The Challenge: When the Feeder Limits Machine Potential
Modern advanced blister machines use high-end servo drives instead of traditional mechanical transmissions, resulting in higher running speeds and production efficiency. However, this often leads to a common issue: the machine can run much faster, but the feeder has reached its physical limit. This mismatch ultimately limits the line’s overall production capacity of the line.
For example, when using a vibratory feeder, tablets or capsules circulate within the disk vibratory conveyor and fall into vertical feeding chutes. The continuously moving web at the bottom then draws them out and drops them into the blisters. Because high-speed blister machines operate so fast, the tablets or capsules stored in the chutes are rapidly depleted. The rate of products falling from the vertical feeding chute cannot keep up with the web, forcing operators to lower the blister machine’s speed, resulting in a significant loss of capacity.
The Engineering Solution: Synchronized Alternating Feeding
To solve this bottleneck, our engineers designed a highly effective and clever mechanism:
● Dual Chute Setup: Two feeding chutes are arranged directly beneath the Disk Vibratory Conveyor. As tablets or capsules move within the vibrator, they fall into both chutes.
● Precise Gate Control: The bottom of each chute is equipped with a dedicated material control device that precisely dictates when to open and close the feeding gates.
● Alternating Operation: The two chutes cooperate to feed in an alternating, crisscross manner. The first chute opens its gate to fill a specific section of the web, then immediately closes. As the continuously moving web passes under the chutes, it presents an alternating pattern: one section is filled with products, while the next section remains empty.
● Synchronized Filling: When the web reaches the second chute, this chute allows the already-filled section to pass untouched. However, the exact moment the empty section of the web arrives, the second chute precisely opens its gate to release the products and complete the filling process.
The Result: Doubled Efficiency
By using this alternating feeding method, feeding efficiency effectively doubled. This innovative design essentially achieves the production capacity of two separate feeders with almost no additional investment, fully unleashing the high-capacity advantages of the high-speed blister machine.