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Above: The Lid Compress Roller. Plastic clamshells, full of product and with a loosely-placed lid, are gradually compressed as the package is transported forward by the conveyor below, snapping the lid into place.
Benefits:
This project was developed from concept to a commissioned product in under 2 months, with an additional two units commissioned in the following weeks. Key achievements in this iniative included:
Displacement of two full time employees (FTE) from the packaging area, saving tens of thousands of dollars per year in labour costs,
Improved lid snapping consistency, resulting in reductions of production micro-stops, and
Improved industrial hygiene by reducing the number of hands touching products.
Mechanical Automation of Production Labour
Mechanical Automation of Production Labour
Background:
A vegetable-packaging company's operations include securing a lid on a plastic container prior to the container's sealing. This task was being performed by hand and repeated thousands of times daily, subjecting the worker to repetitive strain injuries and producing inconsistent lid closures. This manual process had became financially infeasible in a changing business climate.
Problem statement:
The manual tamping of packaged lettuce lids presents food safety risks, worker health concerns, production downtime, and financial losses.
Objective:
Develop a low-cost NSF compliant automated solution to the manual tamping of clamshell lids that can withstand frequent chlorine and peroxide exposure.
Results:
This finished machine comprised of numerous sanitary stainless-steel constructed rollers, adjustable in two degrees of freedom: the overhead roller height off the conveyor and the compressing angle relative to the conveyor surface. As clamshells with a loosely-placed lid are fed into the Lid Compress Roller, the containers are gradually compressed by the rollers until the lid snap-fits into position. This simple, un-powered device cost under $1,000 to construct and install per unit, and this employer installed three of them in their facility. It was designed hygienically as per 3-A and NSF sanitary design standards.
Note: The example project highlighted above was completed in a professional capacity by members of Kettle Valley Industrial Ltd. prior to the formation of this company. It is provided to demonstrate expertise and experience, with proprietary details omitted to maintain client confidentiality.
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