Exact labeling in a fraction of the setup time

require“ It also means individually adapting the machines to customer needs, providing training, and offering reliable service from the start of the project through to the end and throughout the entire service life of the machines, which often spans several decades,” says Matthias Rauen. The company increasingly observes that expertise is fading within customer operations, and that multinational environments therefore rely on close partnerships with suppliers. The shortage of skilled workers in many regions, combined with high employee turnover, makes it difficult to train machine operators. For end customers, this can quickly result in high indirect costs due to increased adjustment errors and a rise in rejected products. Langguth’s response: In addition to established services such as remote support and specialized training, the company focuses on achieving the highest possible degree of automation in its machines – while still offering flexible customization. Automated format adjustment using positioning systems, for example, offers the advantage of eliminating manual adjustment errors and significantly reducing setup times. “Automated format adjustment reduces the burden on machine operators, lowers the risk of rejects, and significantly shortens downtime during changeovers to new formats. An investment that is becoming increasingly important, not least because of the skilled labor shortage,” explains Engin Bas, Head of Technical Sales West at halstrup-walcher GmbH. Langguth GmbH is also seeing the growing demand for highly automated machines. For several years now, the company has been offering corresponding machine concepts as part of its standard portfolio. Since 2017, Langguth has observed a strong upward trend in the use of these solutions, particularly in the labeling of products such as paints and coatings. In this sector, there is a wide variety of container formats, and labeling machines are not designed for mass production but are optimized for small batch sizes due to frequent format changes. Moreover, because of strict quality requirements, more and more companies in the chemical industry are investing in fully automated solutions, according to Rauen.

With automation, there is no longer a need to pass on detailed manual setup instructions to machine operators, which significantly shortens both commissioning and training time. In labeling systems, numerous machine axes must be adjusted in height and width during format changes tasks that, thanks to automation, can now be completed in a fraction of the manual setup time. For these automation solutions, Langguth GmbH relies on products from drive specialist halstrup-walcher. Based in Kirchzarten near Freiburg, halstrup-walcher GmbH is known for its precise positioning systems, which can be easily customized to the individual requirements of machine builders thanks to a modular product system. The integrated drives offer up to ten selectable bus protocols, various performance and protection classes, different design variants, and special software features allowing them to be perfectly matched to the machine. A key feature: The mechanical design allows Langguth to flexibly integrate either handwheels or automated positioning systems into the machine. This makes it easy to implement modular machine concepts with varying degrees of automation.

Amid this growth, it is essential to rely on the right partners, especially when special requirements need to be met. Customized adaptations of positioning systems are reliably implemented by drive specialist halstrup-walcher, even in series production. For Langguth, for example, one of the modular positioning systems was mechanically adapted to perfectly meet the needs of both the machine builder and its customers. 

“We place great importance on streamlined processes and high-quality solutions that are precisely tailored to customer needs. As a design specialist, we rely on partners and products that complement our systems perfectly and offer maximum value to our customers,” emphasizes Sarac. Langguth sees several advantages in the products from halstrup-walcher, including the compact design of the positioning systems made possible by integrated gear units, and the easy retrofitting and installation thanks to the hollow shaft design. For Langguth, it’s crucial that their customers benefit from standardized processes, interchangeable components, and retrofit capability. 

Langguth has been integrating positioning systems from halstrup-walcher for automatic format adjustment since 2014. Using the PSE family of positioning systems, the company has automated its format changes and has since implemented increasingly advanced concepts. “We regularly coordinate with our customers on technical solutions and performance enhancements to identify market developments early and develop suitable products,” says Engin Bas. Close communication with the market and customers is essential for building long-term successful partnerships, he emphasizes.

The automation trend is expected to continue, and as the Langguth example shows, flexibility in machine adjustment offers not only technical benefits but also significant economic value.