UNIT FIVE

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UNIT FIVE

• PACKAGING MACHINERY
• ???? ????

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Lesson 18

• General Overview
• ?18? ??

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Automated Production

• Today, automated production is essential.
  Neither
• volume nor product consistency can be achieved in
  any
• other way. Increasing production in a
  cost-effective
• manner is a difficult and complex undertaking.
  The
• project engineer overseeing such a project must
  have
• strong support from management, production,
• maintenance, and vendors. Delays, errors, and
  higher
• costs will result if this support is not totally
  integrated,
• with all concerned playing an active role.

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Automated Production

• Increasing Production
• Four options to increase production are
• Buy new state-of-the-art equipment.
• Do something with existing equipment.
• Buy refurbished equipment.
• Hire a contract packager.
• Factors that will influence this choice are as
  follows
• Availability of in-plant equipment
• Market demand for the product

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Automated Production

• The time frame in which the product must be
  produced
• Production volume
• Quality standards
• Equipment technology
• Space constraint
• Installation requirement

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The New Production Line

• The Packaging Machine Industry
• Packaging machinery manufacture is a highly
• specialized business that does not produce large
• numbers of identical machines.
• Products and packages come in such an
• infinite variety of materials and forms that even
  
• though a company may specialize in a particular
• machine class. In this respect, packaging
• machinery is a custom business.

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The New Production Line

• Given that a complete packaging line may
  consist of
• six functional stations from six suppliers,
  connected by
• conveyors and buffers made by still another
  supplier, it is
• not likely that a new line can be plugged in and
  work
• instantly and perfectly. New lines have to be
  debugged
• and brought up to operating speed. Good
  production
• engineers can usually coax a bit more speed out
  of a line
• given time and experience with the process.

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The New Production Line

• General Considerations
• Broad decisions as to machine class need to be
  made
• early and are usually obvious. For example
• Will it be a dedicated machine or will it
  need
• interchangeable parts?
• Are particular standards of cleanliness
  and sterility
• necessary?
• Are active chemicals needing special
  corrosion
• protection procedures a factor?
• Should the machine flow be from left to
  right or right
• to left?

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The New Production Line

• When examining candidate machines, remember
  that
• good packaging lines accomplish their objective
  with a
• minimum of vibration and noise.
• The transfer and flow of product and material
  through
• the production process should be smooth, with the
  
• minimum of directional changes.
• Before calling on machine suppliers, make a
  thorough
• and critical analysis of what exactly needs to be
  
• accomplished.

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The New Production Line

• Be realistic in the range of tasks that your
  machine will
• be required to perform, and resist the temptation
  to
• compromise the main objective. The more dedicated
  a
• machine is, the more efficient it will be.
• Capital outlay for machines can be heavy.
• Effective servicing and parts supply is a key
  vendor
• issue.

11
Speed

• Terminology
• The lack of specific and consistent terminology
  often
• makes discussions of productivity confusing. For
  the
• purpose of this discussion, the following
  definitions will
• be used
• Packaging line A group of integrated
  special-purpose
• machines that combine product and package inputs
  and
• produce a new product. The individual machines,
  each
• performing a different function, are referred to
  as stations.
• Input Specific product and package items
  required for
• package assembly.

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Speed

• Design speed The theoretical capacity under
  perfect
• running conditions. The speed of the machine as
• designed, running empty, is the design cycle
  rate.
• Capacity The upper sustainable limit of
  quality
• packages passing a point just before warehousing.
• Run speed The instantaneous operating rate at a
  point
• in time.
• Output A packaging lines output (designated Y)
  is the
• exact quantity of quality product passing a point
  just
• before warehousing or shipping in a given time. A
  
• machines or stations output is the exact
  quantity of
• quality product leaving that machine in a given
  time.

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Speed

• Efficiency Efficiency is a ratio of output over
  input, but
• in packaging production, this definition has many
  subtle
• variations. For this discussion, efficiency is
  used to
• describe a stations or a packaging lines actual
  operating
• time over the available time.
• The speed hierarchy would be as follows
• 1. Design speed
• 2. Capacity
• 3. Run speed
• 4. Output rate

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Straight-Line and Rotary Systems

• Packaging machines such as fillers, cappers,
  and
• labelers can be designed in straight-line and
  rotary
• configurations. Straight-line machines usually
  index a
• product into an operational station and then hold
  it there
• until the operation is completed.
• For example, intermittent-motion straight-line
  fillers
• move containers under the filling heads and then
  stop for
• the fill cycle. (Figure 18.1.) The machine may
  have one
• fill head or several fill heads ganged together.

