One Easy Strategy Automated Fill Systems White Paper

8/3/2019 One Easy Strategy Automated Fill Systems White Paper

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One Easy Strategy for Savings,

Sustainability, and ProductivityHow Automatic Adhesive Fill Systems Help in the Quest to Improve Operational Eciency

Nordson Corporation



New standards or packaging are orcing

manuacturers to fnd ways to cut costs and

become more “green.” New developments

in automatic adhesive fll systems can help

packagers reach their goals. Read on to

learn more about how automatic fll systems

generate savings, create sustainability, and

improve productivity.

Introduction: Not All Automatic Fill Systems

are Created Equal

Amidst economic pressures, technological advances and sustainability initiatives, the packaging world is redening itsel. Along withpackage design and materials, adhesive dispensing has become anessential element in achieving securely sealed, structurally sound andeective packaging, thereby playing a signicant role in industry changes. New developments and technologies in automatic adhesive

ll systems are helping manuacturers enhance their operations andprots by ensuring ecient, sustainable and optimized lines.

But not all automatic ll systems are created equal. Only the mostadvanced technologies, designed with an emphasis on eciency, willdeliver the savings and optimization manuacturers need.

Fill systems and technologies have been available since the 1980s.Previous generations o ll systems were able to process only a ew adhesive shapes, sizes and ormulations.

Te rst melter eeders relied on large hoppers, vibration and gravity to deliver adhesive to the melter tank. Challenges such as adhesive

bridging (sticking together beore melting) and char ormation(burned adhesive residue) resulted in limited user acceptance o theseearly systems. Adhesives in smaller orms appeared promising, but alsocommonly suered rom bridging and adhesive clumping issues.

oday, small adhesive pellets are readily transported using pneumatictransport technology to deliver adhesive to the melter tank withoutthe problems inherent in earlier ll systems.

How the Packaging World is Changing

Rising CostsIn recent years, adhesive costs have increased 10 to 25 percent. Somemanuacturers are even paying double or the adhesives they need. Inaddition, increasingly limited adhesive production resources, such asoil and resin, mean that manuacturers are ocusing on new ways toapply adhesive with the utmost precision and eciency to minimize

waste o adhesive or product. Packaging manuacturers can no longeraord to apply adhesives in excessive amounts to ensure a good bond.

Adhesives are made o three basic ingredients: resin, tacier and wax. All three have increased in cost and become less readily availableover the past several years, a trend that is expected to continue. As aresult, adhesive – once just a small raction o the cost o packaging– has become a signicant, variable cost recognized and targeted by purchasing and production departments alike.

oday’s adhesive price situation is somewhat analogous to gasolineprices. When gasoline cost less than $1 per gallon, ew people worried

about uel economy or tire pressure. With low gasoline prices now athing o the past, the market has responded with hybrid automobilesand inormation on more uel-ecient driving.

Similarly, the packaging industry is coming to grips with these sameeconomic realities. It is no longer acceptable to just seal the box. Teprecise placement and amount o adhesive used on each package ismeasured, documented and reduced to its optimal point.

1988 Hopper Feeder

1994 Vacuum Feed

2002 Fillmaster® Feed System

2005 FillEasy™ System

2008 ProBlue® Fulfll™

Integrated Melter and

Fill System

2010 Fulfll® Retrof

System

The Evolution o the Fill System

Adhesive prices rise with petroleum prices

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Changing Adhesives Advanced adhesive extrusion technology has given rise to moreecient, smaller adhesive orms. New techniques, such as underwaterextrusion, allow adhesives to be cut into shapes, such as pellets.

Adhesive pellets are also more transportable – and more compatible with automatic ll systems. Unortunately, not all packaging-gradeadhesives are available in pellet-shaped orm. Adhesives that have

a higher degree o tackiness are prone to sticking to each other when in pellet orm and are thereore only available in pillow or slatorms, and are not usable in automatic ll systems.

Increasing Efciency Reducing waste is the key to achieving sustainability. Te reject boxthat won’t remain closed ater glue application is waste. Te box

with too much glue is another orm o waste. Eective, sustainablepackaging minimizes waste in every orm. Because sustainablemanuacturing practices benet the environment and bottom line,packaging manuacturers are seeking new strategies that will allow them to work more eciently. Tis means they are searching ortechnologies to help them decrease energy consumption, reduce

waste and use more renewable materials while also increasingoperator and maintenance sta eciency.

How Automatic Fill Systems Work

In principle, automatic flling is a simple concept. A sensor continuously monitors the adhesive level in the melter tank. An automatic signalalerts the system the when additional adhesive is required. Te systemsupplies small amounts o adhesive to the tank until the sensor issatisfed, keeping the adhesive level relatively constant.

