An Ishida multihead weigher has proved to be the ideal solution to enable ELMET, an Austrian silicone specialist, to efficiently fill around 100 million small parts into bags every single day. Investing in this exceptional packaging technology, which has greatly increased speed, accuracy and production throughput for a fast payback on investment, has allowed the company to sustain its rapid growth.
ELMET supplies the global automotive industry with seals and parts for electronic components. The Ishida CCW-SE3-214W-1S-20-SS multihead weigher with 2 litre hoppers installed at ELMET’s production facility in Oftering in Upper Austria, is packing sorted single-wire seals into 1.2 kg bags. One bag contains 20,000 of these parts, each just 8 mm long. Their light weight (0.06 g) and elongated shape demand fine tuning and accuracy during weighing
The 14-head weigher regulates the flow of product by interfacing with an upstream vibratory feeder. An elevator lift transfers the single-wire seals before they are dropped through a funnel onto the dispersion table of the weigher. From there, the product travels across 14 radial feeder troughs to the 14 pool and weigh hoppers.
A weigh sensor in the dispersion table ensures that the flow to the radial feeder troughs, which can be individually adjusted, remains constant. Stepper motors manage the hoppers, making sure they open at exactly the right times to maintain consistent speed and accuracy so that the product flows through the multihead weigher in one smooth process.
To prevent any of the tiny parts from getting stuck, the multihead’s contact parts are deliberately designed to be free of sharp edges and corners. The ribbed surfaces of the hoppers ensure that no silicone part sticks to any area of the weigher, which is something that could otherwise happen due to the oils exuded from the silicone.
Output boosted by 50%
It takes a fraction of a second for the weigher's microprocessor to calculate the combination of hoppers that comes closest to the target weight. The precisely dosed portions of the product are then released directly into polybags.
With its new Ishida packaging system, ELMET can achieve a rate of ten cycles per minute while maintaining an incredible degree of accuracy. Output has not only increased by 50% compared to the company’s previous linear weigher but is also being delivered in half the time. Equally important, two out of six employees on the line have now been freed up to be redeployed to other operations in the factory. This impressive performance has meant that the new packaging system has paid for itself within a very short space of time.
ELMET is currently using its Ishida multihead weigher to pack 90% of its small silicone parts for automotive applications whilst the remaining 10% are small items for the medical and healthcare industries. The three to four product changeovers that take place every week only require the operator to call up pre-sets at the touch of a button. Cleaning is easy, as all contact parts can be removed and replaced without any tools, ensuring a high level of availability. The weigher's small footprint saves valuable production space.
Thanks to the booming market for electric vehicles, demand for ELMET’s silicone products has been on the rise for several years. “We reached a point at which our previous packaging technology was no longer able to handle the quantities that we needed it to,” explained Production Manager Markus Stockhammer.
DI Christl, Ishida’s agent for Austria, recommended the Ishida CCW-SE multihead weigher, and its suitability was confirmed after ELMET conducted a series of tests, which the weigher passed with flying colours. “Ishida is the global market leader in multihead weighers, which made the decision even easier,” said Markus Stockhammer.
Onwards and upwards
“Investing in this new packaging system has helped us to continue with our expansion and deliver significant improvements in revenue,” he concluded. “All in all, we're delighted with the equipment.”
Just how much ELMET is growing is evident from its new production facility, which is currently under construction on a neighbouring plot of land measuring 3,000 m² and due for completion in summer 2022. The company is planning to set up an additional packaging line for larger silicone parts there, featuring another Ishida multihead weigher.
Ends
About the customer:
ELMET Elastomere Produktions- und Dienstleistungs GmbH, based in Oftering, near Linz in Austria, describes itself as a high-end full system and service supplier for processing and metering liquid and solid silicone. The company, established in 1996, produces and supplies high-precision tools as well as metering systems and cold-runner technology developed in-house. Its core business areas include producing metering technology, implementing turnkey systems and manufacturing high-quality injection-moulded parts.
The latter constitutes one of the fastest-growing aspects of ELMET's operations, with services ranging from joint product development and prototyping to large-scale production. ELMET delivered more than 2.5 billion parts in 2020 alone. The company’s principal customers include manufacturers from the automotive, medical technology, and household appliances sectors. (www.elmet.com)
Notes to editors:
Ishida is a world leader in the design, manufacture and installation of complete weighing, packing and inspection solutions for the food industry, helping manufacturers increase automation, reduce cost and downtime, increase operational efficiencies and maximise profits.
With an installed global base well in excess of 100,000 industrial machines, covering a huge number of applications and end markets, the company is the undisputed world market leader for multihead weighers and one of the leading global suppliers of snack food bagmakers, graders, traysealers, X-ray inspection systems, checkweighers, leak detectors and Industry 4.0 solutions.
This extensive product range, along with the company’s in-depth knowledge and experience of many industries, mean that Ishida is able to design and install complete turnkey solutions for markets such as snacks and other dry foods, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, ready meals and fresh produce.
The company’s vision is to play an enduring and indispensable role in the global food supply chain, ensuring food products are delivered and consumed safely, efficiently and sustainably around the world.
