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Factory Automation Advancements for CPGs

At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, Bosch Rexroth showcased developments in control systems, conveyance, and more for packaging machinery.

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Bosch Rexroth unveiled several innovations that promise to enhance efficiency and productivity.

Discussing the company’s new ctrlX AUTOMATION platform, Sean Spees, market segment manager for CPG, explained that the system allows for seamless communication between machines, enabling real-time data retrieval from different points in the production line. It offers a non-proprietary, Linux-based approach based on apps, allowing users to tailor the platform to their specific needs.

On display was a three-axis ctrlX DRIVE linked to a ctrlX CORE industrial PC running in real-time. Other components, such as ctrlX IO, ctrlX HMI and the MS2N synchronous motor, are also included. ctrlX CORE supports modern languages for today’s industrial machinery, such as Java, Python and Node Red, plus many other application-appropriate languages.

“The new feature we have at the show is one that partners here are running, our ctrlX AUTOMATION platform—there are machines elsewhere on the show floor, in different halls at PACK EXPO that we’re communicating with at our booth through wifi and the cloud,” said Spees. “We're able to pull data from their machine as it's running and can get real-time machine updates. This is part of the ‘smart phone of automation’ which is monitored from either a phone, laptop or tablet.”

The technology can be adapted to any production process, including packaged goods, EV batteries, semiconductors, medical, solar, aerospace, and more. Its ability to maximize floor space is particularly important with plant real estate at a premium.