An innovative modular conveying system, developed and manufactured by Autarky Automation with modular Schuco conveyor components, is being used by Unilever at its Home and Personal Care factory in Leeds, as part of a filling and packing system for deodorant aerosols.
Unilever produces a number of leading UK and continental brands of deodorant at its factory in Leeds. The aerosol containers are filled and sealed in a controlled environment, before being batched into sets of six containers on transit packing trays, and are then transferred to the new Autarky Automation conveying system for transport through shrink wrapping machines to high speed pack handling, stacking and palletising systems.
The new conveying system incorporates a special anti-static material, to eliminate the potential for static discharges, and offers an anti-pinch construction that prevents shrink-wrap outer packaging becoming trapped between sections of the conveyor chain.
Previously, Unilever had used a conventional design of anti-static, open fingered conveyor chain that created a number of problems. The open fingered design would snag on the shrink wrap thus damaging product packs, while the carbon-impregnated anti-static chain was brittle and as a result led to numerous chain breaks; this created considerable downtime and increased maintenance costs.
The Autarky conveying system comprises a series of interconnected sections, up to 90m in length, and running at speeds of up to 300m/minute. The system is designed to cater for future demand at Unilever and has the capability of running at a maximum speed of 900m/minute.
Philip Jagger, at Unilever, says: “The Autarky Automation system provides us with a reliable, low maintenance system that is capable of running at high speeds and which gives us considerable flexibility and functionality.”
