The strategic importance of choosing an high-performance Ware Handling System

In the management of the hollow glass forming process, the definition of Hot End Glassware Handling is of crucial importance for the production optimisation and maximisation.

Increasingly demanding market requirements, apparently antithetical but complementary, require high-performance features such as rapidity in production changes and stability of process conditions, thus requiring the manufacturer to have reliable and sturdy production solutions available, capable of minimising both the number and timeof operator activities for adjusting the process.

Always engaged in the research and development of effective and innovative solutions relating to the hollow glass supply chain, BDF Industries stands out in the OEM scene and for the ability to provide vertical, integrated and complete solutions in the field of glassware handling.

Thanks to long-term investments in R&D and a consolidated cooperation with end-users, today BDF Industries is able to offer next generation Servo Take Out, Conveyor & Servo Pushers, Transfer, Cross-conveyor and Servo Stacker components and systems.

Among these, in particular, there are two products with which the company has obtained more success and approval from the market: the AP-Pusher Servo and the High Speed Conveyor.

The BDF AP Pusher Servo™  is the optimal solution for the management of ware handling as it ensures superior dynamic performance, accurate item motion and acceleration control, motion reliability and repeatability. It also ensures a significant reduction in the level of maintenance required.

The achievement of these advantages is due to the innovative articulated pentalateral structure, characterised by two driving levers that share the same fulcrum.
Movement takes place by means of two coaxial motors: this determines the absence of intermediate transmission motion elements (no belts, no gears, no position sensors) and the reduced inertia of the moving elements. To make the system more complete, integrated or stand-alone, it is possible to use a powerful, flexible and intuitive programming and simulation tool that minimises set-up and production change times.

In situations where high transfer rates are required, the pusher fingers can be equipped with the Air Jet™ system (patent pending) thus enabling the item to remain in contact with the fingers through a vacuum effect generated with compressed air, adjusted for each cavity.

Another  solution covered in this article is High Speed Conveyor, the main component of the BDF Industries handling system.
The elements characterising the equipment of this solution are: the AP-Pusher ™ Servos, the timed control system for cooling dead plates and the innovative transmission adjustment system for tensioning the chain and also adjusting its height and angle, higher transfer speeds up to 750 bott/min.

The dead plate cooling control, for each cavity, with air independent from the conveyor cooling, by means of timed on-off valves, ensures optimal cooling of the item through a controlled and stable axial air flow.
The dead plate can be equipped with an air guide, either external or integrated in the plate itself (crucial for the use of pre-rotation in the AP Pusher™) and an air guide at the front of the conveyor that keeps the bottles in contact with the fingers even after exiting the usual operating area of the traditional air guide. For the manufacturer, the result is even higher dynamic performance.

The BDF Industries range also includes the optional mobile conveyor cover system, with electric movement, which enables the production change activities to be carried out without obliging the operators to remove and reposition cover plates, but simply by means of 2 electric controls for lifting and lowering the entire cover.
For the manufacturer this means greater agilityand speed in the maintenance and production change operations, resulting in significant savings in terms of time and labour.

In conclusion, therefore, the BDF Industries solutions for Ware Handling management are suitable both for glassworks that operate for the mass-market and for those specialised in special glass.
The innovation and reliability of each component are in fact able to meet the needs of manufacturers that require high production speed, production volume, low sensitivity to external factors and effective control of production parameters to achieve a highly efficient process.
Throughout the entire hollow glass formation process, AP Pusher, Conveyors and related accessory products, contribute significantly to the reduction of maintenance costs,to the decrease in the percentage of defects and therefore in maximising production, maintaining high efficiency of the plant.