Problem Defined
How to increase operator access and ensure continious product movement in manufacturing line.
In a high-volume production environment, maintaining continuous product flow while allowing operator access throughout the production room is crucial. The challenge faced by our customer was twofold:
- Ensuring that operators could access all areas of the production floor without halting the production process.
- Facilitating the smooth transition of the product, bottles of varying diameters, on a conveyor system with minimal changeover time.
mk North America's Custom Solution
Custom conveyor solution with adjustable lanes and 90° incline/decline over doorway
To address these challenges, mk North America designed a custom conveyor solution leveraging their “hugger” style VersaFlex flat top chain conveyor. This dynamic design offers several key features:
- 90° Incline and Decline: The VersaFlex conveyor's unique ability to squeeze products, via the
“hugger” configuration allowed bottles to be transported up a 90° incline, horizontally, and back down without disruption. - Adjustable Conveyor Lanes: To accommodate the different bottle sizes, the opposing conveyor lanes were made adjustable. This was achieved using manual mk VSTs (linear modulars) with dual carriages acting in opposing directions, ensuring that adjusting one VST automatically adjusted the other three in unison.
Benefits for the Customer
Significant operational benefits of mk North America's custom doorway conveyor solution
The implementation of mk North America’s custom conveyor solution resulted in significant operational benefits for the customer:
- Uninterrupted Operator Access: Operators can now move freely around the production area without needing to turn off any conveyors, enhancing efficiency and safety.
- Continuous Product Flow: The innovative design ensures the continuous travel of products over and around designated walking areas, eliminating bottlenecks and maintaining production speed.
- Versatility in Handling Different Bottle Sizes: The adjustable width feature of the conveyor allows for quick and easy accommodation of various bottle diameters, reducing changeover time and increasing overall productivity
- Enhanced Safety: An underside catch rail was included to prevent bottles from falling, further ensuring the safe and smooth operation of the production line.
By addressing the specific challenges of maintaining continuous production flow and operator mobility, mk North America’s custom conveyor solution has significantly improved operational efficiency and flexibility for the customer.
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