Packaging Line Buffer Release for Slicer Interruption Recovery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging lines experience an increase in average cycle time due to interruptions in the slicing operation, which is not effectively addressed by increasing the slicing power of the slicer, leading to inefficiencies and additional constructional efforts.
Innovation Solution
A method and packaging line design that utilizes a horizontal infeed unit with controllable servo-driven conveyor belts as buffer bands, allowing temporary operation at a higher slicing capacity to fill buffer routes fully before interruptions, ensuring seamless continuation of the packaging process without additional structural complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the slicing power of the slicer is increased to maintain packaging machine cycle frequency during interruptions, then the packaging machine can continue operating at high speed, but the slicer experiences high additional effort and increased device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The infeed unit is pre-filled with portions before interruptions occur. When the slicer needs to interrupt for caliber changes or maintenance, the infeed unit already contains a buffer of portions that can be fed to the packaging machine, allowing the packaging machine to maintain its cycle frequency without requiring the slicer to operate at excessively high power capacity.
2Reliability
If the slicing power is chosen much higher than the packaging machine power to avoid cycle time increase during interruptions, then the packaging machine can maintain continuous operation, but this represents a high additional effort on the part of the slicer
Solution Approach 1:
The infeed unit acts as an intermediary buffer between the slicer and the packaging machine. It decouples the power requirements of the two machines by storing portions temporarily, allowing the slicer to operate at its normal power capacity while the packaging machine maintains continuous operation during slicer interruptions.
3Productivity
If buffer belts are used to store portions during interruptions, then the packaging machine can continue operating, but not all conveyor belts within the infeed unit can be considered as buffer belts due to positional accuracy requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Different conveyor belts within the infeed unit are assigned different functions based on their capabilities. Buffer belts are specifically designed and positioned to handle storage and release operations, while other conveyor belts maintain their primary transport functions. This localized specialization allows the system to achieve buffering capability without requiring all conveyor belts to be modified for buffer operations.
Data Source
AI summary
In order to avoid a decrease of cycle frequency of a packaging machine within a packaging line caused by a previous interruption of a slicer's on-slice operation, e.g. during its loading, special residual buffers for additional buffering of portions compared to normal operation may be released by a controller shortly before the interruption. For example, non-buffer positions for portions on buffer bands may be released, or portion positions on non-buffer bands may be released.