The Apache CM bagmaker uses a continuous motion sealing system.

Solutions in Action

Kliklok-Woodman

Walking down grocery store aisles, consumers have more options than ever

before. Food products are off ered in hundreds of sizes, varieties and quantities

to accommodate a wide range of needs. To meet this demand, packaging

machines must be versatile enough to manufacture multiple types and sizes

of packages at high speeds while maintaining accuracy.

Kliklok-Woodman has nearly 70 years of experience helping food manufacturers

navigate these challenges. A leading designer of food-packaging technology

with operations in Decatur, Ga., and Bristol, England, the company is constantly

looking for ways to improve its machines. It is committed to helping

manufacturers in the bakery, confectionery, snack food, and frozen and

prepared food industries do more with less.

“Our customers are continuously innovating and bringing new products to

market to meet changing consumer demands,” said Ross Long, vice president

of Kliklok-Woodman. “We in turn need to keep them a step ahead of

competitors by building fl exible machines that are scalable for easy future

changes and allow for seamless installation and startup so they can meet

time-to-market goals.”

One of these machines, the Apache CM continuous-motion bagmaker was

designed for food manufacturers that need fl exibility to package varying

sizes of cereal, crackers, cookies, candy, nuts and powders.

In the packaging process, a roll of fi lm up to 25 inches in diameter and

weighing up to 300 pounds is fed into the machine using belts, rollers and

servo technology. A rotary back seal, which requires no drive motor, uses a

Tefl on sealing band to seal and cut each bag at up to 160 bags per minute.

The system is self-aligning to help ensure consistent, smoothly ironed seals.

Easy setup helps reduce fi lm waste, and an optional fi lm rack keeps another

full roll at the ready for fast splicing and minimized downtime.

The TransFormer top load carton former provides the ability to form lock-style or glue-style cartons on the same machine.

Operators have easy access to the machine interior from

either side because the electrical enclosure swings away

from the frame, helping to simplify maintenance and

reduce machine downtime. With automatic program setup

and instant program changeover on a color touch-screen

operator interface, operators can make tool-less

changeovers at a moment’s notice.

In addition, with its simple frame, installation of the

Apache CM is easier than with other machines of its type.

A center-balanced “Flex-Mount” welded tubular steel

frame bears the weight of weighers, augers and volumetric

fi llers, which eliminates the need for additional independent

support structures. This reduces overall machine height

and increases fl exibility for setup.

Food manufacturers wanting to increase the speed of their

carton forming process without sacrifi cing fl oor space

need to look no further than the TransFormer top-load

carton former from Kliklok-Woodman. The machine allows

manufacturers to form lock-style or glue-style cartons on

the same machine at speeds of up to 120 cartons

per minute.

Several features help enable the carton former to reach

such high speeds, including its servo profi led single-head

plunger, pitchless friction feeder, waist-level hopper and

the automation technology within the machine. Loading

cartons into a machine typically calls for operators to

repetitively reach up to insert carton blanks into the

hopper, which the machine quickly consumes. To ease

the high-frequency, physically-straining process of

carton-loading, the TransFormer features an ergonomic,

waist-level hopper. This gives operators convenient access

to the hopper and gives them the ability to load up to

20 minutes-worth of cartons at once.

The original prototype machine used a commercial

carton feeder purchased on the open market; but the

current, production proven machine incorporates a

unique Kliklok-Woodman designed feeder where fl at

carton blanks are pulled by vacuum into servo controlled

wheels, which separate the blanks and transfer them

into a set of driven rollers for transport into the carton

forming section of the machine. There, a servo-driven,

single-head plunger folds the blank carton into a cav-

ity, precisely forming either lock style or hot melt style

cartons. The TransFormer then drops the perfectly formed

cartons onto a conveyor that carries them downstream for

product loading.

The Apache CM and TransFormer machines use

Allen-Bradley® ControlLogix® programmable automation

controllers for integrated motion and machine control

using a single programming environment. This provides

end users with fewer spare parts to maintain, while the

control platform’s openness helps ensure easy integration

with third-party components. The controllers seamlessly

integrate with Allen-Bradley Kinetix® 6000 servo drives,

which precisely manage all motion axes.

Allen-Bradley PowerFlex® 40P AC drives deliver closed-

loop control in a compact and cost-eff ective design.

The drive’s category 3 safe-off option provides certifi ed

protection for AC drive control, while helping to eliminate

external hardware and reduce space requirements,

installation time and overall system cost.

To give operators a window into the bag-making and

carton forming operations, Kliklok-Woodman uses

Allen-Bradley PanelView™ Plus 6 human-machine interfaces

(HMI). The HMIs display machine information, including

performance, diagnostics and faults, while providing a

dashboard for easy operational changes.

As the food manufacturing industry continues to innovate

and move forward, Kliklok-Woodman is ready to stay in

lock-step with its customers and continue pushing them

ahead of their competition. “Using Rockwell Automation

products in our machines allows us to be confi dent we’re

providing the best possible packaging solutions to our

customers,” said Long.

For more information, contact:Ross Long

Vice President

Kliklok-Woodman

Phone: 770-981-5200

Email: kwmarketing@kliklokwoodman.com

www.kliklokwoodman.com

Allen-Bradley, ControlLogix, Kinetix, PanelView and PowerFlex are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc.Trademarks not belonging to Rockwell Automation are property of their respective companies.

Publication OEM-AP337A-EN-P – April 2014 Copyright © 2014 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.