The Situation
Alliance Machine Systems needed assistance with the world’s largest corrugated box folding and gluing machine. The Alliance Specialty Folder Gluer is 17 feet wide and more than 100 yards long. It folds and glues die-cut corrugated blanks into boxes, then shingles them for unloading. The machine can handle material from 8” to 210” at speeds up to 1000fpm. A base machine is 22-axis coordinated motion, with various options taking the total axis count above 30.
The Solution
Our involvement with this multi-axis servo application covers more than 20 years and three control platforms. Our expert support staff members have helped program the control systems and upgraded all servos to a new series of Yaskawa drives and motors. We added new features via software control, including jam detection, and ensured tight control of all belts and camming action.
The Value
Our improvements have enabled Alliance to increase productivity without extra hardware costs, as well as maintaining the same basic operator setup and controls with each new platform. Our support helped improve the quality of cartons produced and increased the speed of changeovers for different box sizes. We are proud to provide value like this to build long-lasting, successful relationships with customers.