When packaging machinery OEM Kliklok-Woodman modernized its Compak II vertical bag maker with servo-driven as opposed to mechanically linked film advance, it selected an “off-the-shelf” controls package from Yaskawa.

The Yaskawa package consists of an MP940 machine controller and a Sigma 2 servomotor plus servo drive. Two cables run from the drive to the motor: one for encoder feedback and one for power. The MP940 governs both logic and motion.

The move to a Yaskawa controls package on the Compak II follows a similar move by Kliklok-Woodman on two other vertical baggers it manufactures. By standardizing on the same family of controllers and servos for all three baggers, Kliklok-Woodman gains the advantages inherent in continuity of controls technology across a range of machines, including simplified programming. And because it’s an off-the-shelf automation solution rather than a proprietary one, spare parts and product support are easily accessed by Kliklok-Woodman customers around the world.

View the complete article published in Packaging World June 2005.