In the modern packaging industry, which is driven by efficiency, precision, and automation, box forming machines have become indispensable core equipment. These machines are widely used in food and beverage, electronics, logistics, medicine, and other fields, responsible for converting flat cardboard or corrugated paper into various specifications of packaging boxes—from small product packaging boxes to large logistics cartons. With the continuous growth of market demand for packaging personalization, diversification, and high-quality, the performance requirements of box forming machines are also rising. Among the numerous components that make up a box forming machine, the edge control servo valve stands out as a key automated component, whose performance directly determines the production efficiency, forming accuracy, and product consistency of the entire equipment, and even affects the market competitiveness of packaging enterprises.
The edge control servo valve is a specialized type of servo valve designed for the unique working conditions of box forming machines. Its core function is to realize precise control of the movement of the edge folding device, edge pressing device, and edge sealing device of the box forming machine by accurately regulating the opening and closing degree of the valve, the flow rate of the hydraulic or pneumatic medium, and the action timing. During the box forming process, whether it is the folding of the cardboard edges, the pressing of the edge seams, or the sealing of the edges with adhesive or tape, all require extremely high precision and synchronization. If the control of the edge device is inaccurate, it will easily lead to defects such as uneven edge folding, loose edge pressing, misaligned edge sealing, or even damage to the cardboard, resulting in unqualified packaging boxes and increased production waste. The edge control servo valve solves this problem by virtue of its high-precision control capability, ensuring that each action of the edge device is accurate, stable, and synchronized with other components of the box forming machine, thus realizing the high-quality and efficient forming of packaging boxes.
To better understand the working mechanism of the edge control servo valve, it is necessary to elaborate on its main components and their respective functions. The edge control servo valve of the box forming machine is mainly composed of a valve body, a servo motor, a reducer, a control circuit, a position sensor, a feedback mechanism, and a sealing component, each of which plays an irreplaceable role in the overall operation of the valve.
The valve body is the core structural part of the servo valve, which is equivalent to the "channel" of the medium. It is usually made of high-strength alloy materials or engineering plastics with good corrosion resistance and wear resistance to ensure that it can withstand the long-term impact of hydraulic or pneumatic media and maintain good sealing performance. The internal structure of the valve body is precisely processed, including spools, valve seats, and flow channels, which can accurately control the flow direction and flow rate of the medium according to the control signals, thereby driving the movement of the edge device.
The servo motor is the "power source" of the edge control servo valve. It is a high-precision, high-response motor that can convert electrical signals into mechanical rotational motion. Unlike ordinary motors, the servo motor can adjust its rotational speed, torque, and rotation angle in real time according to the control signals sent by the control circuit, ensuring that the movement of the valve core is accurate and rapid. In order to adapt to the working requirements of the box forming machine, the servo motor used in the edge control servo valve usually has the characteristics of small volume, light weight, low noise, and long service life, which can work stably for a long time in the harsh working environment of the packaging workshop (such as dust, vibration, and temperature changes).
The reducer is a key component connecting the servo motor and the valve core. Since the rotational speed of the servo motor is usually relatively high, but the movement of the valve core of the servo valve requires a relatively low speed and a large torque, the reducer is used to reduce the rotational speed of the servo motor and increase the torque, so that the rotational motion of the servo motor can be smoothly converted into the linear motion of the valve core. The reducer used in the edge control servo valve is usually a precision planetary reducer or a harmonic reducer, which has the advantages of high transmission efficiency, small backlash, and high positioning accuracy, ensuring that the transmission process is free of errors and improving the overall control accuracy of the servo valve.
The control circuit is the "brain" of the edge control servo valve, which is responsible for receiving, processing, and sending control signals. It is usually composed of a microcontroller, a signal amplifier, a driver, and a protection circuit. The control circuit receives the control signals from the main control system of the box forming machine (such as the PLC control system), processes and amplifies these signals, and then sends them to the servo motor to control its operation. At the same time, the control circuit also has a variety of protection functions, such as overcurrent protection, overvoltage protection, overheating protection, and overload protection, which can effectively prevent the servo valve from being damaged due to abnormal working conditions and ensure the safe and stable operation of the equipment.
The position sensor and feedback mechanism are important components to ensure the control accuracy of the servo valve. The position sensor is installed on the edge device of the box forming machine or the valve core of the servo valve, which can monitor the position, speed, and acceleration of the edge device in real time and convert these physical quantities into electrical signals to feed back to the control circuit. The control circuit compares the feedback signal with the preset target signal, calculates the deviation between them, and then adjusts the control signal sent to the servo motor according to the deviation, so as to realize the closed-loop control of the edge device's movement. This closed-loop control mode enables the edge control servo valve to automatically correct the movement error of the edge device, ensuring that the position and action of the edge device are always consistent with the preset requirements, and greatly improving the control accuracy and stability of the box forming machine.
