Packaging Automation Case Study

See how Bell-Everman's long-travel gantry system automatically transports corrugated cardboard to tray-forming machines used in berry packaging.

Application Story

100 lb+ Loads | 3 m/s Travel Speed | 4 Production Systems | 6–8 Years in Service

Every successful machine is the result of thousands of engineering decisions. One of the most important is selecting the right gearbox for the application. Watch how Bell-Everman balanced performance, reliability, service life, and value to engineer an overhead long-travel gantry system built for continuous production.

Customer Spotlight

Bell-Everman specializes in precision linear motion systems for demanding industrial automation. Founded in 1991, the company designs and manufactures its products in Southern California, serving industries including aerospace, semiconductor, biomedical, electronics assembly, CNC machining, and packaging.

For this project, Bell-Everman combined its expertise in long-travel gantry systems with Neugart planetary gearboxes to create a packaging automation solution that has been operating reliably in continuous production for more than six years.

Application at a Glance

Metric Imperial

Key Facts

Application	Automated Tray Forming
Customer	Bell-Everman
Machine Type	Long-Travel Cartesian Gantry
Load	110 lb (50 kg)
Speed	Up to 3 m/s
Operation	Three shifts per day
Time in Service	6–8 years
Gearboxes	PLQE080, PLE060, PLE120

Application	Automated Tray Forming
Customer	Bell-Everman
Machine Type	Long-Travel Cartesian Gantry
Load	110 lb (50 kg)
Speed	Up to 3 m/s
Operation	Three shifts per day
Time in Service	6–8 years
Gearboxes	PLQE080, PLE060, PLE120

THE CHALLENGE

Feeding Multiple Tray Formers Efficiently

Producing corrugated berry containers requires a continuous supply of cardboard blanks to multiple tray-forming machines. Manual loading can limit throughput, increase labor requirements, and make it more difficult to supply multiple tray-forming machines consistently.

Bell-Everman needed a solution capable of transporting heavy stacks of corrugated cardboard quickly, accurately, and reliably while serving multiple machines from a single automation platform.

The system also needed to provide long-term reliability under continuous operation while remaining cost effective for the machine builder.

THE SOLUTION

A High-Speed Long-Travel Gantry System

Bell-Everman designed an overhead Cartesian gantry to transport 100-pound stacks of corrugated cardboard to multiple tray-forming machines at speeds of up to 3 m/s. Neugart planetary gearboxes were selected throughout the system to deliver the right balance of performance, reliability, and value. Custom end-of-arm tooling was developed to securely handle stacks of corrugated cardboard while simplifying the surrounding material handling process.

Why a Long-Travel Gantry?

Compared with multiple articulated robots, a single overhead gantry can:

Serves multiple tray-forming machines from one system
Preserves valuable floor space with an overhead design
Reduces safety guarding and maintenance complexity
Provides fast, repeatable motion for continuous production

PLQE planetary gearbox — The PLQE Economy planetary gearbox from Neugart has a square output flange. It is mountable in any position and provides a precise gearing.

WHY THESE GEARBOXES?

This application did not require the lowest backlash or the quietest gearbox. Instead, Bell-Everman prioritized dependable performance, cost effectiveness, and long service life.

The selected Neugart gearboxes delivered exactly that balance.

Gearboxes Used

PLQE080
Used where reliable performance and cost efficiency were critical for continuous production.

PLE060
Provided dependable motion for supporting axes while maintaining excellent value.

PLE120
Handled larger loads within the gantry system while supporting demanding operating conditions.

Together, these gearboxes offered the performance required for the application without adding unnecessary cost.

THE SOLUTION

Proven in Continuous Production

The best measure of any automation system is how it performs in production.

Today:

Four complete systems are operating in production.
Each system has been running approximately three shifts per day.
Installations have remained in service for six to eight years.
The gearboxes continue to deliver reliable operation in a demanding packaging environment.
One overhead gantry supports multiple tray-forming machines

For Bell-Everman, this demonstrated that dependable motion performance does not always require the highest-performance gearbox. Selecting the right gearbox for the application delivered an optimal balance of reliability and value.