📦 Automatic Motion Control in Corrugated Board Production: Bosch Rexroth and EDF Europe Collaboration! 🚀

[Mucitler Elektrik]

Revolutionizing Corrugated Cardboard Production: Bosch Rexroth and EDF Europe Partnership​

The pursuit of efficiency and energy savings in the packaging sector has brought Bosch Rexroth and EDF Europe together. This collaboration aims to increase synchronization and energy efficiency in production lines by integrating modular industrial automation into corrugated cardboard converting systems.

Challenges and Solutions in Packaging Production​

The packaging sector requires systems that can maintain high production capacity despite decreasing batch sizes. EDF Europe has joined forces with Bosch Rexroth to meet this need. The goal was to achieve perfect synchronization by overcoming the mechanical and computational complexity of numerous high-speed converting modules. Bosch Rexroth provides control architectures, drives, and servo motors, while EDF Europe designs the mechanical equipment and integrates peripherals.

Motion Control Architecture and the Heart of Synchronization​

At the core of this joint development is the ctrlX AUTOMATION platform, integrated into EDF Europe's HGL 1628 converting line. Bosch Rexroth provides the entire motion control ecosystem, managing the electronic cams of the feeder, color registration between printing units, and die-cutting operations. Software libraries specific to corrugated cardboard applications control synchronization and complex motion functions. By processing sensor data and adjusting drive speeds in real-time, the system ensures consistent print alignment and structural accuracy on coated cardboard at maximum operating speeds.

Alessandro Rocchi, CEO of EDF Europe, stated, "Maintaining perfect synchronization between the electronic cams of the feeder, color registration between printing units, and die-cutting operations was challenging. Thanks to Bosch Rexroth's hardware and software platform, we achieved extremely precise control of the entire production line, which significantly reduced changeover times while improving print quality, even on coated cardboard."

Application and Digital Infrastructure​

Bosch Rexroth engineers provide support during the sizing of drive components and the commissioning of automation software directly onto EDF Europe's production hardware. The open platform architecture allows for the future integration of edge computing and advanced diagnostics. This digital infrastructure enables operators to collect production data to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and establish secure connections between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments.

Standardized Components and Energy Recovery​

These converting systems are used in high-volume packaging facilities where continuous operation and rapid changeovers are required. To improve ease of maintenance, the design standardizes motors and drives across the entire line, simplifying spare parts inventory and reducing overall maintenance costs.

Furthermore, the production modules enhance energy efficiency through integrated hardware mechanisms.

Gianluigi Guidolin from EDF Europe's Electrical and Automation Software Engineering said, "Each machine section has its own regenerative power supply and MS2N asynchronous servo motors, which provide high dynamic precision while recovering energy during the production cycle. This approach has allowed us to reduce energy consumption by 10% to 15%, while also improving overall line performance.