Schubert fully automates Laverana cosmetic production with flexible packaging machine

01 Jul 2019 --- Laverana – a medium-sized company from the Hannover region of Germany – has chosen a flexible machine from Schubert to fully automate the previously semi-automated packaging process for its lavera brand of powder, rouge and eyeshadow. Laverana says that high demand in the natural cosmetics segment has led to increased production quantities. It is the third time that the company has opted for packaging technology from Schubert.

Natural cosmetics are becoming increasingly successful and have gone from being a niche product to an established consistent market driver. Consumers are consciously choosing less harmful, more natural and sustainably manufactured products. To optimally meet the high demand, Laverana was on the lookout for a partner to automate its assembly and packaging process.

“The beauty industry is fast-moving and seasonally inspired. This is why we needed a flexible machine for our natural cosmetic products, which we could use to implement different diameters, colors and shapes. With Schubert-Cosmetics, we found the right partner for the job,” explains Thomas Haase, Founder and Managing Director of Laverana.The packaging machine can fill up to 100 boxes per minute with various color palettes.

Efficient eyeshadow assembly and flexible packaging process
The technically ambitious solution supplied by Schubert-Cosmetics currently offers 13 formats. Several F4 robots, equipped with special opening, filling and closing tools, as well as Schubert’s high-performance image processing system, are used to place one to four cosmetics palettes into boxes in various format dependent patterns.

The output of the TLM line depends on the number of color palettes per box. For boxes with one palette, known as “monos,” the machine processes around 100 products per minute. For boxes with four palettes, “quattros,” it has an output of around 60 products per minute.

The boxes are fed through the first sub-machine via an infeed belt on the TLM line, where they are picked up by F4 robots and placed in the “box opener.” The opener handles various boxes with different opening mechanisms.

The opening mechanism can be adapted to a wide range of box types.“As there are different closure types, developing the opening mechanism for the various box types was one of the challenges for our engineers,” notes Werner Schäfauer, the Sales Account Manager at Schubert responsible for this project. F4 robots pick the boxes up again after opening and set them on the conveyor belt.

The infeed belt in the second sub-machine delivers additional boxes or color palettes, determined by the works order. The third sub-machine is reserved for the infeed process of the color palettes, which are picked up by F4 robots. Schubert developed a tool for this purpose in order to protect the sensitive palettes, consisting of pressed and baked powder, from damage or even crushing. 

Once all the color palettes have been glued in place, an F4 robot equipped with a specially developed tool closes the box.High precision and integrated quality control
A reflected light scanner checks whether the box has been opened before the color palettes are placed inside. The line takes into account the tolerance values of the packaging. Before the color palettes are positioned precisely in the notched locations provided in the boxes, the F4 robot passes the product over a glue station.

”Finding the right glue was yet another challenge,” recalls Schäfauer. A sensor determines whether the glue spot for fastening the palettes into the box has been placed correctly. Before being closed, the filled palettes go through a further quality control process. A 3D scanner, specially developed by Schubert, checks whether all the palettes are seated correctly in the notches and are not protruding. With the 3D scanner, Schubert is the world’s first manufacturer to offer its customers the ability to produce a 3D image of their products, the company says. This means it is now possible to identify the heights of products.

For special formats with smaller quantities, the machine also has an integrated manual packing station. In this way, the new packaging line allows Laverana to respond quickly to consumer requests.