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The resulting machinery could apply four different pack types and
Butcher's were particularly impressed by the machinery’s multi-functional, modular construction and the overall customised concept. A very special feature of the machinery is that it allows various different product types to be packaged one piece of equipment. The products processed in this line are round bowls containing cat food, of diameter approx. 11 cm and height approx. 2 cm, vacuum-sealed with aluminium foil.
The line was developed by Oli Gmbh and constructed in
Geretsried, Germany, consists of the following modules:
First station for 6- and 12-pack boxes
Product infeed and grouping station (olibag 310) with fully-automatic packaging machine for wrap-around boxes
(olimat 1/300 W)
Second station for multi-pack (4 x 6-pack boxes on tray)
Grouping station (oli 410) with box erector and closer for trays
(olimat 1/400 T)
Shrink Wrapper
Allied Pharma as consultants for the line utilised one of their other principals for this In
Sotempack, Bologna, Italy. For this their model 70/T90 side feed shrink wrapper was integrated with the Oli system to wrap pre loaded trays.
Final station
Compact palletiser with magazine for layer pad inserts (oli-pal A/D)
Intelligent function sequences
The infeed of the product into the collation station takes place via two separate intake belts
(olibag 310). The pots, which at first are positioned separately, are fed in by means of a double flighted indexing chain, driven by a servomotor. The clocked indexing chain turns the pots through 90 degrees so that they are now upright. The number of flights is dependent on the format, and can be adapted to the customer's requirements depending on the required product. Once the first chain segment has been filled, it is transported to the displacement area. At the same time, the second chain block moves into position and is filled according to the sequence. The two chain segments operate independently of one another, and are driven by servomotors. This ensures – as specified by the manufacturer – a high level of performance and continuous production flow.
For Butcher`s, that means: 80 pots of cat food can be processed every minute.
Once the respective chain block reaches the displacement station, the products are fed by means of a displacement rake onto an intermediate table, whereby the compressing unit is immediately activated to compress them to the desired wrap-around format – either 6- or 12-pack. The compressed pack is then pushed over to the pre-cut wrap-around part. This part has previously been removed from an easily-accessible magazine in the fully-automatic packaging plant
(olimat 1/300 W), set in an upright positioned and clocked in front of the filling station. Once the box has been filled, the inner tabs are folded in and the box is clocked further to the bonding station, where it is sealed using hot glue.
The paths of the 6- and 12-packs separate
Following the individual packaging process in the first packaging machine, the paths of the 6- and 12-packs separate. First, let's see what happens to the 6-pack
wrap-arounds: When they leave the olimat 1/300 W, they are turned backwards through 90 degrees, in other words against the direction of travel, and transported via an infeed belt to the box gathering packer oli 410 + olimat 1/400 T. There, four 6-packs are pushed onto a gathering tray and then fully-automatically packaged.
The trays are then erected, filled, folded and bonded, all in quick succession. The finished trays then leave the module, and are fed by means of roller lifting belts to the customer's own shrinkage plant, where foil is shrunk onto them. A roller pin then turns the trays through 90 degrees on the belt, where they are then fed to the final station, the compact
palletiser.
The packs come back together again
Once the products have been fed in to the plant and processed in the olibag 310, the 12-packs then pass by the oli 410 – without stopping – and are fed to a station which has been specially developed for
Butcher`s.
Here, stabilising corners are pressed pneumatically into the covering box. This improves stability, and helps to prevent the box from collapsing as successive cat food pots are removed from it. The 12-pack boxes, thus prepared, are then sluiced via the roller lifting belt back onto a shared path, through the shrink wrapper, but are not covered with foil. These, like the trays, are positioned by the roller pin parallel to the belt, and are passed to the final station, the palletiser
(oli-pal A/D), by means of a driven roller conveyor.
Precise motion sequence
The palletiser is the ideal addition to a complex final packaging line. Butcher´s were impressed by its technically-mature operating principle. Any palletising pattern is possible, thanks to optimisation software that has been developed especially for
oli. This gives customers the flexibility to modify any pallet configuration, and quickly adapt this according to their packaging requirements.
Now the palletising can begin: A servomotor-driven elevator raises the boxes or trays to the point at which they can be passed to the gripper head. Before this happens, the empty pallet is lifted, hydraulically, to the level at which palletising is to take place. When it reaches this level, the gripper takes the product that is to be
palletised, passes it, with the help of a servomotor-driven x and y
graticule, to the respective palletising position, and deposits it exactly where it is needed. Once a layer has been completed, the hydraulic unit becomes active again and gently lowers the pallet by one product height. Subsequent layers can be palletised in the same rhythm, until the loading cycle has been completed. The full pallets are lowered and can then be removed from the loading station.
The integrated magazine for intermediate inserts (oli-pal D) allows intermediate layers to be applied automatically, in order to provide the pallet with the required level of stability.
Statement from the customer
Three months after the plant was set up at Butcher`s, the company's Mr Lawrence Dawson sent the following reference to
oli: "...The packaging line has proved a great success, given the level of performance we need. We particularly like the good accessibility of the machines, their compact designs, the amazingly quiet operation of the plant, its low susceptibility to failure... and last but not least: the customer-friendly service.“
We have already heard from Northampton that they plan to integrate further oli products into their packaging processes.
For further information, please contact:
O. Lingenfelder
oli-Spezialanlagen GmbH
Blumenstraße 17-21
D-82538 Geretsried, Germany
Telephone +49 (0) 8171-9673-0
Fax +49 (0) 8171-9673-10
buero@oli-gmbh.de
www.oli-gmbh.de
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