Energy efficiency in packaging machinery begins with a mechatronic approach.
Streamlining mechanical drive systems reduces inertias that take extra energy to overcome.
Faster control system response can eliminate the practice of oversizing motors. Reducing or eliminating compressed air can yield major savings. Reducing heat and shock loadings saves energy. Tightly synchronizing machines increases efficiency. Smoother operation, reduced travel distance, centralized lubrication…the list goes on.
When pneumatics cannot be eliminated -- most often the case in product gripper applications -- consider venturi-type vacuum pumps that generate vacuum at each gripper rather than holding vacuum over long distances from a centralized mechanical pump.
Heat is another form of waste energy that can use up additional power to dissipate, such as control cabinet fans and air conditioning. An easy solution is to replace cabinet-mounted drives with the popular integrated motor/drive modules distributed out on the machine.
Smooth operation is a virtue of servo machines, and specifically continuous motion versus intermittent motion designs. By eliminating the shock of mechanical drivetrains on a main lineshaft engaging and disengaging from a large motor, multiple servos divide up the work and reduce the amount of brute force required.
It’s all about doing more with less. And it probably always has been, but now it’s better recognized that heavier doesn’t mean better in terms of machine construction.
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                                                                                                     From Design World magazine