Food & Drink

Project: Orientating and Feeding of Chewable Sweets

Operation Description: Three hoppers transfer the single wrapped sweets with their different flavourings from bulk to an orientating system. From a centrifugal feeder the sweets travel via single lanes to the conveyor and are transferred to 3 lanes by an escapement. From the different escapement exit points the components are transferred with alternative flavour order to the nine lane accumulation station.

Feeding Rate:9 lanes at 200 parts/min; Main performance 1800 parts/min

RNA were contracted to design and manufacture an automated cap closing system for a range of flip top caps. It was developed for flip top caps that are open after going through the injection moulding process, the caps must be closed prior to being used by manufacturers or packaging companies. Full Case Study

Project: Orientating and Feeding of wax coated cardboard lids

Operation Description: The lids are loaded into a centrifugal feeder from a 250 litre hopper and dosed gently into the centrifugal system. Inside the feeder the lids are sorted while flat on track via a non-contact sensor. Mis-orientated components are returned back into the centrifugal for further sorting.

At the exit of the centrifugal feeder a “C” chute inverts the lids through 180 degrees by means of a motorised fan, the lids are then transported onto a further air driven track approximately 4500mm long.

Feeding Rate:120 components per minute
Full production information (PDF)

Coming soon.

Project: Orientating and Feeding of cereal bars

Operation Description: Components are manually loaded onto a conveyor by an operator; the conveyor is designed to pass underneath the customer’s existing line before inclining to discharge components into a vibratory bulk hopper.

A centrifugal feeder receives components from the bulk hopper and discharges them end to end at random via a sequence of out-feed conveyors. An orientation sensor (bar code scanner) triggers a solenoid to remove miss-orientated components, returning them to the hopper; correctly orientated components are fed onto the customer’s existing line via a declined conveyor.

Feeding Rate: 200 components per minute
Full production information (PDF)

Project: Sachet & Pouch Feeding & Handling Systems

Overview: RNA sachet and pouch feeding handling systems are versatile high speed units with the ability to singulate and equally pitch non uniform and flexible components. Pouches, sachets, cereal bars, salted snacks and bagged toys are a few examples. The systems have been developed to receive components from bulk, separate, and equally pitch discharging out on to the down stream equipment. Loading carton erectors, flow wrappers, multi bag stations and delivery to high speed flex picker type robots are common examples of the systems capabilities.

Full production information (PDF)

Coming soon.