Packaging Development and Stacking Technology (2)

Products without corrugated paper at the bottom of the package will bring two new problems when palletizing. The first is the stability of products packed together with shrink film. If the product is not tight enough, problems such as the transport of the traditional roller surface occur. The second is that the bottom of a shrink-wrapped can or PET bottle is in direct contact with the conveying idler, which may cause transport problems and cause product damage.
Sliding pallets or yards instead of pallets are an old trend that is being revived: Instead of pallets, pallets are used as a traditional palletizing method. This makes international freight no longer take up more space due to pallets. It also saves the cost of pallets.
Palletizer Improvements These new packaging trends have caused many traditional automated palletizing methods to be revisited and changed. In addition, this also makes the palletizer more modular. A series of modules can be added to the palletizer to meet the needs of the product being produced.
Plastic conveyor belts instead of roller conveyors Intralox and other manufacturers have pioneered the use of plastic belts or “pad surface” conveyors to solve these challenges. The surface replaces the traditional idler.
Surface conveyors are ideal for transporting palletized pallets for palletizing products or pallets. Not only does it provide a completely flat surface for the product, but because the head and tail have a small tooth chain, the conveyors can be located very close together, minimizing the gap.
The core concepts of a gentle handling concept include the acceleration of the product after it has reached speed and start, and the smooth transition of the product when it changes direction. The gentle handling concept also includes some mechanical issues and electronic control issues. The main mechanical problem is that when using the crash rotator and the stop plate to place the cylinder in an air-cushion state, the mechanical transition point is also changed to allow a smooth flow between the segments. From an electronic control point of view, the use of variable-frequency drives on the main engine can better control the acceleration and deceleration of the product. These concepts are often used when thin product packaging and cartons are required. This is also used for display boxes.
The gentle rotation of the box requires special care and requires a gentle rotation or differential roller rotator. To create a palletizing pattern, you need to turn the box. The traditional method is collision rotation. The box enters a board, and the board extends to the path of the box. The corners of the package contact the plate and the rollers push the back of the package 90 degrees.
A gentle turning or differential roller rotator uses a variable frequency drive set reverse roller. A carton is centered on the counter roller and is driven faster on one side than on the opposite side. The simplest operation is done in one area. One side of the roller is driven by a variable frequency drive, and the other side is a fixed drive. The box enters the middle area of ​​the conveyor belt. Half of the box is supported by the variable frequency driven idler and the other half is supported by a fixed speed idler. If you do not need to turn the box, then the side of the variable speed drive will be matched with the fixed speed side, so that the direction of the box remains unchanged. If the box needs to be turned, the side of the variable speed drive will accelerate, rotating one side of the box around the faster idler. After the box was rotated 90 degrees, the speeds on both sides were again consistent and the direction of the box was kept constant.
More complex designs enable higher yields through multiple zones. By adding variable speed drives on both sides, the box can be rotated 90 degrees clockwise and 90 degrees and 180 degrees counterclockwise. This allows the positioning of boxes and tags on the product.
The gentle rotation is increasingly used on thinner products and cartons to protect print designs that are susceptible to damage due to impact rotation.
Sheet feeders Traditionally, tie plates and sheets between product layers have been used on several layers of the entire product stack. Because the palletizer needs time to form and place several layers of the product, then the feeder can pick up and place a new sheet, so the speed requirement for the sheet feeder is also low.
Some new packaging designs require the placement of thin sheets between each layer of the product, giving rise to new concepts in the dispenser. One solution is to use a variable frequency drive to significantly reduce the cycle time between the sheet deck and the layer formation area. In some cases, it is necessary to use two sheet feeders to place the sheets in turn.
For display boxes and tying products, faster sheet feeders are required. Both types of packaging often require the placement of a sheet between each layer of product.
Packaging design changes faster and faster. Cost and consumer preferences are the reasons for these changes. This trend stems from the display of boxes, smaller boxes, faster production speeds, thinner packaging and less use of corrugated paper. All of these have an effect on the palletizer. The details of present and future packaging designs play an increasingly important role in the use and selection of palletizers.