Dual-Turret Liner Machine for Continuous Can End Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liner machines for applying sealing compounds to can ends face issues with frequent downtime due to nozzle clogging and maintenance challenges, as well as large, bulky designs that complicate maintenance and increase operational costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of a dual turret liner machine system with synchronized or independent turret operations, where each turret moves in opposite directions, featuring customized components and optimized downstacker placement to increase lining time and facilitate easier maintenance, reducing labor, power, and space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single turret liner machine is used, then the machine structure is simpler, but the production capacity is reduced and downtime increases when maintenance is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The single turret is divided into multiple independent workstations (typically 6-12 stations) arranged around the turret perimeter. Each workstation can independently receive can ends, apply sealant, and discharge finished products. This segmentation allows one or more stations to be maintained while others continue operating, thereby maintaining production capacity without requiring a complete machine shutdown.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple workstations are merged into a single integrated turret system that shares common components such as the sealant supply manifold, control system, and discharge mechanism. This merging provides the benefits of increased production capacity through parallel processing while maintaining relatively simple overall structure through component sharing.
2Ease of repair
If the turret rotates in one direction, then the thread orientation is consistent, but the maintenance accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The turret is designed to rotate in the opposite direction compared to conventional liner machines. This inversion allows maintenance personnel to access components from the same side as the feed hopper, eliminating the need to reach underneath the machine and significantly improving maintenance accessibility. The opposite rotation direction also changes the thread orientation requirements for mounting components.
Solution Approach 2:
The turret and starwheel are positioned asymmetrically within the machine footprint, with the turret offset from the centerline. This asymmetric arrangement, combined with the opposite rotation direction, creates optimal maintenance access pathways while accommodating the specific thread orientation requirements of the inverted rotation system.
3Productivity
If the starwheel and turret rotate in the same direction, then the synchronization is simpler, but the can end handling efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The starwheel rotates in the opposite direction to the turret, which is the inverse of conventional designs. This opposite rotation allows the starwheel to feed can ends onto the turret in a manner that optimizes the timing and positioning of can ends at each workstation. The inverted rotation direction improves can end handling efficiency by better synchronizing the feed rate with the turret's rotational speed and workstation cycle times.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronization between the starwheel and turret is achieved through dynamic control rather than fixed mechanical coupling. The system can adjust the rotational speeds and timing of the starwheel and turret independently to optimize performance for different production rates and can end types, providing flexibility while maintaining efficient handling.
4Ease of manufacture
If the machine is designed with large footprint to accommodate all components, then the component placement is easier, but the space requirement and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The machine components are arranged in a three-dimensional configuration rather than a simple two-dimensional layout. The turret extends vertically from the base, and the starwheel is positioned at a different vertical level, allowing components to be stacked or layered to save floor space. This vertical arrangement maintains adequate working clearance for component placement and maintenance while reducing the overall machine footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
Components are nested within each other where possible. The sealant supply manifold is integrated into the turret structure, and the control system is housed within the machine frame. This nesting arrangement reduces the overall space requirement while maintaining ease of component placement and access during assembly and maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
A liner machine for applying a sealing compound to a can end or lid. The liner machine includes a motor drive dual turret system. The turret system is installed at the top of a table or platform surface and two turrets rotate in opposition directions from one another, simultaneously or independently at same or different times. Each turret includes a plurality of workstations which extend out from each turret facing away from each other. The workstations receive an individual lid, which is delivered via a starwheel from a downstacker to each turret system. Each rotates in a direction that is opposite the direction that its respective turret system rotates, and in a direction that is opposite the direction that the other starwheel rotates. Sealant injectors in the turret systems apply sealant to each lid as the lids rotate around each turret system.