Palletizing is a crucial final step in the packaging process, ensuring that products reach store shelves in optimal condition. Poorly palletized goods can damage both your reputation and customer satisfaction. Manual stacking often compromises employee well-being and operational efficiency, so an increasing number of brands are turning to automatic palletizers.
For those considering this shift, choosing the right type of palletizer is vital for optimizing your operations. Conventional palletizers, known for their reliability and efficiency, are particularly favored by many plant managers and packaging engineers. In this post, we explore the five key benefits of a conventional palletizer for bags—from operational speed to ease of changeover—highlighting why they remain a top choice for enhancing productivity in bag production.
1. Operational Speed and Efficiency
A conventional palletizer machine maintains a consistent speed, synchronizing better with upstream machines, such as a bag sewing station. This consistent speed ensures a smoother workflow and contributes to the machine’s longevity and reduced maintenance needs. Conventional palletizers operate at high speeds, typically ranging from 24 to 28 bags per minute for 25kg bags. By operating at an optimal speed, conventional palletizers enhance Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), making them a reliable choice for maximizing production efficiency.
2. Continuous Operation
Conventional palletizers utilize sliding doors to seamlessly transition between full and empty pallets without stopping, maintaining a continuous flow that mirrors the upstream packaging line. This consistent operation minimizes downtime and enhances productivity, ensuring that the packaging line operates without interruptions.
3. Precision in Bag Positioning and Pallet Stability
Conventional palletizers employ bag turning devices and a formation cage to ensure precise bag positioning. These systems correct positional errors before stacking, significantly reducing the risk of unstable pallets. After stacking, a conventional palletizer for bags compresses each layer against the sliding doors. This process ensures a flat, stable surface for subsequent layers, further decreasing the risk of the pallet falling apart.
4. Ease of Changeover
The versatility of conventional palletizers allows them to handle various bag types, shapes, and weights without the need for mechanical adjustments. Recipe-based changeovers enable quick and easy adjustments, reducing downtime and operational costs. Additionally, operators can easily program new stacking patterns via the Human-Machine Interface (HMI). The ability to create new patterns with the HMI enhances flexibility compared to other systems that might require vendor intervention.
5. Compact Design and Space Efficiency
Despite its substantial size and functionality, a conventional palletizer typically occupies less floor space than other types of palletizers due to its contained stacking mechanism. This function eliminates the need for safety fencing, which requires extra floor space. The compact design makes it especially suitable for facilities with limited space, optimizing the utilization of the production area.
Concluding Thoughts and Innovation with the Symach 3500S
Conventional palletizers are celebrated for their reliability, operational efficiency, and precise stacking capabilities, making them the preferred choice for many bag producers. As the industry evolves, BW Flexible Systems is at the forefront of innovation with machines like the Symach 3500S.
The Symach 3500S is a next generation machine combining the original Thiele 3500 Master Palletizer with Symach palletizing innovations. It enhances the beneficial qualities of conventional palletizer machines with advanced features for diverse packaging needs.
Symach 3500S Unique Features:
- Improved Stacking Cage; Ensures perfectly aligned pallets by minimizing overhang, crucial for maintaining product integrity during transport.
- Press Bars in Stacking Cage; Specifically designed to enhance the stacking of foldable plastic crates and boxes, ensuring secure and stable interlocking.
- Formation Cage; Optimizes stack quality for various bag types, especially non-brick styles, providing flexibility across product lines.
These innovations not only improve stacking quality but also simplify operations. The 3500S is engineered for ease of use, featuring a user-friendly interface for smart stacking pattern creation and a clean design that simplifies maintenance.
The 3500S builds on experience and technological developments to replace the Thiele 3500 Master Palletizer, but BWFS will continue to support owners of the older generation palletizer with parts, maintenance and upgrades.
Watch the video and discover how the Symach 3500S can transform your packaging line and explore our full range of palletizing solutions.
