Conveyors and Turntables

CONVEYING PRODUCT

If you are going to automate your packaging process, there is one piece of packaging equipment that is a must: the conveyor. In fact, one of the first steps in deciding on a packaging system will be laying out the conveyor system to insure you have room for your employees and for your packaging equipment, such as rinsers, fillers, cappers and labelers. All of this equipment and labor requires precious space. A good conveyor system can help you find that space, even if it isn't visible at first glance.

Of course, many times your product will determine which type of conveyor system you will use. Molten products, for example, would require special heat-resistant belting as well as a cooling system right on the conveyor. Dairy products would require sanitary, stainless steel conveyors. Certain chemicals and industrial products might also require stainless steel conveyors. Many systems with non-corrosive products would use an anodized, low profile conveyor system. In addition to material, depending on your space requirements, you will want to consider curved conveyor sections, or combination turntables and conveyors to save space.

What if you are a smaller company without a need for a power conveyor system? Roller conveyors allow product to easily be moved from one station to another on a manual packaging line, making life easier for the employees and more efficient for production.

Serpentine and serpentine skate conveyors are a space saving conveyor for those companies who may not use the conveyor on a daily basis, or for companies who may use the conveyor in several different production areas in a short period of time.

Conveyors are undoubtedly an integral part of packaging systems, from the smallest to the largest packaging line. Regardless of your output, the correct conveyor system can make your packaging system more efficient.

Custom machines are also available. Please feel free to contact LPS to discuss your conveyor system!

1-888-393-3693

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THE BENEFITS OF TURNTABLES

Turntables can be an integral part of any packaging system, yet the resourcefulness of this piece of packaging equipment is often overlooked. Most people picture a turntable at the end of a packaging line, collecting bottles or containers that have been through the process of filling, capping and/or labeling and are ready to be shipped. Some may also mention a turntable at the beginning of a packaging line, as a means of loading bottles and sending them down the line for filling, capping, labeling or any other packaging phase.

Fewer people, however, might mention the use of a turntable as a transfer point on a packaging system. A transfer turntable can save space by taking a full packaging line and allowing it to run in a horseshoe, or similar, pattern. Transfer turntables allow full packaging systems to fit into areas that would otherwise not accommodate such packaging equipment. One leg of the packaging system might clean and fill bottles before leading them to a transfer turntable. After the turntable, the bottles may be filled and labeled and led to a second transfer turntable, where a conveyor and packing system will await the final product!

In addition, where a packaging system is not completely automated, a turntable can be inserted anywhere in the packaging line to create a pause in the automation. For example, if bottles are filled using an automatic overflow filler, but caps are placed manually on the bottles, an accumulating turntable can be placed immediately after the filling station to create a work station for those employees doing the capping!

Another advantage of the turntable is the optional casters. In the above example, should the capping phase of the packaging system eventually become automated, the turntable could be moved to the end of the packaging system to collect bottles, or anywhere else on the packaging line where the turntable could be utilized.

Whether loading, accumulating or transfer, turntables can open the door to numerous options when setting up your packaging line. Liquid Packaging Solutions, Inc. offers variable speed turntables with anodized, stainless steel or plastic frames. Quick touch adjustments and guide rails offer easy change over from one bottle size to another. Turntable disk sizes range from 16