Total Productivity Maintenance
For several years TPM, or Total Productivity Maintenance, has characterized the Sidel Group’s approach to developing its Gebo™ conveyor products. The strength of this approach provides customers with tangible results. Equipment lasts longer, and the time between two maintenance operations has been extended for more hours of productivity on customer packaging lines.
Easy access to wear parts, toolless dismounting, and self-lubrication of transmission chains are all part of the design of the entire range of Gebo™ equipment. And components have been revamped. For example, simulations were performed on torque arms, which link the motor housing to the conveyor frame, to study the stress that the part undergoes. As a result, the arms were redesigned, which has ultimately tripled the life of bearing boxes.
General view of the new Gebo™ conveyor showroom
Consequently, machines can operate for longer periods with no maintenance required, often running for over 10,000 hours and even 20,000 hours with the Magneroll™, a pack conveyor with a magnetic clutch system that does not require lubrication or cleaning. That’s four full years of operation in a 3x8 work configuration.
These important maintenance breakthroughs are presented by the Sidel Group at its new Gebo™ showroom. A visit to the facility reveals the Group’s main conveyor systems:
- Solutions for returnable crates: stainless steel pallet conveyor, pallet stocker, roller turner, crate diverter/collator, and a patented case and bottle sorting system;
- Conveying systems for plastic and glass bottles and drink cans: belt chain conveyors for pallets, combiner, pressure-free separator, divider, accumulation table, laning system and air conveyor;
- Conveyors for secondary packaging: Low Back Pressure belt conveyors, Magneroll™ roller conveyors;
- Crown feeder: “waterfall” crown cap feeder system for fillers.
Latest innovations and modeling
Each piece of equipment is shown in operation, equipped with the latest innovations developed by Gebo™. These include quick adjustment systems, ultrasound sensors and even sequential bottle ejection systems. A visit to the showroom ends with a look at the line simulator that is based on thousands of readings taken by the Sidel Group (Gebo and DCS) over the past 15 years.
By varying conveying parameters, the simulator can find the best configuration to guarantee optimum productivity, determine return on investment, and evaluate operator workload.
The showroom is the perfect venue for pursuing discussions with customers about ways to simplify their operations and maintenance work.
It is also a line regulation training center. Finally, it offers the opportunity to test, under actual conditions, the ability to convey customers’ new bottle shapes.
