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One of our main lines of work here at OB Engineering is manufacturing, maintaining and repairing filling machines, we decided to give a brief insight into what filling machines are and what the benefits are to manufacturing businesses to have filling machines in their production line.
What are filling machines
Filling machines are machines used to fill product into a chosen container such as a tube, bottle, bag or pouch, there are various types of filling machines, and they can be manual, semi-automatic or fully automated. There are many types of filling machines that can handle different types of products including pastes, powders, solids, liquids and granular items. Because these machines are versatile and efficient they are used across the manufacturing sector in industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and the food and beverage industries.
Different types of filling machines
Filling machine’s that we have experience with include liquid filling machines, aerosol filling machines, powder filling machines, hot fill machines, tube filling machines, vacuum filling machines and capsule filling machines. These machines can be single nozzle or have multiple nozzles for filling. Choosing the one best suited to your needs would depend on the material that is being filled, the speed required, if the product is frozen, dry or hot, what the product is being placed in and finally the volume required.
Benefits of filling machines
This is not an exhausted list of advantages for such machines, but these are the ones we at OB Engineering witness daily and have received from customer feedback.
Reliable and consistent: Filling machines allow for repeat tasks to be performed with consistency and reliability, the machine is programmed to fill the chosen container with the exact volume of the product every time, it greatly reduces error with product quantity and increases product reliability.
Higher level of production: Filling machines greatly increases the speed in which the product is filled into the chosen container. Conveyors are used to move the container down the line where it will be filled by a singular or multiple nozzles and sealed before being moved down the line to be packaged. All these steps speed up and reduce the amount of manpower needed to produce the final product.
Versatile: Filling machines can be designed, restructured and upgraded to handle a range of products and containers. This versatility allows companies to get the filling machine that best suits their needs and product which maximises their production.
Decreased manpower: As previously mentioned these machines can be completely automatic or semi-automatic greatly decreasing personnel needed to monitor or run these machines, freeing up staff for other jobs and projects.
Increased hygiene and safety standards: With automatic filling machines being programmed to fill each bottle with the same volume, to stop production if a malfunction occurs and requires little to no personnel involvement both safety standards for employees and hygiene standards for the factory increases, this is hugely beneficial for industries such as pharmaceutical and food and beverage.
Conclusion
To conclude filling machines are essential pieces of equipment in many factories over many different industries. It is vital that these machines are well maintained, fit for task and are beneficial to the company. If you have any queries around our work or about setting up or upgrading an existing machine, please feel free to contact us anytime at info@obdesignandenginerring.com or 087 090 0977
Not long back from a trip to relocate an automation machine from England to Ireland we wanted to give you an idea of the process we follow when securely transporting and reinstalling automation machinery and equipment in the most safe and efficient way.
Personalised Planning and Preparation
Our services begin from when we meet the customer from providing detailed quotations and creating safety plans for each part of the project, this includes in person visits to evaluate the site, assessment of each machine or piece of equipment to be relocated and re installed and an inspection to ensure the new job site is suitable for the equipment to be installed and to function properly. We will then produce an in-depth installation plan that will outline the installation process from when we first begin to relocate the machinery until we have relocated and reinstalled the equipment in the new site location. When all parties are satisfied with the installation plan our engineering team move onto disassembling the machinery to get it ready for transporting.Disassembling the machinery
Before we begin to dismantle the machine, we will mark and label all parts to aid in the later stage of reassembly. Any water, oil, gas, hydraulics and or electrics will be disconnected by one of our engineers with all safety precautions taken. We will then revert to the project plan to ensure that the proper equipment and machinery is used to safely disassemble each part of the machine and while moving the machine piece by piece that it is loaded into our truck in the safest and most efficient way.
Unloading the machinery The unloading of machinery is undertaken with the appropriate equipment and approach to ensure the machinery has arrived and remains in perfect condition. After a thorough inspection of the equipment and with no faults found we move on to the install.
