Machine Productivity Solutions
Machine Changeover Challenges & Solutions
Challenge: Reduce Operating Costs, Inefficient Changeover Process (Operator Setup Variations, Skilled Labour)
Solution
- Standardized Machine Platform Changeover Solutions – Standardized Machine Changeover Solutions – engineered for a consistent and common change over process, regardless of machine manufacturer, model and function.
- Tool-Less Changeover Solution – for quick, intuitive, repeatable change part set up
Challenge: Change Part Storage and Identification Concerns (Lost, Damaged Change Parts)
Solution
- Part Identification – Rapid visual identification with wash down inert laser etching and over 11 material color combinations to manufacture change parts from.
- Change Part Storage Solutions – Standardized or custom designed for specific change parts carts needs will result in “a place for everything and everything in its place”. Change Parts Carts storage systems provide peace of mind to readily identify lost or damaged parts.
Challenge: Worker Safety Risks and Concerns (Heavy, Awkward Parts; Noise & Ergonomics)
Solution
- Lightweight Materials and Engineered Weight-Handling Factors – Health and safety and repetitive strains reduced when ergonomics is engineered into the solution.
- Ease of Access Solutions – Mobile storage systems move to work station to reduce health and safety concerns of heavy lifting, carrying and repetitive strain.
- Ergonomic Change Part Solutions – Engineered solutions for ease to carry, fit on machine and troubleshoot with ergonomics in mind to reduce weight and size of parts.
Challenge: Change Part Wear (Change Part Maintenance & Longevity)
Solution
- Guide Wear Edge – Replaceable guide inserts manufactured from wear resistant materials with proper co-efficient of friction for optimum container handling and available in custom profiles to contact container for optimum container control.
- Star Wheel Pocket Wear Inserts – Exchangeable star pocket profiles manufactured from premium materials which can be exchanged when existing pockets wear out or become damaged.
- Engineered Polymer Materials – Wide selection of engineered plastics which are FDA compliant, wash down chemical inert, temperature compliant with low co-efficient of friction which yield increased change part service life.
Challenge: Multiple Sets of Change Parts
Solution
- Adjustable Pocket Star Wheel – Multi-pocket star wheel for round and rectangular containers.
- Neck Register Designs – Specialized design to enable machine and change parts to transport container by neck.
- Guide & Star Wheel Inserts – Exchangeable star & guide profiles for individual bottle sizes which mount to pre-engineered nucleus component.
- Universal Grippers – Proprietary gripper pocket profile design to accommodate multiple containers with one set of grippers.
Container Handling Challenges & Solutions
Challenge: Container Static Issues
Solution
- Beaded Guide Rail – Custom engineered profiles to increase surface contact with less friction.
- Static Reduction Solutions – Anti-static materials & engineered solutions to dissipate static buildup.
Challenge: Puck Handling
Solution
- Multi-Contact Point & Pocket/Guide Geometry – Smooth transfer of puck and container to accurately place the container and puck for packaging application to be completed.
Challenge: Container Control (Separation, Lifting, Shingling, Tipping, Jamming, Marking, Denting)
Solution
- Star Pocket Inserts – Exchangeable pocket profiles manufactured from premium materials for low friction and custom container geometry profile.
- Anti-Rotation Inserts – Exchangeable, custom solutions for preventing container rotation during capping / production process.
- Container Retention Cover – Proprietary solution eliminating container lifting and instability during production.
- Container Separation Solutions – Unique mechanical techniques for separating, orientating and managing container travel, which results in preventing or eliminating container shingling and jamming.
Challenge: Product Agitation
Solution
- Machine and Machine-to-Machine Engineered Solutions – smooth transfer of container, minimizing foaming or oxygen content of product
- Anti-Rotation Inserts – Exchangeable, custom solutions for preventing container jostling and rotations during capping / production process
- Timing Screw and Timing Screw Drive Units – Experienced gained on providing container handling solutions for over 2,700 packaging machine makes and models, to all consumer packaged good industries, results in best of industry solutions being offered to solve your container handling challenge
Challenge: Unsatisfactory Production Speeds
Solution
- Change Parts Review – Performance study of existing change parts using high speed cameras and observing machine operation and changeover set up. Identifying opportunities for improvement utilizing a combined 150 plus years of industry changeover and container handling expertise.
- Multi-Industry Expertise – Knowledge and experience gained from working on over 2,700 makes and models of packaging machines, across all Consumer Packaged Goods industries. Applying science to engineered solutions for optimal production speeds between 60 BPM to 2,300 BPM
- Pneumatic Bottle Reject – Non-conforming containers, not filled or capped, discharged from machine and into reject lane at speeds ranging from 50 BPM to 300 BPM.
- Bottle Handling Virtual Reality Simulations – Bottle and Container Handling performance issues simulated in 3D computer simulations, showing container handling movements thru your packing machine and line, to identify container handling issues observed in actual production environment
Challenge: Container Infeed Issues
Solution
- Engineered & Proven Solutions – Challenges with separating square to tear drop containers eliminated by means of mechanical techniques and using shingled container to create the required separation.
- Container In-Feeding Solutions – Timing screws and timing screw drive units integrated into your packaging machine and line which utilize Septimatech simulation and proprietary engineering software with proven techniques for separating, orientating and managing container travel nuances, which prevent or eliminate shingling and jamming.
- Feed Screw Bottle Stop – Randomly stop containers feeding into feed screw to maintain primed feed screw while machine continues to operate to empty bottles from machine and wait to begin start up when remaining line is ready.
- Low Friction Guides – Specialty low friction materials available as Guide Wear Edges or solid guide.
- Programmable Infeed Control System (PICS) – Proprietary dual feed screw system which can randomly stop and start feed screw rotation, while containers are in feed screw, to accommodate machine inefficiencies for skipping filler valves or capping heads while filler / capper maintains operating.
Challenge: Container/Cap Orientating Issues
Solution
- Engineered Solutions – Randomly orientated containers/caps, orientated and orientation maintained for labeling, capping, filling, and inspection
- Timing Screw Drive Units – Modular or custom engineered timing screw drive units, either stand alone or integrated into your packaging machine and line to turn, index, orientate, combine or group your container or cap closure to meet your production requirements
Challenge: New Package Designs, Large Container on Small Machine Footprint
Solution
- Skip Feed – Unique, proven change parts designs for containers which are too large for machine.
- Container Offset Pitch – Custom engineered machine and change parts solution to utilize existing equipment.
- Existing Machine Platform Won’t Fit New Bottle Size – Existing machine won’t fit new bottle size – when machine specifications suggest either a new machine or different line, unique engineered change part solutions available, saving significant capital equipment expense