Maintenance-free drive technology ensures the long-lasting positioning of print heads at Elried

What was needed? Highly accurate, adjustable positioning of the print heads in the marking systems.

Requirements: High precision in the 0.1 millimetre range, reliable and durable function and freedom from maintenance, FDA conformity and operation without external lubricants

Industry: Printing technology / marking systems

Success for the customer: With the drylin ZLW toothed belt axes including drylin D1 motor control system and Nema stepper motors, high precision and speed are guaranteed when adjusting the print heads. The maintenance-free, completely self-lubricating drive technology also guarantees autonomous operation. Together with FDA-compliant liners, the drive technology can therefore also be used in hygienically demanding areas.

Elried has been developing and producing systems for product and packaging marking for over 60 years, and the company is characterised by its particularly innovative solutions. Elried's marking systems stand out from the competition thanks to their compact yet robust aluminium housing, design and production entirely "made in Germany". The company markets marking systems under the brand "Edding in-line" in a partnership with Edding AG. The printers are used in a wide range of sectors, from the food and beverage industry to the logistics and transport sector and the automotive industry.

At the heart of the Elried marking systems are the linear axes, which ensure precise positioning of the print heads. The drive technology for the print heads must be selected very carefully. The systems must work autonomously for years. The demands on the components in terms of maintenance-free operation and durability are correspondingly high for the Elried systems. But it is not only reliability that plays a role. The marking systems must also be extremely precise. Repeat accuracies in the 0.1 millimetre range are required for printing - and for over a number of years.

Elried is also focussing on the growth market of food safety: The regulations on harmful substances in connection with food are becoming increasingly strict throughout Europe. Together with Edding, Elried has already worked intensively on the development of food grade inks. However, the hygienically demanding field of application also means a number of additional requirements for drive technology: For example, the focus is on the FDA conformity of the materials and the issue of freedom from lubricants. The use of external lubricants in drive technology would not only result in a risk of contamination of the products, but also an increased environmental impact.

The axes are characterised by their high precision, speed and maintenance-free operation, which ensures that the systems function autonomously for many years. Specifically, the ZLW-0630 and ZLW-1040 axes are used for the fast, linear movement of the print heads. The ZLW toothed belt axis is also extremely durable, as proven by endurance tests in the igus laboratory: There, they are put to the test with around 1.5 million double strokes at a speed of 0.5 m/s, an acceleration of 2m/s

Elried also purchases Nema stepper motors from igus, whereby the Nema24 stepper motors with a holding torque of 3.5Nm is predominantly used. The drive technology is ready for connection and can be customised. It is also very quiet and sustainable, as it requires no lubricating oil - and is extremely reliable.

Finally, the company relies on drylin D1 motor control systems in the marking systems, which are optimally matched to the linear axes and enable quick and easy configuration. They are suitable for stepper, DC and EC/BLDC motors and are simply operated via the browser IP address instead of an additional app. The control systems require no prior knowledge, while a teach function enables position settings to be made with just one click. This simplifies parameterisation and significantly reduces potential operating errors.