Motion control boosts Russian can output

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 7, 2003

One of the world's most modern beverage-can plants created to meet the growing demand for soft drink and beer cans in Russia, is using David Brown motion control equipment to help boost production.

One of the world's most modern beverage-can making plants created to meet the growing demand for soft drink and beer cans in Russia, is using David Brown motion control equipment to help boost production.

The Series BS worm gear units were integrated into production line equipment manufactured by Proline Eng in Bolton, before being shipped out to the Naro Fominsk plant, some 75km south west of Moscow, where it was installed by global consumer packaging company Rexam.

Proline pulled out all the stops to manufacture and deliver more than 300m of the mechanical belt system in just 12 weeks.

Proline supplied self-clearing micro deadplates and employed Intralox 1100 series belting, with Intralox live transfer belting to ensure clearing cans on corners and parabolic guide rails to help support each can and minimise pressure on build back.

The BS units from David Brown, a Textron Power Transmission company, are linked to a control system that governs the line running speeds, and ensure a smooth response from the belt and shaft drive system.

BS units are designed to offer high capacity and easy installation while occupying the minimum space.

They feature IEC flange and motor connections as standard offering complete flexibility in the choice of motor, and the 90-degree shafts do not protrude from the machine making the units easy to integrate.

Available in sizes 40-71, the BS Series offers several shaft options, and elastic coupling ensures smooth start/stopping to minimise strain on the machine, motor and gear.

Steve Rimmer, the director at Proline most closely involved in the Naro Fominsk project explained that there were a number of Textron/Benzlers units already performing well at the plant and after considering various options the David Brown units were the preferred choice of both Proline and Rexam.

The mass conveying system is capable of handling in excess of 2000 cans per minute, and is part of a much larger handling project being undertaken by Rexam in the factory which manufactures 33 and 50cl cans used for drinks across Russia and the Russian Republics.

The plant at Naro Fominsk previously had two lines with a current annual capacity of 1.8 billion cans.

The new line adds the possibility of a further 1 billion can capacity.

The GBP 18 million investment in the Naro Fominsk plant follows the explosive growth in the Russian beverage can market in the last two years.

This is a result of the concerted efforts of the Russian based can-makers and brewers to promote the can as a packaging option for quality products.

Established Western breweries have invested significantly in Russia in recent years and the installation of new filling lines and the modernisation of many breweries point to continued growth.

The can market in Russia has doubled to 3 billion cans in the last year alone and is expected to grow at a very fast pace in the years to come.