Installing the machinery
After we have further assessed the new site location and we go over the installation plan once again, we begin the physical installation of the machinery. Much like the unloading process we use the appropriate equipment and approach when installing the machinery to ensure both the safety of staff and the quality of the installed machine is not affected. After the installation is complete, we then run the machine to determine if any adjustments need to be made and to ensure it continues functioning to the same level before we had relocated and reinstalled it.After the installation
We at OB Design and Engineering were delighted to have been announced as winners in the category of “Best new / emerging Business” at the 2021 Tipperary Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
This award was a great surprise considering the other amazing Tipperary businesses we were up against and was made even more astounding as we were told there was an overwhelming number of entries in this category.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and commitment, all our suppliers and of course our customers who have continued to come back and support us time and time again.
This company was established in early 2020 just when the global pandemic of Covid was taking over the world. Naturally this made the initial set up a little more difficult between lock downs and lack of opportunities to network. However we knew we had a business idea that had the potential of great growth and could offer customers a top class service for their automation machines that would be serviced, designed and manufactured here in Ireland.
We stuck with it and the company has continued to grow over the last 20 months, gaining new clients and retaining all existing ones on the way.
If you would like to learn more about any of the the services we offer or think we can help your business please don not hesitate to contact us.
Recently our engineers carried out some scheduled predictive maintenance work for one of out clients.
During this inspection of their leaflet folder it was found that the belts were well over due replacement. Our engineer had the old belts out and new belts sourced and in the very next day. Resulting in only an hours down time. If this machine wasn’t scheduled for a predictive maintenance service the belts would have gone in the next few days / weeks causing more damage. The machine been most probably would have been down for a number of days. This simple predictive maintenance inspection saved the company hundreds of euro on materials and at least 3-4 days downtime.
Therefore I decided to write up this quick blog post on the benefits of predictive maintenance.
What is Predictive Maintenance?
Every year in Ireland down-time of machinery due to breakdowns cost business thousands of euro. Predictive Maintenance is a way of preventing this unnecessary cost.
Predictive Maintenance can identify a problem before/ or as it happens. This helps to avoid expensive / extensive damage.
There has a lot of research carried out world wide on the effects of predictive maintenance in companies. Many factory owners have said that Predictive maintenance is one of the most useful services they use. 90% of those surveyed stated that they noticed a significant reduction in repair and unplanned downtime.
Predictive Maintenance allows maintenance to be preformed in a timely and effective manner. A recent study on the effects of predictive maintenance found the following benefits if consistent, thorough predictive maintenance is carried out within a company:
- Maintenance costs can be reduced by up to 50%.
- Incidences of unexpected failures reduced by 55%.
- Overhaul and repair time now 60% lower.
- Spare parts inventory cut by 30%.
- Productivity increased by up to 25%.
Basically Predictive Maintenance is a cost saving measure in any production / factory setting. The business will not need to carry out maintenance too soon and waste money on work not needed. Or likewise will not need to predict if it is too late to do anything because the damage is already done!!.
Most of the time prevention is better than the cure.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like any further information on predictive maintenance. Or if you think we can help you with any of your automation, robotics or servicing needs.
What is a Cobot?
A Cobot also known as a collaborative robot, is a robot that can safely work along side a human work force within a shared space. This is unlike a traditional industrial robot that usually work away from humans behind a fence or protective barrier. Cobots are ideal in situations where the worker needs to be close to the robot, and are an ideal introduction to robotics for many companies.
Cobots were invented less than 30 years ago in 1996. The most well known brands of Cobots include: KUKA, Universal Robots, FANUC and Rethink Robots.
Level of Collaboration:
The IFR (International Federation of Robots) stated that there is 4 levels of collaboration between robots and human workers. The most common in industrial Cobots is:
“Co-existence”: The worker and robot work along side each other. There is no the need for a barrier, but no shared workspace.
“Sequential collaboration”: Both the human and cobot work in the same space. But don’t work on a part at the same time.
Why a Cobot?
