Tag: Intelligent Bridges

Connecting Islands of Automation

Written on by frain-sales

In John Henry’s white paper, Flat-Top Conveyor Basics, he explains that “conveyors are intelligent bridges between islands of automation.”

A complete, dry product filling line filling 16 ounces of peanuts at 20 bottles per minute is a great example.

Each automated machine is connected by different conveyors – 3 bottomless side belt and 1 table top –  that push the product to the next machine. When the product arrives at its final destination – an unscrambler – the product is ready to be boxed.

Would it be possible for these islands of automation to effectively generate the same product without conveyors? Maybe, but smart automation cannot occur without automated machinery or the bridges that connect them.

Islands-of-Automation-Meijer

Optimizing production relies on different variables, including equipment, technology, artificial intelligence, data, and more. It helps increase productivity, efficiency, quality, and safety while reducing the cost of labor and damaged material.

At Frain, we can quickly and effectively help you connect islands of automation to intelligent bridges.

Our team is available to help you enhance and automate your production application faster than anyone else.

Click here to learn more about the complete packaging line that is shown above.

Intelligent Bridges to Islands of Automation

Written on by frain-sales

In his latest white paper, Flat-Top Conveyor Basics, John Henry of Changeover Wizard states that “a series of machines such as a filler, a capper, a labeler and so on” are islands of automation.

Each machine, or automation island, can accomplish little on its own.  However, as comprehensive, line units or gestalts connected via conveyors, automated packaging lines produce more than the sum of their parts.

automation-helps-saftey-efficiencey-costs-productionre

John explains that “Too often conveyors are treated as the proverbial rented mule of packaging lines.”

Conveyors often bridge processes requiring some intelligence to take the product and feed it to the next machine and are therefore intelligent bridges.

Packaging engineers, plant, and operation managers often take conveyors for granted.  They are usually the last piece of equipment obtained by any project.

Ironically, conveyors are highly sought after in the packaging industry.  They are a diverse group that can be tailored to most applications. At Frain, we have over 10 kinds of intelligent bridges ranging from belts, bucket elevators, screw, infeed, vibratory, and more conveyors.

We also have the islands of automation from popular categories like capping, cartoner, candy, mixers, fillers, form fill seal, and more packaging and processing machines.

Download the complete Flat-Top Conveyor Basics white paper to continue learning about intelligent bridges.