Robotic Infeeds Help Keep Packaging Lines Running At A High Level Of Efficiency

By Walt Langosch and Kim Norris, ESS Technologies, Inc.

As seen in The Pharmaceutical Solutions Update, 2008 Fall Edition

Ongoing demands by manufacturers for faster production speeds, greater flexibility, and faster return on investment (ROI) continue to shape the designs of today's high-speed packaging machines. Innovations such as servos, advanced controls, and multi-axis robots have allowed machinery designers to create systems that can handle the higher speeds required. However, these machines can operate only as fast as their product infeeds, especially when packaging multiple products per package.

Infeed speeds can affect productivity in both primary and secondary packaging scenarios. Infeeds that fail to keep pace with the equipment's production capabilities create costly unscheduled downtime while the machine waits for product, and speed is not the only concern. Improper infeeding will cause a high-speed packaging machine to jam, which stops the system and potentially causes damage to the product or the machine. This concern is especially true of thermoformers, which form, fill, and seal product blisters, and blister packaging machines, which pull preformed blisters from a magazine before filling and sealing.