Industrial Robots can be intelligent/or not. They typically perform tasks that workers do not want to do. Such as tasks that are too dangerous, expensive, dull or repetitive. These automated Industrial robots usually work in human free zones.
On the other hand Cobots work with humans and share the work space. Cobots are not seen as human replacements. They help increase human efficiency and capabilities.
Cobots provide – precise movements, increased strength and real time data processing. These along with a human workforce add maximum value to the production process.
“Cobots bring the 3 E’s to industry – Efficiency, Effectiveness and enhancement” – Ron Schmlezer (Cognilytica)
Cobots into the Future:
The signs show that Cobots are going nowhere. It has been predicted that almost 35% of robots sold by the end of next year (2022) will be Cobots.
It is also predicted that Cobots will move out of industry and more and more into our everyday lives. Who knows maybe in the not so distant we will have cobot waiters in restaurants and sales reps in shops!
Would you like to find out more about Cobots, Robotics or Automation? If so please do not hesitate to contact us at info@obdesignandengineering.com.
As we are now almost a quarter of the way through the 21st century we can really start to see the impact of robotics. Not just in large manufacturing plants but also in smaller businesses.
The changes in our everyday life due to robotics may not have yet had the impact as predicted. Such as in “Back to the future” for 2015, however it does impact many areas of every day lives. Often with us even realizing it, and its inevitable lots more changes are to come.
For many the first sight of a “typical” robot may have been “The Tin Man” in the 1900 film “The Wizard of Oz”. However , The worlds first programmable and digitally operated robot “Unimate” was invented in 1954 by George Devol. “Unimate” was then first used in 1961 in a general motors auto factor in New Jersey. This brought Robotics into the area of industrial production.
The Robotics industry has grown at a huge pace over the years. And there is absolutely no sign of it slowing down. With the invention of Cobots, Robotics is now within in reach to many small and medium sized businesses. Cobots are robots that work safely along side humans and can easily slot into existing production lines.
How Robotics effects our everyday life:
Many of us might not realise that Robotics is part of our everyday life and have been for quite some time. Some examples of these include:
Entertainment:
Robotic Toys enable children to learn through enjoyment.
Household:
Simple examples include lawnmower and vacuum robots allowing mundane tasks to done quickly and effortlessly.
Industries:
This is by far the most prominent application of robotics.
Defense:
Surveillance Robots are the most popular robots used by the defense forces. Robots can be used freely in dangerous places without putting human life at risk. Such as to survey areas that might contain land mines.
Medicine:
Robotic equipment is used for greater accuracy and precision. Also damaged body parts can be replaced with a robotic body parts e.g. robotic arms and legs.
Industrial Robotics in the 21st Century:
Both Commercial and industrial robots are now in widespread use. In many industries in areas such as Manufacturing, Assembly, Packing & Picking, transport, space and laboratory work. These robots can perform many jobs with greater accuracy and reliability than humans. Robots are used for jobs which are too dirty, repetitive, dangerous or dull to be suitable for humans.
We at OB Design and Engineering aim to be at the forefront of robotics applications in Irish Industries. If you would like to lean more about Robotics and how we can implement robots and Cobots into your work place, please do not hesitate to contact us for more information. info@obdesignandengineering.com.
So what is Automated Design and Automated Engineering? How can these benefit my Production line?
These terms may sound a little overwhelming but in reality they are not. Firstly Automated Design is the design of an application to use, and Automated Engineering is the use of this technology to perform a task. This task is done with little human help.
Simply, Automation involves the creation and application of technology. This will be then used to control the production of products. Such as Carton machines and Filling machines on a production line.
Automation Engineers focus on the designing and manufacturing of these machines.
Automated Machines are called this as they perform their job with little amount of human participation. Some highly automated machinery have almost no human involvement.
