Maintworld 1/2017

TECHNOLOGY
Shock absorbers maximize
a material handling system’s
speed and load, while increasing
efficiency and cutting costs.
Decreasing Downtime
No Matter the Industry
With today’s tight time constraints and
ambitious production goals, shutting
down a production line altogether can
prove very expensive. For industries like
packaging, food and beverage and PET
bottling, machinery and its components
also need to withstand environments
like frequent wash down and high temperatures,
while operating at a high cycle
rate. As shock absorbers protect against
excess force and prevent additional
wear and tear, they can help minimize
component failure and help machines
operate at their highest capacity. Designing
shock absorbers into the equipment
is key in meeting unique requirements,
whether a bottling facility requires specific
location sensors or a food packaging
plant needs components that operate
in small spaces and unique wash-down
environments. Downtime due to component
failure is minimized, allowing
equipment to operate at design conditions.
For example, a packaging systems
manufacturer produces a variety of machines
that package food products such
as deli and sausage products. One of
these packaging machines was specifically
used to package poultry products.
During operation, this machine needs to
withstand the wet and messy environment
of poultry packaging, including
frequent wash down. As a market leader,
the company needed this machine to
operate at the fastest cycle rate in the
industry. This means that each machine
36 maintworld 1/2017
must process 15 to 18 birds per minute.
The machine was designed with shock
absorbers installed at the end-of-stroke
position on a pneumatic rodless cylinder
used for a shuttle operation and
at-the-end of cycle position as a positive
stop for a pivot. Unfortunately, the
pre-installed shock absorbers could not
withstand the high cycle rate or harsh
environment.
ITT Enidine worked with the company
to design a special shock absorber
that would withstand the cycle rate,
processing environment and frequent
wash down. The solution was customengineered
to have a substantially higher
capacity and a smaller envelope than
pre-installed, competing shock absorbers.
With the new solution, downtime
due to component failure was minimized
and the packaging machines operated at
optimal cycle rates. Because of this productivity
increase, the company maintained
its market position and increased
sales annually. Packaging machines are
excellent candidates for shock absorption
technology, which control air cylinders
and help machines operate at their
highest capacity.
Ensuring Quality and
Reliability
Shock absorbers can improve the overall
quality of equipment by meeting the
necessary environmental needs, like extreme
heat or cold, production speed and
uneven loading. Custom engineering of
a shock absorber for each unique application
will allow that shock absorber to
work specific to that application. Regular
equipment maintenance, including
replacement of shock absorber, is key to
keeping machinery running at its highest
potential to ensure quality and reliability
throughout the production process.
In PET bottle plants, shock absorbers
can create efficiencies and protect equipment
in applications like blow moulding,
case packing, carton forming or
container labelling. The machines that
are used to create today’s PET bottles—
typically made of a high-gloss, crack
resistant plastic known as Polyethylene
Terephthalate (PET)—have the highest
production rates in the industry and are
referred to as blow moulding machines.
The equipment consists of multiple
“clam shell” moulds placed around a vertical
axis, rotated in a horizontal plane.
The rotated plane creates centrifugal
force to move the plastic material within
the mould cavity, creating the bottle
shape. Shock absorbers are required to
maintain the highest cycle rate possible
while preventing damage to the opening
and closing of the clamshell.
In cases like PET bottle plants, shock
absorbers are central to ensuring quality
and reliability. By scheduling maintenance
and proper replacement parts,
facilities will see an increase in performance
and durability in applications
that encounter uneven loading, bending
or harsh environments. Ultimately,
this equipment protection results in
increased safety, efficiency and product
quality, while decreasing downtime and
cost.