ELAU PacDrive systems provide the motion control for packaging and other machines. These are used by many well-known international companies in the Food and Beverage, Pharma and Healthcare sectors. But what is motion-control and what does it mean in terms of industrial automation? The automation of manual processes on production lines is key as progress continues towards Industry 4.0, the IIoT and digitisation.
Overall, the term “motion control” refers to a group of individual components – usually three main types – all working together to create controlled movement in a machine. They comprise the following:
- Controller: this is effectively the “brain” of a motion control system. It controls the motors and drives coordinating the motion functions of the packaging machine. The number used can vary according to how many individual processes need to be controlled. Each controller can receive instructions from, as well as provide feedback to, the main computer controlling the production line.
- Motor Drive: this may sometimes be just referred to as ‘drive’. It is a kind of middle-man between the controller and motor. Interpreting the signal from the controller it supplies the requisite level of power to the motor.
- Motor: the last piece in the puzzle. The motor receives inputs from the motor drive and converts these into motion.
All combined they can provide accurate control of complex movements, for example bottle filling and capping on a moving production line.
With a customer base which includes many household names and brands, we have been specialising in ELAU PacDrive systems since 2010. We are the only company which can provide support across the full spectrum of breakdown support, repairs, parts and spares. This also includes loans, training and condition monitoring. As PacDrive motion control systems increase in use, having an experienced and reliable support partner for these and legacy equipment will become ever more important.