Stainless Steel Conveyer Systems

The system design was to provide for handling pallet loads, plus empty and full, plastic containers in a range of sizes from 2.5L at speeds of 70 per minute, up to 12L at 14 per minute. Flexibility in operation and accuracy of positioning was essential and in part, this was achieved with simply adjusted guide rails on conveyors. Located on an upper floor, empty containers are accepted into the system from the discharge of a robot de-palletiser, or a V80 pail destacker, feeding in single file on a series of modular belt conveyors to a lowerator. With a vertical drop of approximately 3700mm the side grip lowerator provides for system flexibility and can quickly and easily be adjusted to suit individual container dimensions, without the need for special tools. Containers are lowered via the side grip elevator to the floor below and transported on a series of modular belt conveyors to labelling, filling and lidding machinery. On discharge from the filling line, the full containers are conveyed via a modular side-flexing belt onto the infeed of the robotic palletiser for collation and off-loading onto pallets. This conveyor is fitted with a variable speed drive to optimise the feed. Also, should the filling line or robot stop for any reason, the upstream conveyors will automatically be stalled and a signal given to the robot container/pail destacker to stop. Utilising GKN Chep pallets (1200mm x 1000mm) which provide four way entry and a handling capacity up to a ton, containers are automatically stacked and conveyed on a triple chain pallet conveyor through an auto-stretch wrapper. On completion of the wrap cycle pallets are discharged via a right angle transfer unit onto an accumulation conveyor, feeding to an offloading station to be removed to store for despatch. This system has provided Ronseal with a highly efficient and reliable filling line that meets the 24/7 operational demands of modern industry.

For more information on Stainless Steel Conveyer Systems talk to Astec Conveyors Limited