Case Study: Conveyor Solution for Unique Application

Notice

The Motion Automation Intelligence customer’s name, manufactured product, and project details are discussed in broad terms as a non-disclosure agreement is in place. Therefore, project details and the image are kept generic.

Introduction

A Motion Automation Intelligence branch was contacted by an existing client who manufactured commercial pest control products. The initial conversation centered around designing and delivering a conveyor system that would meet their in-plant needs to be more reliable.

The Motion Automation Intelligence account representative worked with the Motion Automation Intelligence Conveyor Systems team to devise a robust system that would fit a small area available in the client’s plant. The custom flexible chain conveyor met the client’s need and was installed by their in-house maintenance team. The result was the design and delivery of a robust solution that reduced downtime, increased production rates, and improved product quality.

The Story

This pest control products manufacturer, a small pneumatic replacement parts client for several years, reached out to see if Motion Automation Intelligence would work on a conveyor solution for them.

The area rep was trained and experienced in conveyor applications and was excited to look at the client’s needs. After an initial fact-gathering and a follow-up visit, the rep contacted the Motion Automation Intelligence Conveyor Engineering team with the client’s requirements.

They needed an improved system, as the existing conveyor was unreliable and had been causing downtime. Other challenges were uncovered during the initial visit. Since the product being manufactured included an extrusion process (heating and pressing product out through a die), any conveyor downtime resulted in lost production and difficulty in effectively running the process each time, causing further loss of throughput and labor. In addition, the existing system ran through a cooling room and did not allow for ample time for the product to cool, causing product to be packaged at higher-than-optimal temperatures at times.

The Motion Automation Intelligence engineers were also tasked with creating a divert system to allow certain product to bypass the cooling room.

The Requirement, Challenge and Proposed Solution

The product being manufactured was delicate when hot, which was the case during placement on the conveyor. Ample time was required for the product to properly cool before packaging, so additional conveyor would be needed to be placed in the small space available.

Increased reliability of the conveyor was essential to reduce downtime. The changeover to occasionally bypass the cooling room had to be simple, quick, and gentle on the hot product as it was directed onto an alternative conveyor when needed.

Motion Automation Intelligence proposed a solution that would meet all the requirements of the manufacturer and also:

• Improve product quality.
• Increase throughput.
• Reduce labor.
• Reduce scrap product.
• Provide high overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Deliver customer training and on-site/remote post-sales support.

The proposed solution was accepted, purchased, designed, built, and installed.

Why the Customer Chose Motion Automation Intelligence

The client recognized that they needed to improve their cooling process. During the discovery and fact-finding stage, the Motion Automation Intelligence rep did an excellent job of identifying more challenges that had not been initially brought up.

The highly trained Motion Automation Intelligence account rep scheduled a follow-up visit with a product specialist seeking ideas to address some application concerns.

Working with the Motion Automation Intelligence Conveyor Engineering team, a solid solution was designed and presented to the client. A high level of confidence was achieved with the client beginning with the earliest communication and throughout the process.

The Results

The solution included 100 feet of Dorner FlexMove conveyor assembled by Motion Automation Intelligence, a custom divert system, and two five-level helical conveyors for accumulating product for cooling and transporting.

After system installation and initial runoff, the client was delighted with the solution provided, which is still in use.

Learn More

To learn more about Motion Automation Intelligence’s value-added solutions and capabilities, visit ai.motion.com.