Factors as varied as home improvement TV shows, the rise of big-box retailers coupled with decline of mom-and-pop stores, and consumer demand for packaging that is both more appealing and more functional -- all contribute to the packaging challenges facing material handling today.

"The trend is for both larger packages for warehouse stores and smaller packages for convenience stores," says Ken Thouvenot, vp of project management and engineering, FKI Logistex North America. "For example, not long ago, beverage (soft drink, water, beer, etc.) containers came in either 12- or 24-packs. Today we are seeing 28-, 35- and 36-packs for both PET bottles and cans. At the other end of the spectrum, 8-, 6- or even 4-packs are being produced." (For more, click here.)

Thus manufacturers are challenged to meet ever more varied demands while keeping costs down and increasing productivity.

"In terms of hardware, many applicator systems were designed for direct label application to boxes, cartons, or pallets," says Dan Williams, marketing manager for Avery Dennison Printer Systems. "However, users will sometimes have needs to employ them to apply labels to cartons with odd shapes that outstrip the systems' existing application capabilities. Vendors are meeting these demands by designing new customizable programs. They are designing new machinery with control systems that are much more flexible and using new, more forgiving materials. A lot of engineering has also shifted from the manufacturer to the vendor." (For more, click here.)

Building the Label Into the Part

Suppliers to the automotive industry are using Avery Dennison's Accu-Place In-Mold Labeling (APIML) technology to incorporate preprinted labels during plastic part production. Avery Dennison's proprietary Accu-Tack technology places the label inside the mold and holds it precisely in position as the part is being produced. The label bonds with the molten plastic so that it is embedded in the finished part. The process can be used with polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, nylon, and ABS parts. APIML eliminates the need for pressure-sensitive labels and secondary processes such as pad printing, hot stamping, and silk screening, and can deliver returns in excess of 25% on applied label costs.

"For critical applications such as warning labels and safety messaging, this provides absolute permanence while enhancing the aesthetics of the vehicle," says Lisa Koval, director of sales and marketing for Avery Dennison's Automotive Products Division. "When you add in the cost savings in manufacturing, APIML can contribute significantly to helping auto makers meet their design and profitability goals." (For more, click here.)

Robotic Palletizing Leads to 55% Productivity Gain

JTM Products, Inc, the original manufacturer of Murphy Oil Soap, today has two main product lines: Murphy's tire mounting/demounting lubricants, and Phoenix pipe joint lubricants. The company also does private label and specialty product manufacturing.

In planning for a new facility, president/CEO Dan Schodowski needed a palletizing solution that could handle two different product lines, one packaged in 25 and 40 lb pails, and the other in cases of quart or gallon containers.

An automated palletizer that could palletize both pails and cases was the answer. FKI Logistex offered an integrated palletizing cell featuring a Motoman articulated robot with an FKI Logistex vacuum end effector.

In the original design, 10 pallets are preloaded on the pallet-loading station at the start of a sequence and the robot counts its way down. FKI Logistex is currently working on a modification that will allow the palletizer to sense how many pallets have been loaded on the pallet station, allowing the operator to load any number up to 10, and providing JTM the flexibility to do shorter runs and vary sizes without having to manually pull pallets out of the cell.

Beyond allowing JTM to run two lines at once, the palletizing cell handles a variety of stacking patterns and pallet sizes, in addition to managing the different pail and case sizes. While JTM currently uses the system at 65% of capacity, leaving the extra for continued growth, on a heavy day the robot palletizes as many as 70 pallets of 25 lb pails -- a 55% productivity gain that has enabled moderate sales growth.

"In the old facility without the robot, I would have had to add two people to get up to this volume," says director of operations Larry Wilson. "The ergonomics factored into our decision," he adds, pointing out that the company has an aging workforce.

"We could be saving someone's back, which could be a worker's comp claim somewhere down the road," says Schodowski. "When you factor in all of those types of costs, you can say the payback is definitely worth it." (For more, click here.)

Custom Motion System Increases Case Packer's Efficiency

Recently, RPT Motion, a provider of custom modular linear motion systems, teamed up with Kerk Motion Products on a retrofit project for a tissue manufacturer whose operation was getting bottlenecked at the case packing stage.

The manufacturer wanted to add a second case packer. But the existing system, which had a two-position lane changer powered by a pneumatic cylinder, wouldn't provide the required four positions and higher speeds.

"We could have found a ball screw with a fast lead, but it would not have fit into the current assembly, forcing us to redesign the entire slide system for a bigger, heavier screw," says RPT president Peter Ratcliffe.

RPT incorporated a Kerk screw and nut into its modular slide system design, providing a smooth running, high-speed, servo-powered system, with an anti-backlash lead screw assembly, which could feed the required four lanes.

Kerk's Series VHD lead screws come in a variety of different leads in the same size physical package. To meet the high speeds required in the lane changer application, RPT chose a 2.400 in. travel per revolution screw of ¾ in. nominal dia, which had approximately the same efficiency as a ball-nut configuration. The reconfigured system eliminated the manufacturer's bottleneck -- and within the confines of the system's original dimensions, thus avoiding the expense of a complete redesign. (For more, click here.)