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Having trouble maintaining the temperature in your wrapper can lead to inappropriately sealed packages, burned packaging and overall just a big quality headache. If you are experiencing a problem with your temperature control our technical experts recommend that you do a thorough check of your collector rings. Although other factors could also be contributing to your temperature control problem, these are some quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive things you can check and replace early in the process.
For safety reasons ensure that you have first disconnected power to the machine. Open the front panel and remove the guard.
First check the strength of the springs. If they are not holding the silver braids tightly to the ring, they could be causing your temperature control issue and would need to be replaced.
If the springs are still taut, check the silver braids for obvious wear. You will notice an obvious thinness to the braids and they will no longer be making good contact with the collector rings. Again, if you notice any of these issues its time for a replacement of the silver braids.
Next check the carbon brushes. Remember though, the caps on the carbon brushes are spring loaded and have a tendency to get away from you. Remove the cap carefully and check the length of the brush, if less than approximately a half inch that part will also need to be replaced. Also when checking the brushes (or when replacing them) check that the brushes are contacting the center of the rings. If not, adjust the ring assembly to the center the brush.
Also at this time make sure that all four wires attached to the end of the collector ring are secure and undamaged.
And last but not definitely not least, check to make sure the collector ring is securely attached to the shaft. The collector ring set screw should be tightened to 10-12 inch pounds of pressure.
While the collector rings are exposed and the power off go ahead and check the ring surfaces for any minor scuff marks as well. These can easily be cleaned up by carefully buffing them out with a standard pencil eraser.
If the temperature control issue persists contact your Bosch Packaging Services customer support contact to further assist you with the problem.
Be prepared for this, and other potential issues with your packaging machine with Bosch Packaging Services Preventive Maintenance kits. We have compiled kits with OEM parts and recommended replacement intervals to take the guesswork out of preventive maintenance and eliminate time consuming ordering of individual small parts. Save not only on shipping costs but also 5% off the price of the individual parts when ordered as a complete kit.
For more information on all of our preventive maintenance offerings, including Preventive Maintenance Service Agreements, download the brochure or Contact Us.
*currently only budgetary pricing is available. For specific pricing for your machines contact your Bosch Packaging Services customer representative with the machine serial number and allow for at least a two week lead time.
Cutting knives are essential components for the efficient operation of packaging machines. We have developed and manufactured our own cutting knives at Bosch since the inception of the first, hand cranked chocolate wrapper in 1906, but we didn’t stop there. We have continued improving on the overall design of our knives in order to provide you with the best product for your Bosch Packaging machine. All of our knives incorporate a diagonal cutting edge design that will significantly reduce the pressure exerted on the blade and significantly reduce wear and tear. This has proved the most efficient setup for both food and pharmaceutical packaging applications.
Material options:
Premium Tool Steel
Tungsten Carbide (offers up to 3 times the service life, compared with tool steel blades)
Available Cutting Edges:
Straight diagonal
Zigzag diagonal, 2mm and 3mm pitch
Zigzag diagonal, 2mm and 3mm pitch with overcut for easy tearing
Bracket, 6mm pitch, for very easy tearing
Available Dimensions:
Width: 3mm and 5mm
Length: 90 – 300mm
Special lengths on request
For flawless performance and maximum service life of our knives, careful installation and setup of the cross seal station are of upmost importance. As a general guideline we recommend you proceed as follows:
1. Remove the worn knives, anvils and shims
2. Check/adjust cross seal jaws for perfect mesh
3. Run wrapping material (without any product or knives and anvils, but with the heater on if applicable) through the machine and adjust jaw distance and pressure until you achieve the desired seal on the wrapping material and a smooth and quiet interaction of the upper and lower cross seal jaws.
4. Insert the new set of knives and anvils into the cross seal jaws with the minimum amount of shims underneath the anvil (0.1 – 0.2 mm).
5. Test run and if needed, increase the amount of shims underneath the anvil knife until the film cuts reliably in the speed range of the machine.
Shims are available in 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3mm thickness
Be better prepared for a quick parts change on your Bosch Sigpack machine with our Preventive Maintenance Kits. We have compiled kits with OEM parts and recommended replacement intervals to take the guesswork out of preventive maintenance and eliminate time consuming ordering of individual small parts.* Save not only on shipping costs but also 5% off the price of the individual parts when ordered as a complete kit.
For more information on our preventive maintenance offerings, including Preventive Maintenance Service Agreements, download the brochure or Contact Us.
*Currently only budgetary pricing is available. For specific pricing for your machines contact your Bosch Packaging Services customer representative with machine serial number and allow for at least a two week lead time.
