper belt to the next empty paddle, or "flight." If the registration photo eye attached to the CTC doesn't see a calendar, the CTC shuts down the wrapper and waits until the next calendar arrives before restarting the wrapper. If the calendars arrive in a steady stream, then the wrapper runs continuously. Because the wrapper belt only advances to the next flight when it sees a new calendar advancing, all of the flights fed into the wrapper are full, so no shrink wrap is wasted on a flight that has no calendar.

Lee Kelting chose the MultiPro because it was a great value for this application and because Quickstep™, CTC's programming language, was easy to use. Lee noted that "Start-up time was less" than it would have been with other controllers because the MultiPro was so easy to use. He completed the entire project for the two conveyors in about two months, meeting the customer ’s schedule expectations. The end customer has been using the conveyors in production for over a year now and has been very pleased with the results. While approximately 25 to 30 calendars per minute could be produced before the conveyors were added, the System can now process up to 50 calendars per minute with fewer people. CTC has helped Integrated Packaging Systems wrap up a winner.