Knife Edge Rollers for Beverage Conveyor Systems

Problem- The plant's output needed to be increased by 20 units per minute

What was needed: Due to the current limitations on the metal needle bearing rollers, these were no longer viable for the required performance, therefore a new option had to be considered. A knife edge roller in iglidur P210

Requirements: High performance requirements (20 units per minute); reliability for round-the-clock use; resistance to sugar particles, wash down resistant, dust and moisture in the system as well as operating temperatures of up to 100°C

Industry: Packaging industry, beverage industry

Success for the customer: The iglidur knife edge rollers are used in Krones systems all over the world and are failure-free. They have operated continuously 24/7 within the beverage production environments and have omitted the need for lubrication.

Back In 2005, Krones was challenged to increase the output of its Variopac Pro packaging line by 20 units per minute, which created new demands on the conveyor belt deflection system.

The fully automated line processes glass bottles and cans from 0.2–5 litres i24 hours a day. The existing metal needle bearing rollers struggled to withstand the higher speeds and the harsh production environment, and this in turn meant maintenance costs increased drastically.

One of the primary issues was that the application exposed components within the conveyor system to sugar particles, dust, sand and belt speeds up to 0.9m/s. Combined, this accelerated wear and when coupled with the temperature the rollers operated near, reaching 100°C, a new option was needed.

Krones required a conveyor roller solution capable of continuous and reliable operation, in a high-speed environment, with a minimum service life of one year. All of this under under extreme operating conditions.

Multiple design variations were tried, tested and validated in the igus test laboratory to ensure they met the required performance targets set by Krones.

The final solution was a knife edge roller manufactured from iglidur P210. After the vigorous testing, the results proved it delivered great wear resistance, low friction, and reduced drive power requirements, as well as offering a lubrication and maintenance-free solution. Not only that, this material offered chemical and environmental resistance.

Laboratory results also confirmed that the rollers significantly exceeded the required service life of just one year. This was enough proof that Krones needed to implement the new components in Variopac Pro systems worldwide.

The rollers enable smooth operation, low-noise transitions between conveyor belts and modular chains, as well as minimal visible transfer effect. Their small diameters allow tight conveyor layouts with very small transfer gaps, reducing product tipping even at low speeds.