Reclosure Applicator

Challenge 

Nutricia required a re-closure system to singulate and then place lids onto cans up to a rate of 160 per minute.  

Challenges lay around splitting up the magazine & plucker from the applicator. We needed to devise a conveyor to bring the singlulated lids from the magazine to the applicator. 

This style of plastic lidder is a common solution from RML and have supplied almost identical kit to Synlait.  

Core challenges with infant formula are to eradicate any potential for foreign matter from the lidding process to enter the cans or to sit around the lid.  

Solution 

The magazine we built was made up of two cord belt conveyors 5m in length, the magazines hold around 1250 lids which equates to 25 minutes run time at 160 lids per minute. Large capacity lid magazines allow Danone to operate for long periods of time without an operator being present. 

Lids are plucked off the magazines six at a time and placed onto the feed conveyor. The applicator receives the cans in single file then singulates them to ensure there is a constant gap. 

Lids are conveyed down to stop at the point where it is clipped onto the front of the can and is taken into the sprung loaded section of rollers, at this point the lid is pressed into place. 

This machine applies Snap Cap Lids to 99mm & 127mm diameter cans from 140mm to 190mm in height.