Created on 10.08

Optimizing Industrial Case Packing Machinery Performance

Case packing equipment is a vital component in the automated process of end-of-line manufacturing. Through the use of case packing equipment, a manufacturer can enhance consistency in handling and minimize repetitive tasks.

However, the speed of the machine does not necessarily influence the performance of a case packing machine. Other issues such as product feed, case position, gripper changes, maintenance, and interaction with other equipment may contribute to the performance of the machine.

For manufacturers who aim to improve the performance of their case packing machines, the priority is to ensure that the process is stable rather than necessarily increasing the speed of the robot.

Begin With Consistent Product Feeding

A case packing system will be able to work in a consistent manner only if the products enter the system in the correct position and pace.

Inconsistent product feeding will lead to gaps, accumulation, misalignment, or unexpected stoppage. This may affect the real capacity even if the case packing robot is able to work faster than its actual performance.

For the infeed system, manufacturers need to take into account the following factors:

Product dimensions and configuration
Product orientation
Feeding speed
Configuration of the conveyor
Spacing between the products
Product accumulation before entering the packing area
Product collision or misalignment possibility

The infeed system must supply products consistently, according to the demands of the case packing process. This is especially true for products with irregular shapes and various packaging types.

Optimize Product Grouping and Gripping

When the products are brought to the packaging station, grouping and gripping start to become factors that will influence the case packaging process.

The products will have to be grouped in accordance with the desired case configuration. Thus, they may have to be organized in specific rows or layers prior to being moved into the case.

It is important to consider the gripping mechanism used as well. It may be either a vacuum, pneumatic, mechanical, or multifinger gripping system depending on the application.

The improper choice of the gripping method will result in the products moving, falling, and extra handling cycles, whereas the correct gripping mechanism will allow maintaining proper positioning of the products while moving them.

For instance, it is possible to configure Techflowbot's dual-axis case packer robots to use various grippers to handle bottled, boxed, and bagged products.

Twin-axis case packing robot handling products for automated case packing

Inspect Cases for Quality and Alignment

Product handling is just one aspect of the procedure. The cases themselves must also be in appropriate condition and alignment when they reach the packer.

Poor quality or nonuniform cases may present difficulties during loading. Poor alignment can also impact how the products are loaded into the case and lead to additional halts or adjustments.

It is therefore advisable for the manufacturer to consider:

Case size and tolerances
Condition of the case opening
Position of the case on the conveyor
Case stability during loading
Compatibility of product and case
Handling of finished cases

The correlation between product size and case size is especially significant. An appropriate packing arrangement may be unsuccessful if the space available is insufficient or product movement takes place during loading.

Make Changeovers Practicable

Often production lines process more than one type of product or case format. In such situations, changeover time may directly influence total equipment effectiveness.

While designing a case packing system, it is important to consider product types that are expected to be packed. If there are frequent manual adjustments, changeover may become inefficient and prone to mistakes.

Manufacturers should consider whether the system makes it possible to make practical adjustments to:

Dimensions of the product
Dimensions of the case
Patterns of packing
Gripper configuration
Conveyor positioning
Program of robots

Change tools quickly and repeatably when it is necessary. The point is not to accelerate robot movements but to minimize unnecessary setup time.

Avoid Maintenance Becoming a Bottleneck for Production

There is an intimate connection between maintenance and the availability of the machinery used for case packing.

Periodic maintenance checks can help spot worn-out components that would otherwise cause unexpected disruptions. In line with the type of equipment, the maintenance personnel could inspect mechanical parts, grippers, conveyors, and sensors, among others, that influence the packing process.

Some preventive measures may include:

Inspection of grippers and tools
Inspection of the components of the conveyor
Cleaning of sensors and detectors
Inspection of moving parts
Inspection of the pneumatic or vacuum systems
Review of machine alarm trends
Replacement of worn components in accordance with the requirements of the equipment

Predictive maintenance can also be done as required. The information from the machine can help identify any changes in operating conditions and allow further investigation before causing major production disruptions.

