Snus Packaging Machine Closed-Loop Conveyor and Picking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging machines for the tobacco industry, particularly those handling snus, face challenges in transferring products from containers into packages without disrupting the machine's operating cycle, especially when packaging in blister packs.
Innovation Solution
A packaging machine with a feeding unit, conveyors, and a picking device that moves containers along a closed path, allowing for efficient transfer of products from containers to blister packs by using a swapping unit and 'pick-and-place' robots to coordinate the movement and placement of full and empty containers, ensuring continuous operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If products are transferred from containers to packages using conventional packaging machines, then the transfer operation can be performed, but the machine's operating cycle is disrupted and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging machine is divided into separate functional modules: a feeding unit that continuously supplies packages and a picking device that operates independently to transfer products. This segmentation allows the feeding unit to maintain continuous operation while the picking device performs transfer operations at optimized intervals, preventing disruption to the overall operating cycle
Solution Approach 2:
A picking station is introduced as an intermediary between the container supply and the packaging line. The picking station acts as a buffer zone where products are temporarily held and transferred using pick-and-place robots, decoupling the container emptying operation from the continuous packaging flow and eliminating operating cycle disruptions
2Productivity
If a picking device is added to transfer products from containers to packages, then product transfer efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The picking device is designed with multi-functionality to handle various container types and package configurations. The pick-and-place robots can adapt to different product arrangements and container geometries through programmable control, reducing the need for multiple specialized devices and thereby managing complexity while maintaining high transfer efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The picking device incorporates automated container detection and positioning systems that self-adjust to container variations. The system automatically identifies container locations, adjusts gripper positions, and optimizes transfer paths without manual intervention, reducing operational complexity while maintaining high productivity
3Ease of operation
If containers are moved along a linear path for product transfer, then the picking operation can be performed, but the space requirements at the picking station increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor path is designed as a ring-like closed loop instead of a linear path. This curved configuration allows containers to circulate continuously through the picking station, enabling multiple picking operations to occur in sequence along the circular path. The compact circular layout significantly reduces the spatial footprint compared to a linear arrangement while maintaining operational feasibility
4Area of stationary object
If the conveyor path is made closed and ring-like for continuous container circulation, then space efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading station and exit station are merged into the same physical location on the ring-like conveyor. Containers are loaded at this station, circulate through the picking operations, and are automatically discharged back at the same station. This merging eliminates the need for separate loading and unloading sections, reducing overall system complexity while achieving compact space utilization through the closed-loop design
Data Source
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AI summary
What is described is a machine (10) for packaging products (S) of the tobacco industry, particularly snus, comprising: - a feeding unit (20) for feeding packages (200) along a feeding direction (K1); - a first conveyor (30) configured to move a plurality of containers (100) from a loading station, in which one or more products (S) are positioned in each container (100), to a position (P1) of swapping containers; - a second conveyor (40), which is positioned downstream of the first conveyor (30), for moving the containers (100) along a ring-like closed path which starts and terminates at the swapping position (P1), and for conveying the containers (100) through a picking station (50) that is positioned along the ring-like closed path; - a third conveyor (60) configured to move the empty containers (100) from the swapping position (P1) to an exit station of the machine; - a unit (80) for swapping containers between the first, second and third conveyors (30, 40, 60); - a picking device (70) for transferring the products (S) of the containers (100) that are positioned at the picking station (50) into packages (200) that advance along the feeding direction (K1).