1660604138351 Cd1101 Spotlight1

Better, Faster Cookie Packaging? Sweet!

Jan. 11, 2011
Langen's Optimization Method Drives Production Line Performance

Smart machine builders know when they need some help from their friends.

Langen Packaging Group (www.langeninc.com) in Mississauga, Ontario, has been building and refining its LCR-500 top-loading robotic cells for about 10 years, and customizes its platform with various standardized modules for the different applications and products that its users want to quickly put into boxes. Basically, LCR-500's in-feed conveyor uses a linear servo pack, which sends trays of products to a robot that picks them up and inserts them into cartons. These boxes are formed and erected from blanks, and then hot-melt glued once the items are inside.

One of Langen's best customers not only wanted 10 new machines, related case packer, and in-between conveyors delivered on time to meet its own production schedules, but it also wanted Langen to make sure it could hit some very specific performance targets.

"We were committed to availability and performance of about 97% for 400 top-loaded and closed packages per minute, but we didn't have a full-scale line on our shop floor, and we couldn't test the equipment at the required and sustainable rates for extended periods of time," says Rafael Trzaskoma, Langen's project manager. "It's a big challenge to mimic actual production on a factory floor."

Speedy Snacks

Langen Packaging's LCR-500 top-loading robotic cell uses production measuring and performance management software to identify in-feed adjustments needed in a cookie manufacturing application.

The first phase of the project involved 6-8 months of development, testing and debugging at Langen's shop, and several more weeks of setup, commissioning and validation at the user's facility. "We discovered a lot of issues with trying to run fresh-from-the-oven products faster and faster," Trzaskoma says. "We broke the process down into stages, and eventually adjusted the servos' programming to better control in-feed conveyor speed and added another conveyor stage to gain more velocity control and stability."

However, to make the right adjustments, Langen and its customer's engineers needed better production data than the per-shift numbers they were collecting. They spent two weeks collecting real-time production and downtime data, both manually and from the cell's HMIs, and then sought a way to analyze it all. "We found it was easier to get the baseline we needed with Shoplogix's software," Trzaskoma explains. "The software identified two products that had problems at the in-feed stage, and that we needed a mechanical adjustment and a software tweak, which produced much better results." The software also showed that the wrapper and guillotine cutter needed to be adjusted, he says, and that the width of its side belts had to hold a closer and more-consistent tolerance, or newly baked and temporarily mushy products could cause big problems.

Because of their optimization efforts during the first phase, Langen and its customer had a much easier time when the cookie maker had to adopt some changes to make its required availability and efficiency gains more sustainable for long-term operations, Trzaskoma reports. "We no longer have to wait for the end of shift to pinpoint a problem, and that's a big advantage," he says. "Now, we can map likely problems ahead of time."

Sponsored Recommendations

2025 State of Technology Report: HMIs, IPCs and Enclosures

Industrial manufacturing equipment often relies on human-machine interfaces, industrial PCs and enclosures to ensure system reliability and optimal performance. These components...

Custom Encoder Created for Large Rotational Applications

Large rotational applications like MRI machines, excavators, mobile equipment, forklifts and stagecraft require precise motion feedback for optimal performance, safety and efficiency...

See How One Company Customized Motion Feedback for Material Handling Applications

Encoders can be used in material handling on sorters, conveyors, in automated storage retrieval systems, on mobile equipment, automated mobile robots and more. See how one company...

Absolute vs Incremental Encoders: Which One Does Your System Need?

The right encoder makes all the difference. Incremental encoders are perfect for tracking speed and direction in dynamic motion. Absolute encoders? They remember exact positioning...