WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 06/2018 (RU)

High performance polymer
bearings for beverage filling and
packaging systems
MOTION AND DRIVES
Bottling and packaging machinery manufacturers
have a wide variety of possible applications for
bearing systems made of high-performance polymers.
Companies like Küppersbusch GmbH near Essen in
Germany have been using plain bearings from the igus
modular construction system for more than 20 years.
Smoothies, bio-juices, concentrates, spirits and liquors made in
Germany: The variety of beverages for consumers today is much
greater than in the last few decades. usually, it is the smaller
companies that set important trends and, at least in the beginning,
produce smaller quantities. When they want to invest in a partially
or fully automated filling system, they often turn to industry experts
like ‘Küppersbusch GmbH’ in Velbert. Located just 70 kms away
from Cologne, the company develops and manufactures customerspecific
bottling and packaging machinery for the beverage
industry.
Established in 1972, the family owned enterprise specializes in
this clientele and its special requirements. Jochen Küppersbusch,
managing partner and the second generation entrepreneur to run
the company: “In the 1970s, when there were many regional corn
distilleries, we mainly developed and built filling systems for spirits
and liquors. Today, this only accounts for around 10 % of our business.
We are now a more diverse company and see ourselves as a
niche supplier for small producers and fillers of liquid and paste-
like products. We are also profiting from the trend towards smaller
containers and special containers.”
First hand application know-how
through contract filling
A typical feature of Küppersbusch’s procedure is that there are no
pre-fabricated solutions or type series. Klaus Voigt, project engineer
in the company explains: “The customer tells us their requirements
and then we develop a solution.” Since it is mostly about small to medium
volumes and users want flexibility, their solution often consists
of semi-automatic, linear filling, labeling and capping machines.
During the project planning, the developers can fall back on
extensive application know-how and experience at Küppersbusch.
On a separate floor of the company building, the company uses its
own production facilities for the contract filling of a wide variety of
products. Jochen Küppersbusch: “That’s why we know the practical
requirements of our customers from our own experience.”
High performance polymer bearings from igus –
in use for more than 20 years
Küppersbusch looks back on decades long relationship and cooperation
with the motion plastics specialist from Cologne, igus.
Klaus Voigt remembers having visited the company in Bergisch
Gladbach, which is where it was located at the time. This was before
1994, the year in which igus moved to Porz-Lind near Cologne, the
company’s present location.
The designers at Küppersbusch use various type series and versions
from the igus bearings product range, and with good reason.
24 WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 2018