Precision Gears: Typical Applications in Packaging Technology

The demands placed on packaging machines are increasing. Higher production speeds and frequent format changes call for powerful and flexible drive solutions. Precision gears are a key factor in shortening cycle times, improving packaging quality, and increasing system availability. Thanks to their high dynamics and low backlash, they enable fast and precisely repeatable movements, thereby contributing to higher productivity—for example, in pick-and-place robots such as Delta or SCARA robots, or in palletizing robots.

Precision gearboxes in packaging technology: Which technology for which application?

Strain wave gear or cycloidal gear? That depends primarily on the specific application. Strain wave gears excel where low weight and compact dimensions are required alongside high dynamics and moderate loads. Cycloidal gears, on the other hand, excel under high torques, large tilting moments, and shock loads, as well as when high rigidity is required. The decisive factor here is not a single specification in the data sheet, but rather the application-specific design based on the actual load profile.

Precision gears for pick-and-place applications

In pick-and-place applications, robots handle the fast and precise picking up and placement of products, for example when packaging food or inserting tablets into blister packs. Up to 200 picks per minute, high accelerations, and repeatability in the range of tenths of a millimeter—even with randomly arranged products using camera detection—place high demands on the drive technology. Added to this are varying product sizes, weights, and surface textures, to which the handling system must adapt flexibly.

Our cycloidal and strain wave gears deliver high acceleration torque and torsional rigidity with minimal backlash. This enables shorter cycle times and gentler product handling. Thanks to their high overload capacity, the gearboxes can withstand even brief load spikes, such as when the gripper strikes the product. Their reliability is particularly important, as the failure of a single pick-and-place robot can bring the entire packaging line to a standstill. The result: higher throughput while maintaining consistent process quality.

Palletizing and depalletizing with high-performance cycloidal gears

During palletizing and depalletizing, robots must move heavy goods over long reaches and lifting heights and position them precisely. In the process, high tilting moments and shock loads act on the gears when picking up and setting down the load. At the same time, stable and dimensionally accurate stacking is essential to make optimal use of the available transport space.

This is where our cycloidal gears really shine. They offer high rigidity and load-carrying capacity with minimal backlash. The integrated main bearing reliably absorbs large tilting moments as well as axial and radial forces. This eliminates the need for additional external bearings, enabling more compact robot designs. High permissible shock torques and a long service life ensure safe operation. This shortens cycle times and ensures that pallet dimensions are precisely maintained. This reduces rework and improves the utilization of the available loading area during transport.

Gear Solutions for cartoning and case-packing machines

Erecting, filling, folding, sealing: In cartoning and case packing, numerous process steps must interlock quickly and precisely. Short cycle times and exact synchronization of movements are just as important as the reliable handling of different packaging formats.

Our cycloidal gears on the main axes and strain wave gears on the hand axes enable low-backlash power transmission. The high rigidity ensures precise motion profiles, while the consistently low backlash guarantees a consistently high quality of the fold and glue patterns. The high shock resistance of the gearboxes comes into play when dealing with mechanical stresses on folding and embossing edges. This reduces scrap, increases process reliability, and facilitates quick format changes.

Precision gears for tray packing and top loading

In tray packing and toploading, products are picked up from above and placed into trays or other packaging. High speeds and varying product formats require dynamic movements with high repeatability. Gentle handling is also particularly important when dealing with delicate goods.

Depending on the payload and installation space, we use our cycloidal or strain wave gears. They combine high dynamics with low backlash and high torsional rigidity. This allows products to be placed quickly and precisely, enabling short cycle times while maintaining consistently high packaging quality. The compact design allows for space-saving system configurations.

Drive technology for precise sorting, feeding, and alignment

In automated packaging lines, products must be precisely positioned and transported further. When using rotary indexing tables with multiple processing stations, the key factors are short indexing times, high repeatability, and the ability to accommodate media.

Our cycloidal gears are characterized by high torsional rigidity and tilting moment capacity, as well as low rotational backlash, ensuring precise movements. Hollow-shaft designs enable the space-saving routing of compressed air, vacuum, or electrical cables. Ready-to-install RS rotary tables for direct floor or table mounting reduce design effort. The result: higher cycle rates and consistently high process quality at all stations.

Packaging technology in transition: Developments in drive technology

The demands placed on precision gears will continue to rise. Above all, there is a need for higher power density to enable more compact machine designs and a longer service life to ensure high system availability. Another trend is toward complete mechatronic drive solutions that include a motor, brake, encoder, and controller. Intelligent sensor technology is also gaining importance for the early detection of critical operating conditions and the prevention of unplanned downtime. Also in focus: hygienic designs for food and pharmaceutical packaging, as well as the increasing use of robotics - not least due to the shortage of skilled workers.

The right gear solution for every application

Drawing on our many years of experience, we help machine manufacturers find the right drive solution for their packaging processes. Our broad portfolio of cycloidal and strain wave gears enables application-specific design that takes actual loads into account. This allows the full potential of modern packaging systems to be realized.

Would you like to learn more about the advantages of our precision gears in packaging technology, or do you have questions about a specific project? Please contact our experts.