However, the particular inspection methods would depend on the machine design and not every case packing machine. For manufacturers reviewing the safety and maintenance aspects of case packing equipment, case packing machine safety can also be considered as part of the overall equipment design.

Coordinate the Total End-of-Line Flow

The machinery for case packing will not typically be working as an independent machine.

It could be linked with the conveyor lines, packaging machinery that precedes it, case forming machines, sealing machinery, palletizers, and any other machinery coming after it. The performance of one of the machines could then have an effect on the entire line.

In some cases, accumulation might take place where the rate at which the case packing machinery is operating is higher than the rate at which the machinery that handles the cases coming after it can handle the cases. Unstable input from the machinery coming before it could also result in inefficient use of the case packer.

It is therefore important for manufacturers to consider the whole flow of materials when optimizing the case packing machinery.

Some of the considerations that could be made are

Flow of product through the machinery
Capacity of the conveyors
Buffer and accumulation zones
Communication among the equipment
Case handling capacity
Palletizing requirements after the case packer
Machine recovery after stops

A balanced line can often deliver better practical performance than simply increasing the speed of one individual machine.

Automated case packing machinery integrated with conveyor and end-of-line equipment

Measure Performance with Appropriate Metrics

While machine speed is a helpful indicator, it is inadequate for measuring the true performance of the case packing system.

Manufacturers can measure various metrics to determine how production losses happen:

Real Throughput Rate

Count the number of cases completed during a given production cycle. It will give you a much more realistic measure than just the maximum machine speed rate.

Unexpected Downtimes

Record the times of unplanned stops and reasons why they occurred. Even frequent short downtimes can greatly influence overall production time.

Changeover Time

Calculate the time taken to change from one product or case configuration to another. This metric is especially important for factories producing different SKUs.

Rejects and Packing Errors

Keep track of operations that require correction or items that have been packed in an incorrect manner. High levels of errors might be a result of feeding, grasping, positioning of the box, and/or machine settings.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness

OEE can offer a more extensive approach to analyze availability, performance, and quality. Instead of focusing on the specifications of a single machine, manufacturers can apply these metrics to determine where the loss actually occurs.

What we aim to do here is to find out the root causes by analyzing performance.

The Machinery Should Be Matched to the Application

No particular case packing machine layout will be effective for each type of item packed.

Various product considerations, such as size, design, weight, case packing method, output requirement, available floor area, and changeover needs, will affect the choice of equipment.

In other words, a company that packs lightweight bottles may need different feeders and grippers from another one that handles heavy bags and boxes.

Prior to choosing any case packing machinery, manufacturers should know what is needed by the process in full, as this equipment will work within the entire line.

The equipment selected should be able to do the job right as far as handling ability, output, and flexibility are concerned.

Efficiency Over Time Planning

The optimization of case packing machines is an ongoing process and not just a one-time effort.

As the needs of manufacturing companies evolve, introducing new products or altering the case designs, it might be necessary to make some alterations to the existing system, which works perfectly with current production demands.

Manufacturing companies, therefore, need to think ahead in their efforts to select equipment and design a system at the outset.

This will allow the company to build an effective platform for change in the future.

Conclusion

Improving the efficiency of case packing equipment cannot simply be achieved through speed increases. Product feeding, correct grouping and gripper design, precise case positioning, changeover processes, preventive maintenance, and proper material flow are all factors that affect production efficiency.

Throughput, downtime, changeover time, packing defects, and overall equipment effectiveness are some of the factors that manufacturers should consider when determining which areas of the process can be improved.

By assessing the case packing process as a whole within the end-of-line system, manufacturers can gain better insight into how to configure their equipment and improve long-term production performance.

For manufacturers looking to integrate case packing into a broader automated production line, Techflowbot provides robotic packaging and end-of-line solutions covering case packing, palletizing, depalletizing, conveying, and related material handling processes.