*Please note the following correction: In step 5, the word “anvil” was replaced with knife. Edited 05/02/13 by Carissa Thomas.
Our machine experts recommend following the steps below every thirty days for the improved maintenance of your machine.
1) Check the cutting head drive chain condition and tension, lube when required
2) Inspect all prox and photo eye sensors operation and alignment
3) Inspect collector ring assy’s cutting head and finwheels for carbon or debris build up, brush alignment, condition of silver braids, and replace any worn parts.
4) Check thermocouple and power wire connections on collector ring assy’s, crimpers and finwheels.
5) Inspect main electrical component wiring and connections
6) Check backstand film rollers for free rolling movement, PFR drive roller and pinch roll for wear and pressure adjustment.
Upgrades are also an important part of maintaining your machine. Bosch modernizations work to improve the efficiency of your machine by upgrading your machine with state of the art technologies.
With Bosch Packaging Service’s Allen Bradley and WinPack Controls upgrades you can completely upgrade your current control panel with either Allen Bradley’s ControlLogix Processor or Beckhoff’s Industrial PC Controller with modular I/O. You can find specific offerings for both the Allen Bradley and Beckhoff upgrade in our product brochures.
For more information on our products and services, or to be entered into our monthly drawing for a Bosch power tool, Contact Us.
As technology continues to develop, upgrading your packaging machine becomes an important part of maintenance and improved efficiency. The servo controls on the older J-wrappers start wearing and can result in package length instability and issues with the registration control of pre-printed film. In the open loop model from 1982-1992 carbon buildup and worn brushes can be major reasons for the unstable package length. Other issues include defective or improperly adjusted Servo motors and amplifiers. In the closed loop models from 1993-1999 a defective or low-voltage Motion control board (MCB) or defective or improperly adjusted Servo motors and amplifiers can all be reasons for the continued unstable package length. A defective photo eye, or a worn Fisher phase gear box effects the cut position relative to the product in package and cut position of package registration.
By replacing the mechanical drives with an electronic upgrade you can eliminate the maintenance required to maintain the machine. Bosch Packaging Services electronic controls upgrade for J-wrappers works to improve your machine efficiency with the newest state of the art technology. The upgrade consists of a complete replacement of the original servo control circuitry. We are also now able to complete the entire Allen Bradley Control Logix or WinPack upgrade in your own facility with only two weeks of downtime.
The new J-wrapper field upgrade allows for faster turnaround (upgrade ships within 12 weeks from date of PO), reduced downtime, reduced cost due to fewer shipping costs and no re-installation costs. Because the preliminary OJT is performed during the final week of the upgrade, the J-Wrapper field controls upgrade allows for faster start up than a traditional upgrade. And production support from the same technicians that performed the upgrade ensure a smooth reintegration of the machine into your packaging line.
For more information on the J-Wrapper Field Upgrade take a look at our brochures.
Cross heater collectors on the upper crimper shaft are sensitive to vibrations because of a fixed connection between the collector and spring-loaded drive-shaft. The constant cutting action that causes these vibrations, can lead to a bad signal transmission from the collector ring to the brushes.
By mechanically disconnecting the upper collector from the cross sealing shaft you can achieve a vibration free operation and increase the overall life cycle of the cross-heater collectors.
With Bosch Packaging Services Upgrade Kit No. 13 we can update your Bosch SIG (Hxx) horizontal flow wrappers to help you achieve this vibration free operation. The upgrade consists of new collector rings for the thermocouple and the heating elements, a lower crimper shaft, and all the mounting parts. The entire upgrade will also only take one day to complete.
For additional information on our modernization offerings for your specific machine type or to be entered into the Bosch Packaging Services blog’s monthly power tool giveaway contact us.
(Bosch employees are not eligible for the monthly giveaway)
One way to keep downtime to a minimum during the replacement of a microprocessor (CPU) card is to ensure that you have a copy of the current logic on a memory card. This is especially important for machines that run on a VME, or black box, based control platform, because this software can not be accessed with a laptop or PC. Also remember that memory cards need to be periodically re-charged. Although they generally have either a non-replaceable rechargeable battery or a replaceable button cell battery with a built in storage capacitor* – if the batteries are allowed to drain completely then the information on the cards will be lost and will have to be sent back to Bosch for reprogramming.
Allen Bradley based machines are able to backup the software through the use of AB application programs and therefore do not need to be backed up on a memory card.
* The storage capacitor can maintain the charge for a minute or two, providing a comfortable window during which the main battery can be replaced.
For additional information please feel free to contact us.
