The packer uses a robotic arm to load two static trolleys simultaneously, at double the packing speed of conventional systems and avoids the need to manipulate trolleys, which causes compatibility issues from differing designs or damaged trolleys.
Introduction of lightweight bottles
John Salisbury, director, Mechelec, based in Bedfordshire, UK, told DairyReporter, the TP1002 is much simpler and due to the use of the robot it has less components and is more ‘open’, to allow easier access.
“We also leave the trolleys static, rather than lifting them, this allows us to handle a variation of tolerances within the trolleys,” he said.
“Current trolley packer systems are more cumbersome and slower, you need potentially two of the current system to one of ours.”
Salisbury added, the technology took a couple of years to develop, a direct result of identifying the major issues affecting mechanized trolley packing.
“The TP has been produced because of the major change we have seen in the dairy industry, in the UK, which is the introduction of lightweight bottles,” he said.
De-baggers, conveyors & conveyor control systems
“We have spent the last five years producing de-baggers, conveyors and conveyor control systems to try and handle the lightweight bottles. They are more prone to damage, which causes all sorts of problems at the fillers.
“We have been part of the lightweight bottle roll out, during which we witnessed the complexities the existing Trolley Packers were having handling the new bottles, which is why we started on the Trolley Packer route.
“We are effectively launching it now and we have been in discussions with a major dairy company, who have a need for the TP, but wanted to see some proof that the `idea’ could work.
“We have invested our own time and money into proving we could handle the bottles and at the speed we claimed. We have patent applications filed, so we are at a stage where we wanted to let the world know and see what interest we can stimulate.”