Granular adhesive is deposited into the hot melt tank every ew minutes without any action needed by the operator. Tis may soundconvenient – and it is – but the right automatic ll system can oera variety o benets ar beyond convenience. Te right system can:

n Increase production eciency and enable greater productivity by eliminating manual tank monitoring and lling, and the potentialor human error, including overlling, adhesive spilling/waste orlow/dry adhesive tanks

n Deliver superior bonding by maintaining constant adhesivetemperature and viscosity

n Reduce production costs by keeping the tank ull, preventing dry tanks, thermal shocking and system adjustments

n Help provide a saer workplace by eliminating multiple bendingand liting, as well as limiting interaction with molten adhesive

n Provide a return on investment that easily justies the cost o thesystem

With advanced design and intuitive controls, automatic ll systemscan help packaging manuacturers substantially increase theirproductivity, while simultaneously reducing waste and costs.

The Problem o Adhesive Char

Keeping the melter tank at a constant ull level keeps the sides o the tank clean o adhesive residue or lm. Because adhesive containsoxygen, it can break down and orm carbon along tank walls. Inmost cases, as the tank level alls, adhesive leaves a lm on the sideso the tank. Tis lm reacts with the heat and air and orms what isknown as char.

Char can result rom hot melt adhesives used at temperaturesranging rom as low as 200°F to 450°F. Not all hot melts ormchar, but most can and do. Without an automatic ll system, thetank level will all as adhesive is pumped and dispensed onto the

packages. It will not rise again until an operator manually lls thattank. Ten, as the tank containing char is manually relled, theadhesive breaks, causing multiple problems including: unwanteddowntime; malunctioning guns and hoses; clogged nozzles; andincreased parts and maintenance costs.

Char creates eciency problems in other ways as well. It can causeincreased costs due to product rejects and rework,. pop-opens, charon packages, and jammed machines. Te bottom line: where there’schar, there’s ineciency and waste.

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Automatic fll system components

Char caused by low/dry tanks and irregular flling impacts hoses, guns and end products



Running on Empty Char ormation is just one o the challenges o a conventional hotmelt tank. Put simply, relling a tank by hand creates ineciencies.

n First, the operator must turn his or her attention away rom anothertask. Relying on operators to ll tanks can also result in tanksrunning empty. In today’s manuacturing climate, many operatorsare doing multiple jobs and can easily miss the low tank indicatorlight.

n Second, opening the tank releases heat and exposes the tank topaperboard and corrugated dust and other debris.

n Tird, the operator must ll the hot tank with cold adhesive.

Introducing a large amount o cold adhesive can cause thetemperature o adhesive and the tank to drop by as much as 20degrees, a phenomenon called thermal shock, or “shocking the tank.”Te remaining adhesive is no longer at optimal temperature, and thenew adhesive must be melted.

Tis phenomenon begins a dangerous and costly chain o events.Te tank temperature alls, and the adhesive viscosity increases. Teoperator may or may not recognize that there is less material now

being dispensed on each package.

Failure to see this will result in inadequately sealed packages or “pop-opens.” I the lessening deposition o adhesive is recognized, a typicaloperator may attempt to compensate by increasing system pressure toincrease the amount o adhesive being dispensed.

Moving on to other duties, the operator is likely to miss the pointat which the adhesive in the tank reaches its correct applicationtemperature and viscosity. Unless system pressure is returned to itscorrect setting, too much adhesive will be dispensed on each package.

Adhesive stringing, squeeze-out on the product and pop-opens(resulting rom the excess adhesive not cooling and setting in a timely

manner) are common.

Automatic adhesive lling resolves all o these issues, saving operatortime, as well as helping prevent thermal shock and adhesivedegradation.

A Solution That Fits Your System

While most automatic ll systems try to accomplish the same end –automatically lling a melter – how they go about the task, and thetechnology they leverage to do it, is what sets systems apart.

Not every automatic ll system is the same. It’s critical that youchoose a system that incorporates into your line easily, with minimuminterruption and maximum long- and short-term benets to youroperations. Here are a ew key characteristics that will help you selectan automatic ll system that delivers maximum benets.

Automatic Feeding MethodsTere are three ways to automatically eed a melter using non-clumpinggranular adhesive using pneumatic transport or vacuum technology:

1. Feeding through a tube and exhausting air through another tubeusing a sensor and timer

2. Feeding through a tube and exhausting air through the same tubeusing a sensor and timer

3. Feeding through a tube but using a gating device to control accessand closure to the tank

Feeding the adhesive through one tube and exhausting the air throughanother delivers the best perormance as the air has a separate way toleave the tank. Tis results in less material clogging the lter, betterairfow and cleaner operation.

Selecting the Right Adhesive

Because o the mechanisms that convey adhesive rom theholding container to the melter, automatic ll systems are only compatible with non-pressure sensitive adhesives.

