Compact feeding solution
Intravis GmbH presents a new, space-saving solution for feeding closures to an inspection unit. Bunker and feeder are combined on a very small footprint with the same performance as before.
Intravis has been known primarily for its vision inspection systems for the quality control of plastic packaging. In recent years, however, the Aachen-based company has also made a name for itself with feeding solutions for plastic closures. Intravis launched its first in-house sorter – the CapFeeder – back in 2018. Over the last six years, it has been characterised by the fastest feeding performance on the market. In the meantime, Intravis expanded its portfolio of feeding solutions to include cooling and cross conveyor belts, which can be adapted to the respective production line layouts of customers. Intravis is now presenting a new, compact, and space-saving solution for the feeding area. The so-called Tower Bunker is arranged vertically above the CapFeeder on a footprint of just 3 m². The bunker serves as an intermediate buffer and forwards the closures to the CapFeeder. The CapFeeder orients the closures and transfers them to the inspection system.
Developed for a major customer this solution addresses one of the biggest problems in modern production facilities. Marius Pötting, Product Manager Caps and Closures at Intravis, is responsible for closure inspection systems and therefore also feeding solutions. He reports: “We often hear, especially from our customers in industrialised nations, that they lack space at their production sites. They try to make maximum usage of their production area and eventually reach the natural limits of their premises. With a customer-oriented solution in mind, Intravis has also optimised the space utilisation of the feeder by arranging the Tower Bunker vertically above the CapFeeder. This has significantly reduced the footprint. In most production halls, on the other hand, there is sufficient space in height. The result is a space saving of up to 40% compared to previous layouts.” The performance of the CapFeeder remains unaffected by the small footprint. In combination with the Tower Bunker, the feeding unit achieves the same feeding speed – i.e. up to 288,000 closures per hour. With a capacity of 400 l, large quantities of closures can be conveyed at highest production speeds. The Tower Bunker measures 2.30 m in height. “The Tower Bunker in combination with our CapFeeder offers the same performance in a very small space. The Tower Bunker’s first customer is actually very impressed.” reports Marius Pötting.
