Biele Group is pioneer in the manufacture of Packaging lines for Metal Sheets for various customers associated to the Steel, Stainless Steel and Aluminium industry. Over the last few years, the corporate group has supplied tenths of packaging lines for specific applications in response to the highest standards of quality required by the automobile sectors, aeronautics and others, demanding high quality requirements.
Biele Group has also specialized in the design and manufacture of stackers and it is in a position to implement them if required; these packaging systems ensure greater reliability and productivity. The packaging lines developed by Biele Group respond to the evolution of the sector, adapting to their needs in terms of types of piece and production processes, as well as new materials used.
Since 2000 Biele Group has been supplying packaging lines in combination with high rate stacking lines for a wide range of sizes, thicknesses and materials. These stacking and packaging systems are targeted at an excellent processing of the materials to be packed.
In 2014 Biele Group supplied with a great success a packaging line for Aluminium sheets to one of the European leading companies, the materials for the aeronautic industry, the standards of quality required for the metal sheets and the quality of the stacking being highly demanding.
On the one hand, there was a need to ensure that the quality of the Aluminium components to be packed met the requirements of the end product for the aeronautic sector they are aimed at. On the other hand, full protection of the aluminium sheet stack against moisture was achieved by means of a plastic wrapping, fully sealed and independently from the pallet on which the stack was laid.
The quality of the Aluminium pieces is checked through a multiple measuring system integrated on the line, which enables to determine whether the pieces are good, require a more thorough inspection or must be evacuated from the line. The full process is automatically performed as pieces are transferred along the packaging line.
Previously, an artificial vision unit carries out readings of cutting marks and references that together with a QR code reader enables identifying the quality of the aluminium sheet in relation to those production processes preceding packaging.
The precision of the measuring systems provided on the line enables to determine the geometrical tolerance of the pieces to be packed with a degree four times above that required by the European Standard EN 485-3.
To this end, the following measuring elements have been implemented:
- Measuring of material thickness. Material thickness is measured through a laser measuring system that measures the sheet thickness during transfer along the system.
- Measuring of sheet squaring and dimensions. An artificial vision system determines the squaring of the 4 sheet corners as well as the actual length and width.
- Measuring of sheet flatness. For measuring of the sheet flatness, Biele Group has integrated a granite table on the line. A granite bridge provided with laser sensors determines the flatness of the Aluminium surface.
Once the appropriate measurements have been completed, and according to these, as well as to other data obtained during previous processes that the line can read, the validated sheet carries on with the process on the packaging line where marking operations through ink jet and micro-punching are carried out, both on the surface and on the edge of the sheet.
An automatic pallet feeding process is then carried out, inserting paper separators between the sheets during the stacking process. The whole operation is carried out automatically, in a wide range of dimensions. In fact, the line can process aluminium sheets of lengths that vary between 2.000 and 6.800 mm, widths between 1.000 and 2.300 mm and thicknesses between 6 and 160mm.
As previously mentioned, the quality demand of these pieces, requires full isolation of the aluminium stack against moisture. To this end, Biele Group has developed a specific system for these types of lines. The system involves the retraction of a plastic film through heat, fully wrapping the aluminium stack independently of the pallet. Upon completion of the stack and once wrapped with the retractile plastic film, a system made up of directional heat generators seals the sides of the wrapping by projecting hot air, eliminating thus the excess plastic. Once the longitudinal sides of the stack have been sealed, the system proceeds with the sealing of the cross sides, achieving full tightness of the Aluminium stack against moisture.
The next operation to come is gross and net weighing of the package prior to carrying on with the automatic strapping, by means of plastic or metal strips. In those cases where the package has no pallet, wooden blocks are automatically inserted under the stack.
Finally, packages are labeled. The process is completed with the automatic raising of the stacks, being ready to be forwarded.
As a result of this development, BIELE Group has subsequently supplied packaging lines also aimed at the Aluminium industry, specifically to the biggest aluminium producer in Asia. In this particular case, the packaging line enables processing aluminium sheets within a range of lengths between 1.000 and 12.000mm, widths between 800 and 4.250mm and thicknesses between 4 and 250mm.
As an international group committed to development, we are currently present in more than 50 countries. Biele Group, with production plants in Europe and subsidiary companies in USA and China provides assistance for all their installations located in almost all industrialized countries over the world. Thus, the group is in a position to give an efficient and immediate response to customer needs by offering a close and effective service