Posted to News on 22nd Aug 2025, 09:00
Packaging line expanded sustainably
The safe small controller PNOZmulti 2 from Pilz was already in use in the mineral water bottling plant of Italian company ACMI, ensuring that glass bottles were handled smoothly during the filling and sealing process. Now the company has expanded its line to include the Ecopack case packer, which now enables it to pack "in cardboard".
(See Pilz at MachineBuilding.Live, 15 October 2025, on stand 212)
In safety terms, the cardboard feed was the most critical point: in the cardboard feed, if there is sufficient packaging material - i.e. cardboard - in the feed opening, then it is impossible to reach into the danger zone. However, if there was no longer any cardboard in the process, the operator could reach into the machine unhindered. A sustainable, expandable solution was found with PNOZmulti 2, which reliably monitors other safety functions in addition to the cardboard feed.
The Ecopack cartoner is state of the art, with a cycle rate of 40 strokes/minute and simplified handling for setup and format changes. To ensure that the Ecopack, as the latest addition to the bottling plant, is also safe for the operating personnel, the PNOZmulti 2 small controller was once again on board.
In operation, it monitors the photoelectric sensors installed directly on the infeed opening. These report the material status of the cardboard to the small controller. If necessary, PNOZmulti 2 monitors multiple cardboard stores simultaneously with a single base unit.
ACMI can also implement additional safety functions such as E-STOP, safety gates or light curtains, if necessary. This provides added flexibility, which means that the ACMI plant is well equipped for the future, and can enjoy high productivity. Because Pilz had already arranged certification prior to the retrofit, ACMI also saved time during planning, design and commissioning.
The project delivered a number of benefits, including boosting operator safety on the Ecopack cardboard feed. The line is also highly efficient: a single base unit monitors multiple cardboard stores simultaneously. The Pilz solution ensured rapid retrofit with the option to expand the safety functions.
"The risk assessment performed by Pilz experts formed the basis for the safe construction of our plant as well as for the identification of suitable protective measures," said Gianluca Contesso, Safety Product Manager at ACMI. "Pilz's expertise in Machinery Safety enabled us to then implement the required measures ourselves."
