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New high-speed rotary packer cuts damage & downtime
This article appeared in the February 2007 issue of Packaging World.
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| BE GENTLE. The 12-oz. bottled beers are gently lifted and deposited into 24-pack cases at speeds up to 40 cases per minute (above). |
| SIX-PACK-READY. Each case contains four 6-pack hand carriers awaiting the bottles (right). |
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Kinder, gentler handling results in less bottle breakage and less label scuffing while achieving faster line speeds and higher efficiencies.
Yuengling Brewery, headquartered in Pottsville, PA, is a fifth-generation family-owned brewery that markets its products in 11 States, but does more volume than some nationally distributed brands such as Samuel Adams..
For its glass-packed beers, Yuengling had been using drop packers from Standard-Knapp, Inc. In March 2005, after about a year of working with Standard-Knapp on the equipment development project, the brewer agreed to install a prototype of Standard-Knapp’s PakMore™ high-efficiency rotary case packer. The new state-of-the-art system is a continuous-motion machine designed specially for faster, smoother, softer packaging of bottled products.
Zap-gap infeed
The low-maintenance PakMore machine incorporates innovative pressureless Zero-Gap II™ infeed, ensuring balanced lanes and smooth, jam-resistant operation. This feature helps avert downtime and associated downtime costs. The machine also incorporates quick and simple changeover, automatic fault recovery systems, and Allen-Bradley programmable logic controls from Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautomation.com).
A dual-axis servo grouper delivers bottles to gripper heads that pick up bottles and gently lower them into a case or tray. The 6- head system can pack up to 50 cases per minute in bottle counts of 6, 12, 18, or 24. The PakMore family also includes an alternative mode that runs production speeds of 75 cases per minute with maximum placement accuracy and minimum bottle damage.
Pottsville plant operation
At Yuengling’s Pottsville plant, the PakMore is used to casepack seven different 12-oz bottled beers in 24-pack cases at speeds up to 40 cases per minute. The bottles are deposited into four 6-pack hand carriers within the cases. These glass bottles are supplied by Owens-Illinois (www.o-i.com); the bottle closures are supplied by Crown Cork & Seal (www.crowncork.com); and the corrugated cases and 6-pack hand carriers are supplied by Inland Container Corp. (www.temple inland.com).
The brewery’s owner and president Dick Yuengling says, “The new case packer provides easier handling of the containers with less bottle breakage, less label damage, and higher speed packing.”
He adds, “Technicians from Standard-Knapp were totally involved in the installation and start-up of the machine. They offer 24-hour service assistance and extensive machine operation training programs.”
Time-Tested Team
Yuengling, one of the oldest breweries in the United States, traditionally has used case-packing equipment manufactured by Standard-Knapp, one of the oldest casing machinery manufacturers in the United States. It has been a long, mutually beneficial partnership.
Based on this long experience, Yuengling has high confidence in the machinery supplier and their ability to deliver durable, high-performance packaging equipment. In fact, the brewery still owns a vintage S-K packer that has been in operation since World War II and still runs today.
Over the years, the efficiencies offered by the S-K machines have continued to help the craft beer maker prosper and grow in the intensely competitive beer market.
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