Packaging Line Layouts and Line Direction

Line Layouts and Line Directions


With so many different things to consider when setting up a packaging line, the obvious sometimes gets overlooked.  The Packaging Specialists at Liquid Packaging Solutions will ensure that this does not happen. For example, many people will have to stop and consider the question of line direction.  Should your bottles feed into the liquid fillers, capping machinery and labeling equipment from the right side or the left side?  This will depend on how your packaging line will be laid out in your facility.  

Imagine a square room with a loading and unloading dock on the south side of the room.  A complete, automated packaging line may start in the southwest corner of the room, run to the northwest corner, across the north wall and return down the east wall to the loading and unloading dock.  Such a setup is shown in the simple diagram below.  

Packaging Machinery Line Direction

Assuming each packaging machine in the diagram is against the wall facing toward the middle of the room, the bottles, fed into the unscrambler, will enter each packaging machine on the left hand side of the machine and exit on the right hand side of the machine.  This is known as a left-to-right feed.  Even as the bottles change direction moving after moving through the container cleaning equipment and the liquid filler, they continue to feed into the capping machinery and the labelers from the left to the right.  


This same facility may have a shipping and receiving dock only in the southwest corner of the room.  In this case, the machinery may be reversed.  The unscrambler would sit in the southeast corner of the room and the pallet wrapper in the southwest.  If this were the case, the line direction for each of the packaging machines would need to reversed.  The rinsing machine, filling machine, capping machine and labeler would all need to allow for a right to left feed, to accomodate the facility and the packing process.  Manufacturing machinery without taking into account the line direction can cause unwanted headaches and extra work.  In the above example, a left to right line direction would cause boxes to be packed and pallets to be loaded in the corner of the facility opposite the loading and receiving dock, in turn causing extra work for fork truck drivers or laborers using pallet jacks.  

In other scenarios, some packaging machinery may need a left-to-right line feed while others on the same line require right-to-left feeds.  Note the diagram below:
Racetrack Conveyor Packaging Machinery
The rinsing machine and liquid filling machine sit on the inside of a racetrack type of belt conveyor system.  As bottles enter these machines, they move from left to right.  The belt conveyor system then redirects containers around a curved conveyor section and down a length where the capping machinery and labeling equipment sit on the outside of the racetrack-type conveyor.  The capper and labeler will need to be set up for a right-to-left bottle feed.  Again, note the importance of understanding your facility and your needs before beginning the manufacturing of the packaging equipment.  

Whether you are installing a complete and automatic packaging line or simply need a single piece of packaging machinery to increase your efficiency, LPS will help you choose the best machinery for your specific needs.  The LPS sales and engineering department will examine your facility and the space available.  Each and every customer can request a line drawing that will ensure that the packaging equipment will be manufactured and installed as the customer sees fit.  If you have questions regarding line layouts or line direction, or if you would simply like to consult with a Packaging Specialist regarding your packaging needs, call toll free today at 1-888-393-3693.
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