Spee-Dee Case Study no. 2: Decreasing Levels Of Product Dust
01. May, 2010
- Company: Large Food Processor
- Objective: To improve filling accuracy while decreasing levels of product dust in the packaging process.
- Situation: The company was using a high-speed rotary pouching machine with belt feeders to fill cocoa into packets at a rate of 750/minute. With this system, the product was exposed to open air until it was filled into the pouches, resulting in significant product loss through airborne cocoa dust. Maintenance costs were high, as the circumstances necessitated that the machine be stopped and cleaned as often as two to three times per day.
- Solution: A Spee-Dee® Twin 3500 Digitronic® Auger Filler was installed in place of the belt feeders and was then tied into the client’s existing electrical control systems, resulting in better product handling and more accurate filling during the packaging process. The addition of a dust shroud on the tooling prevented airborne product from dispensing into the air.
- Bottom line: Machine clean-out was greatly reduced, resulting in a noticeable decrease in maintenance expenses and costly downtime. And, while the filling speed was maintained, dust levels diminished and product fill accuracy significantly improved. IN FACT, FILLING DISCREPANCY DECREASED FROM 4 GRAMS PER PACK TO LESS THAN 1 GRAM PER PACK, WHICH AMOUNTS TO SAVINGS OF MORE THAN 135,000 GRAMS PER HOUR!