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Straight-Line and Rotary Systems
Figure 18.1 Intermittent-motion straight-line
filler
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Straight-Line and Rotary Systems

• Continuous-motion (rotary) machines do not
  index a
• container into a station and stop, but instead
  feed the
• container into a rotating turret,where the
  operational
• heads work on the moving container. Rotary
  machines
• require a timing screw on the conveyor feeding
  into the
• starwheel to separate the containers to the
  correct pitch.
• (Figure 18.2) The starwheel changes the direction
  of
• container flow and inserts the containers into
  the filling
• turret or back out onto the conveyor as the case
  may be.

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Straight-Line and Rotary Systems
Figure 18.2 Rotary machines are able to operate
at higher speeds than intermittent machines.
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Changeovers

• Generally, the faster a machine operates, the
  more
• complex the changeover.
• For those applications where several different
  products
• will be run on the same line, ease of changeover
• becomes an important consideration. The simplest
• change is when only the product needs to be
  replaced.
• Changeovers can be an important part of output
  
• calculations. Where changeovers are frequent,
  ease of
• changeover, rather than actual machine speed, may
  
• dictate machine choice. A fast machine that has
  an
• excessive changeover time will be a handicap.

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Changeovers

• Ideally, changeovers should be possible to make
  critical
• or time-consuming adjustments or settings
  off-line. Parts
• and adjustments should be clearly marked for easy
  
• identification and setup by personnel. All
  settings should
• be quantified.
• Fast Changeover
• Introducing fast changeover to existing lines
  starts with
• listing all the elements in a changeover. These
  should be
• listed by time from the last sellable part of the
  old
• production to the first sellable part made at
  production
• speed on the new configuration. It includes both
  the hang
• time and the run-in time.

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Changeovers

• Total changeover time can be grouped into four
• main categories
• Preparation or organization get parts, get
  tools,
• locate mechanics/operators
• Changeover remove and remount change parts
• Measurement settings, calibrations, centering
• Trial run run-in, final adjustments

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Changeovers

• Make a histogram (a detailed bar chart showing
  where
• time has been spent to effect the changeover).
  Focus on
• the histogram's large elements. Determine ways to
  
• accomplish time reductions
• Eliminate need for tools.
• Externalize or "off-line" as much as
  possible.
• Make all settings to a quantified scale.
• Have a single documented procedure for all
  operators.
• The ideal changeover takes no time, no tools,
  no talent and you can sell first off .

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Machine Controls

• The motions of machine components are
  achieved,
• timed, and controlled by various methods. They
  may be
• mechanically actuated by levers, cams, chains,
  push
• rods, or gears.
• Motions can be controlled and implemented by
• microswitches, timers, electromagnetic relays,
  hydraulics,
• pneumatics, and electronic means. Each method has
  its
• advantages and applications.
• Maintenance is an important aspect of machine
  motion
• and control systems.

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Machine Controls

• A machine runs best when all components are at
  their
• optimum settings. These settings should be
  determined
• and quantified and not left to operator
  discretion.
• Microelectronics and microprocessors have
  provided
• the packaging engineer with endless possibilities
  for
• continuous monitoring of station variables such
  as fill
• weight, throughput, production speed, and machine
  
• settings.

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Developing Custom Machinery

• Periodically, packaging ideas surface for
  which no
• machine has ever been built. Designing
  special-purpose
• machines to perform totally new functions is an
• especially arduous task, one not to be taken
  lightly.
• The design of a unique machine usually goes
  through
• the following stages
• 1. Conceptual development (ideas for how each
  step will
• be achieved)
• 2. Construction of station models
• 3. Creation of assembly and detail drawings for
  prototype
• machine

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Developing Custom Machinery

• 4. Construction of prototype machine
• 5. Test run of prototype machine in production
• environment
• 6. Modification and improvement of prototype
  machine
• 7. Creation of assembly and detail drawings for
• production machine
• 8. Construction and commissioning of production
  line
• Depending on available expertise, some steps
  may be
• shortened or circumvented. Design of
  special-purpose
• machines is a high-risk activity and should be
• approached with caution.

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Upgrading Existing Equipment

• Refurbishing existing in-house equipment, if
  it is
• possible to do so, has definite benefits
• You are working with proven technology (for
• in-house equipment).
• There are no capital costs for upgrading
• existing equipment.
• Initial training and commissioning problems
• are reduced.