3D-printed product turner from igus for packaging and filling plants increases system efficiency by up to 20 per cent and hourly revenue by up to €30,000 per line

Whether drinks, tinned food or coffee: modern production lines have to turn tins regularly, for example to print them. The problem: many commercial turners made of steel baskets or milled parts are heavy and require intensive maintenance, which often leads to expensive downtime of packaging and filling plants. igus has therefore launched an alternative: a lightweight and robust product turner printed in 3D that can rotate up to 120,000 tins per hour in a controlled way.

Beverage and food manufacturers have to adjust their systems to different products regularly. Every conversion can be a stress test for turners that work with bent metal rods. If the rods bend just a little, tins can jam and cause a plant shutdown. “In fast systems, even half an hour of downtime means a loss of 60,000 tins,” emphasises Jonas Burk, Head of the Additive Manufacturing Business Unit at igus. Repairing them also often requires specialised know-how. “We therefore wanted to develop a turner that is robust and can be printed quickly via FDM. The turner is made of a special high-performance filament that is extremely wear-resistant. We therefore guarantee a service life of six months.” For comparison: with many commercial turners, the plastic profiles have to be replaced every three months.

Save 90 per cent weight and setup time

The 3D-printed product turner from igus also ensures shorter setup times. Burk illustrates this with an example: “CNC-milled turners made from bar stock often weigh over 30 kilogrammes and are usually converted with a crane and several maintenance workers, which unnecessarily reduces machine availability.” The smallest versions of the new 3D-printed turner, in contrast, weigh less than 2 kilogrammes. They can be transported with one hand using a handle and placed conveniently on the conveyor belt for assembly with screws. The twisted guide contour rotates up to 120,000 tins per hour in continuous operation. In the blink of an eye, about ten tins pass through the turner. The system is now available as standard for all common beverage tin formats as well as for food tins, coffee tins, PET bottles, glass containers and crisp tins.

Reduced acquisition and operating costs

Companies in the food and beverage industry can save money as early as the purchasing stage. “One of our customers had paid over €4,000 for a turner with bent metal rods. In addition, another €1,400 were added every three months for replacing the profiles,” explains Burk. Standard versions of the new 3D-printed product turners, however, are available from €800. “We can offer a much more attractive price even for complex custom-made products.” For such projects, igus offers an analysis of existing systems with a 3D scanner so as to design individual product turners accurately. This makes it possible, for example, to realise a rotation with a height or side offset.

Find out more about the product turner from igus: https://www.igus.eu/industry/food-and-packaging/applications/3d-printed-product-turners-beverage-cans