A quick test to determine i your adhesive is a good candidateor an automatic ll system is to take a handul o your materialand squeeze it. I it alls back apart, it’s a good candidate. A ew additional tips:

n Most automatic ll system manuacturers will arrange or aree adhesive test.

n I your adhesive isn’t non-sticking, that doesn’t mean you can’ttake advantage o the benets o an automatic ll system.Te rst step is to contact your adhesive provider to see i another type o adhesive, one that will qualiy or use with anautomatic ll system, could still meet your product’s needs.

n I your adhesive qualies, you’re ready to select an automaticll system. Contact a sales representative or assistance.

Without automatic flling systems,operators must continually refll melter to minimize char ormationand the risk o productionstoppages.

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Integrated Systems A ully integrated automatic adhesive ll system – one that includes a

melter – ensures a seamless process or anticipating problems beorethey happen and delivering optimal eciency in both energy useand production. I a ll system is not integrated with the melter, thetwo systems oten do not communicate, and they work completely independently. Te more integrated the system, the more “intelligent”it can be.

However, in some cases, retrot automatic adhesive ll systems canalso present an economical solution, and they can be easily andquickly integrated with existing adhesive dispensing systems. Look orretrot automatic ll systems with pre-calibrated sensors that monitoradhesive levels and automatically rell the tank with small quantities.Systems with pre-set controls – such as adhesive delivery, time delay and overll alarm – won’t require programming, urther savingcustomers valuable time.

The Cost Benefts and Payback o Advanced TechnologyEective systems employ technology thatdelivers tangible benets and pays oritsel both in the short and long term.Te capacitance sensor is an excellentexample. Due to the unique contents andconditions o a hot melt tank, accurately detecting the ll level requires an innovativesensor technology. A capacitance sensorprovides superior accuracy in monitoringthe part-liquid, part-solid contents o amelter.

Designed or Efciency Eective ll systems are designed or ecient operation andmaintenance. An automatic ll system that allows or quick, easy maintenance will perorm better and minimize downtime. Being ableto easily change air exhaust lters is important as well.

Adhesive ormulations commonly contain traces o talc-like and othermaterials, or “nes,” which are used to prevent adhesive rom stickingto itsel, or bridging, beore it is melted. alc and nes can collectin the lter and block exhaust air. When the air is not exhaustedproperly, the system loses suction and transport air velocity – muchlike a vacuum – and eventually stops working. Easy access to andease o changing air exhaust lters are important considerations when

choosing a ll system.

SaeguardsLook or systems that have lid lock out eatures. Tis prevents thesystem rom relling when the tank lid is opened. When the levelsensor communicates with the system, adhesive fow to the meltertank is initiated. Choose a system with overll protection to preventtoo much adhesive rom being added, thermal shock, poor bonding,scrap packages and adhesive waste.

Minimal Moving PartsMore moving parts typically translates to more maintenance and cost.Choose an automatic system that has relatively ew moving parts,particularly in the air-transer pump. Te most ecient type o thesesystems is one based on the Venturi principle: vacuum is created by changes in air velocity..

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ProBlue® Fulfll™ Integrated Melter and Fill System

Fulfll retroft systems are available or a wide range o melter sizes and capacities

Capacitance sensor accurately monitors adhesive level in the melter tank



Nordson Corporation

11475 Lakefeld Drive

Duluth, GA 30097

(800) 683-2314

nordson.com

The Benefts o the Right Automatic Fill System

When the design and technology come together, an automatic llsystem can start delivering benets right away.

1. Labor cost savings

2. Reduced downtime

3. Improved saety

As you begin your search or the right system, look or these eatures:

n Integrated lling, melting and controls: provides the essentialsor a simple to operate and maintain hot melt application systemsolution

n Ability to open the tank lid: allows or secondary inspection o tank level and condence o operation

nank lid lock-out switch, ll time-out and tank level monitoring:protects operators and keeps systems rom accidentally overllingor under lling and stopping production

n Venturi delivery system: eciently moves many o the new,non-tacky, smaller (under ½” diameter) hot melt adhesives beingintroduced to the packaging market

n Large, single adhesive tote: provides a clean, uninterrupted

availability o adhesive to the melter

Te most advanced automatic ll systems can handle today’s highly ecient materials, keep tank temperatures at optimal levels, maintaingood bonding characteristics o the adhesive, reduce production

waste, and increase overall sustainability and eciency. An automaticll system that unites all o these characteristics will deliver themaximum benet.

For more inormation about the savings an automatic fll

system can deliver to your operation, call (800) 234 0506,

visit nordson.com or click here

Intuitive controls or integrated and retroft systems

PKL-11-5689

© 2011 Nordson Corporation

All Rights Reserved

Nordson reserves the right to make

changes without prior notice

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One Easy Strategy Automated Fill Systems White Paper