Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Form, fill and seal flexible packaging Low Pressure Feeder Development Project Developing collaborative partnerships that optimise the business of product research and development, assisting customers to exploit science and technology to create value, profit and growth

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Standard In-Line Feeder Operation Maximum Speed Sensor Medium Speed Sensor Minimum Speed Sensor Monitoring Belt Transports products towards the metering belt by running at a relatively high constant speed, slipping beneath the section of the slower moving product queue formed over it Metering Belt Sets the speed at which the entire product queue moves, running at one of three discrete speeds determined by which speed sensors are blocked by the product queue. Accelerator Belt Mechanically geared to the metering belt to pull a gap between products as they leave the queue Product Sensor Detects individual products and synchronises them with the downstream infeed. As the products in the queue are touching each other and the metering belt is electronically geared to the infeed at one product pitch per infeed pitch, after the initial product is correctly positioned subsequent products remain synchronised with minimal corrections allowing high speed operation

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Standard In-Line Feeder Operation Waiting for Product The metering belt and hence the product queue is stationary while waiting for products arriving on the monitoring belt Minimum Speed The metering belt runs at the minimum speed when the minimum sensor becomes blocked with products Medium Speed The metering belt runs at the medium speed when the minimum and medium sensors are blocked with product Maximum Speed The metering belt runs at the maximum speed when the minimum, medium and maximum sensors are all blocked with products

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Standard In-Line Feeder Operation Pros Simple, low cost design - 3 conveyor belts controlled by 2 motors and a basic speed control algorithm, controlling product flow by continually jumping between the minimum, medium and maximum speeds as the end of the product queue is detected. The medium speed is set to the nominal product arrival rate with the minimum and maximum speeds setting the range over which the speed can vary. Cons Operates over a limited minimum-maximum speed range, typically +/-15% of the nominal product arrival rate, depending on product handling constraints and the time available to make speed change

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Standard In-Line Feeder Operation Push Through As the length of the product queue increases, the back pressure on the queue also increases due to the faster moving monitoring belt slipping beneath the slower moving queue. This can cause “push through” where the entire queue starts moving faster than the metering belt, creating an un-correctable positional error in the products leaving the queue, leading to loss of synchronisation with the infeed. The minimum-maximum speed range can be increased by a combination of the following Increasing the length of the monitoring belt to increase the distance between consecutive speed sensors, extending the time available to make speed changes. Increases the back pressure on the product queue due to the monitoring belt slipping beneath a longer queue, making the onset of “push through” more likely. Increasing the acceleration rate used to jump between speeds, ensuring speed changes take place within the time available. Rapid speed changes increases the chance of product slipping on the metering belt, making the onset of “push through” more likely.

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Standard In-Line Feeder Operation The onset of “push through” can be minimised by a combination of the following Using a low friction (slippery) monitoring belt Belt can be contaminated with product debris, loosing its low friction properties Using a high friction (sticky or vacuum) metering belt Belt can be contaminated with product debris, loosing its high friction properties Increasing the length of the metering belt to increase the static friction holding the product queue at metering belt speed Increases the overall length of the ILF using more floor space Reducing the length of the monitoring belt to reduce the back pressure on the product queue Reduces the distance the distance between speed sensors, decreasing the time available to make speed changes and hence limits the minimum–maximum speed range.

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Low Pressure In-Line Feeder Operation Arrival Rate SensorQueue Sensor Monitoring Belt Transports products towards the metering belt by running at a relatively high constant speed, slipping beneath the section of the slower moving product queue formed over it Metering Belt Sets the speed at which the entire product queue moves, running at the average product arrival rate as detected by the arrival rate sensor with feedback correction to keep the end of the product queue around the queue sensor Accelerator Belt Mechanically geared to the metering belt to pull a gap between products as they leave the queue Product Sensor Synchronises products with the downstream infeed using a variable electronic gear, automatically compensating for products that naturally vary in length due to the manufacturing process (e.g. baked products, which can be over/under sized by as much as +/-15%), increasing the maximum speed and/or reducing the chance of push through by minimising the otherwise higher accelerations required to remain synchronised

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Low Pressure In-Line Feeder Operation Waiting for Product The metering belt and hence the product queue is stationary while waiting for products arriving on the monitoring belt Minimum Speed The metering belt runs at a variable speed between the minimum and maximum limits while the end of the product queue remains around the queue sensor, making machine speed independent of queue length Maximum Speed

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Low Pressure In-Line Feeder Operation Simple, low cost design – 3 conveyor belts controlled by 2 motors and a refined speed control algorithm, controlling product flow by monitoring the actual product arrival rate. Back pressure on the product queue is automatically minimised by maintaining a short queue over the entire speed range, significantly reducing the possibility of “push through”. Speed changes are carried out gradually using low acceleration, minimising the chance of product slipping on the metering belt, making the onset of “push through” less likely. Operates over a wide minimum-maximum speed. The maximum speed is set slightly higher (typically 10%) than the maximum product arrival rate. The minimum speed is set as low as possible without causing other wrapping issues, e.g. burning the wrapping material

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Low Pressure In-Line Feeder Operation 50% 100% 0% Wide Min-Max Speed Range Multi-line application where machines run in pairs, each receiving 50% of production. If one of the pair stops for any reason, the other machine automatically ramps up to take 100% of production until the stopped machine comes back online.

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited Low Pressure In-Line Feeder Operation Alternate slugs of products Alternate products To prevent slugs of products rapidly increasing queue length and causing push through, an adjustable feature modulates machine speed in synchronisation with products arriving at the end of the queue

Copyright  2009 by Automatic Test & Control Limited. All rights reserved.Automatic Test & Control Limited New End Seal Technology For more Information Please contact Telephone (0) Address Automatic Test & Control Limited 35 Lubnaig Drive Linburn Estate Erskine PA8 6AU