The performance indicators of the edge control servo valve, such as control accuracy, response speed, and reliability, have a direct and decisive impact on the production efficiency and product quality of the box forming machine. Among them, control accuracy is one of the most important performance indicators. The control accuracy of the servo valve is usually expressed by the positioning error and repeat positioning error. The smaller the error, the higher the control accuracy. For box forming machines, especially those used to produce high-precision packaging boxes (such as electronic product packaging boxes), the control accuracy of the edge control servo valve directly determines the edge folding accuracy and edge sealing accuracy of the box. A servo valve with high control accuracy can ensure that the edge folding angle of each box is consistent, the edge sealing position is accurate, and the product qualification rate is greatly improved. At the same time, high control accuracy can also reduce the adjustment time of the equipment, avoid frequent debugging of the edge device, and thus improve the production efficiency of the box forming machine.
Response speed is another key performance indicator of the edge control servo valve. It refers to the time required for the servo valve to respond to the control signal and complete the corresponding action. The faster the response speed of the servo valve, the shorter the time required for the edge device to complete an edge action, and the higher the production speed of the box forming machine. In the modern packaging industry, where production efficiency is highly valued, the response speed of the servo valve has become an important factor restricting the production capacity of the box forming machine. For example, in the mass production of logistics cartons, a servo valve with fast response speed can make the edge device complete edge folding, edge pressing, and edge sealing in a very short time, matching the high-speed feeding and forming speed of the box forming machine, and realizing continuous and efficient production. On the contrary, a servo valve with slow response speed will cause the edge device to lag behind other components, resulting in reduced production speed, uneven product quality, and even equipment failure.
Reliability is also an indispensable performance indicator of the edge control servo valve. The box forming machine usually works continuously for a long time in the packaging workshop, and the servo valve, as a key component, needs to maintain stable operation for a long time without failure. The reliability of the servo valve is affected by many factors, such as the quality of components, the precision of processing and assembly, the working environment, and the maintenance level. A servo valve with high reliability can reduce the frequency of equipment shutdown and maintenance, reduce the maintenance cost of the enterprise, and ensure the continuity of production. On the contrary, if the reliability of the servo valve is poor, it will often cause equipment shutdown, affect the production progress, and even lead to economic losses for the enterprise.
With the rapid development of science and technology, especially the integration of automation technology, intelligent technology, and hydraulic/pneumatic technology, the degree of automation and intelligence of box forming machines is constantly improving, and the performance requirements for edge control servo valves are also becoming more and more stringent. In the past, the edge control servo valve mainly realized basic position control and speed control, but now, with the development of the packaging industry, enterprises have put forward higher requirements for the servo valve, such as higher control accuracy, faster response speed, better reliability, stronger anti-interference ability, and more perfect intelligent monitoring and diagnostic functions.
In terms of control accuracy, with the popularization of high-precision position sensors (such as laser position sensors and encoder sensors) and the improvement of control algorithms (such as PID control algorithm, fuzzy control algorithm, and neural network control algorithm), the control accuracy of the edge control servo valve has been greatly improved. At present, the positioning error of the advanced edge control servo valve can reach within ±0.01mm, which can fully meet the production requirements of high-precision packaging boxes. In terms of response speed, the application of high-performance servo motors and precision reducers, as well as the optimization of the internal structure of the valve body, have made the response time of the servo valve shortened to within a few milliseconds, which can match the high-speed operation of the box forming machine.
In terms of intelligence, the modern edge control servo valve is usually equipped with an intelligent control module and a communication module, which can realize real-time monitoring of its own working status (such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, and position) and send the monitoring data to the main control system of the box forming machine through the communication module. The main control system can analyze and judge the working status of the servo valve according to these data, predict potential faults in advance, and send an alarm signal to remind the operator to carry out maintenance, so as to realize predictive maintenance of the servo valve and improve the reliability and service life of the equipment. At the same time, the intelligent edge control servo valve can also realize remote control and parameter adjustment through the network, which is convenient for operators to manage and maintain the equipment remotely and improves the management efficiency of the enterprise.
Looking to the future, with the continuous development of servo valve technology, hydraulic/pneumatic technology, and intelligent technology, the edge control servo valve will show a more advanced development trend. On the one hand, the control accuracy and response speed of the servo valve will be further improved, which can better meet the production requirements of high-speed, high-precision, and personalized packaging boxes. On the other hand, the intelligence level of the servo valve will be further enhanced, and it will be more closely integrated with the industrial Internet and big data technology to realize intelligent diagnosis, intelligent adjustment, and intelligent optimization of the servo valve, and form a closed-loop intelligent control system with the box forming machine and the entire packaging production line.
In addition, with the increasing emphasis on energy conservation and environmental protection in the global packaging industry, the energy-saving performance of the edge control servo valve will also become an important development direction. The future servo valve will adopt more energy-saving structures and control algorithms, reduce energy consumption during operation, and meet the energy-saving and environmental protection requirements of enterprises. At the same time, the materials used in the servo valve will be more environmentally friendly and recyclable, reducing the impact on the environment.
In summary, the edge control servo valve is an indispensable and core key component in the box forming machine. Its performance directly affects the production efficiency, product quality, and operational stability of the box forming machine, and is related to the production cost and market competitiveness of packaging enterprises. With the continuous progress of science and technology and the increasing demand of the packaging industry, the technology of the edge control servo valve will be further improved and optimized, and its application in the box forming machine will be more extensive and in-depth. It will continue to play a crucial role in promoting the automation, intelligence, and high-efficiency development of the packaging industry, helping packaging enterprises achieve better development in the fierce market competition.