Within the labelling equipment market sector there are many applications such as 'bottle labelling' applications where a number of labels need to be applied to a product symmetrically. Gone are the days when it didn't really matter if the label on the back of the bottle was exactly 180 degrees around the bottle from the front label.
Nowadays the presentation of a product is of utmost importance. This is particularly true in labelling equipment. There is therefore a market requirement for a simple, robust and inexpensive solution for this type of application. The solution is to use a Star2000 stepping motor drive with on-board EEPROM memory together with a Sonceboz stepping motor.
In the example on the left bottles are presented to the turntable with the first label already fixed and in a random orientation to the next label applicator. The motor is then rotated until a marker (which is cast into the bottle) is identified by a sensor. The Star2000 stepping motor drive then calculates the angle to be rotated in order for the next label to be precisely applied in it's correct position. This can be achieved whether the motor attached to the turntable is in it's acceleration phase or has reached it's maximum velocity.
The system minimises the time required to identify the correct positioning of the bottle, case or box in front of the label applicator and maximizes the line's throughput.
The system's low cost, robustness and simplicity makes it a popular choice in labelling applications.
