Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
The Varioline is a modularised packer able to process more than 20 different combinations of secondary and tertiary packaging in a single system. Krones AG has recently launched a variant of the Varioline 1M that features a crucial change. The new model packs beverage bottles into crates and reverses the direction of crate flow by 180 degrees inside the machine. The infeed and discharge conveyors run in parallel on the same side of the single-end machine, freeing up more space in the line layout and improving accessibility for the operators.
The Varioline 1M focuses on one core function: picking and placing containers or prefabricated multipacks into crates. It is a single-lane machine that can process up to 103,000 containers per hour, for an hourly output of about 4,300 packs. A robot that is directly synchronised with the container infeed flow picks the bottles up as they move along the conveyor. Such continuous handling makes for a faster, container-friendly process that produces significantly less noise and reduces scuffing. To put that in perspective: In conventional packers, the containers are stopped at a fixed rail, which slows down the process and increases both wear and tear on the bottles and noise levels in the line.
Direction reversal during operation
In order to enable a single-end design for the Varioline 1M, Krones has expanded the machine’s functionality to include a reversal in the direction of crate flow. Given the short cycle times required for the speed envisaged, that was no easy task given the physical limitations. It was solved by implementing continuous crate handling: Thanks to the axis technology developed by Krones, the crates are accurately positioned before the containers are inserted, thus enabling the direction to be reversed without any loss of speed compared to the classic straight-through machine. “In a conventional packer, the containers must be stopped for pick-up. In the Varioline 1M, the robot is directly synchronised with the continuous inflow of containers,” explains Maximilian Kühnl, product specialist for the dry end at Krones. “And that is now also possible for flow direction reversal inside the machine, without compromising on performance.”
The first machine of this model variant went into operation in early 2025. The insights gained since then on the shopfloor have been continuously incorporated into the technology’s further development and into every subsequent customer project.
Compact layout minimising legwork
Line owners benefit twice over from a single-end machine. Its small footprint frees up more space in the layout, and connections are required on one side only. So three of its sides are available for running it, thus minimising the operators’ legwork. That means it is easier for them to get to the machine in the event of a malfunction and the handling parts needed for change-overs are ready to hand faster. For upgrading the 1M model, Krones has singled out the pick-and-place function from the field-proven modularised Varioline kit system and selectively fine-tuned it.
The single-end design is a logical continuation of a tried-and-tested technology. It is a new layout variant of a field-proven machine – not a prototype – that uses the same familiar operating philosophy.
First customer for the single-end Varioline 1M packer
The first two machines of this kind were ordered by the Krombacher Brauerei in Germany. They form part of the brewery’s current investment initiative, under which Krones has since 2024 replaced the entire dry ends of four lines during ongoing operation, installing, for example, new sweep-off depalletisers, selective unpackers (likewise from the Varioline 1M series) and a number of palletisers. “In a project of this size, every square metre, every single manipulation during operation counts for us. So a machine with a smaller footprint that also ensures good accessibility is exactly what we need,” says Ludger Hense, Senior Manager for Bottling at the Krombacher Brauerei.