There are many reasons to introduce Automated machinery to your production line. Or improve on the Automated Design and Automated Engineering you may already have. These include:
1. Increase in productivity and a greater output per hour.
2. Reduces labor cost and saves the company money.
3. Help solve the problem of labor shortages especially for repetitive jobs on production lines.
4. Reduces and often eliminates routine manual tasks. Resulting in less health and safety issues.
5. Improves workers safety. By Automating an operation work is made safer.
6. Improves product quality.
7. Reduces manufacturing lead time.
8. Automated machinery can perform tasks that cannot be performed manually.
9. Avoids the potential high costs of NOT using Automated design and Automated Engineering in a work place. And not having the significant advantages of automation such as improved quality. Higher sales. Improved labor relations and better company image.
To find out more about automated design and automated engineering. How can it benefit your work place? Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
Our Client was having a problem with transfer of their product between conveyors and machines. This was most evident in relation to Health and Safety of staff . But also loss of time due to the need to do manual transfers.
This problem was causing many issues within the business. However it was a relatively cost effective and simple problem to solve. By the use of a custom built transfer.
This transfer was custom built to the clients specifications.
Firstly all parts were cut using a fiber optic laser. Secondly it was then assembled in-house before finally been delivered to site.
If you have any onsite problems in relation to making the most of your machinery or the potential of staff health and safety issues. Please to not hesitate to contact us for more information. Together we can come up with suitable solutions to solve your problem.
Maintenance and servicing is a vital part of the successful running of any car, van or truck and it is no less important for automation machinery. We at OB Design and Engineering understand the need for a companies machinery and production lines to work efficiently and to bring maximum output for the company on a continuous basis.
Simply the one most important factor in achieving this is servicing and maintenance. That’s why we offer a predictive maintenance service that helps solve potential problems before they even happen and in return will result in less down down for your machine.
Firstly we will inspect your machines and collect and analyzing data on them and their parts in relation to:
Average life span of machine
Hours worked.
Type of work machine undertakes.
Make of machine.
Availability of parts.
Secondly our service engineer will provide a full written report with the condition of the machine and a list of the parts that are nearing the end of their life.
This is ideal for all machines but particularly those nearing the end of warranty.
Advantages of Predictive Maintenance include the following:
>Improved Life span of machine.
>Reduced unscheduled down time due to equipment failures.
>Improves Health & Safety compliance.
>Ensures Quality of the Product.
>Reduces Waste.
>Optimised spare part handling. minimises time waiting for parts that may need to be replaced as these would have pre-ordered.
Predictive maintenance undertaken in Ireland have been shown to lead to a 25%-30% reduction in maintenance costs, a 70%-75% decrease of breakdowns and a 35%-45% reduction in downtime.
If you would like to know about predictive maintenance and how this service could benefit your business please do not hesitate to contact us.
As an Automation company we understand the importance of health and Safety and Covid compliance.
Even though we are currently in level 5 lockdown there is light at the end of the tunnel especially with the rollout of vaccines’. The introduction of the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been deemed a “Game changer”. So we can hopefully see life returning to normal and businesses can get back up in running again.
We understand the importance of being Covid compliant. Especially, as automation is in many industries such as Pharmaceutical, Food & beverage production and medical.
You can rest assured that as an Automation company we take all necessary precautions when carrying out any work. Firstly we will, where possible hold consultations via Zoom and secondly visit the premises only when required. Much of our work is carried out in our own workshop. Significantly reducing on site time. Thirdly our engineers will wear face masks at all times and are extremely mindful of all hygiene standards.
We understand the importance of been fully Covid compliant.
Therefore we didn’t hesitate taking advice from an Irish Health and Safety company in putting together our covid-19 risk assessment. This results in both our staff and clients having peace of mind during these times.
In conclusion
We would like to highly recommend Smart Move Safety. They offer great attention and detail to a companies individual requirements. We also use Smart Move Safety for all Staff manual handling training and abrasive wheel training. This too can be carried out remotely with them at a time to suit your business.
In 2021 we believe it is the time for small Irish businesses to give shoutout and support to other Irish companies. Especially ones who gave outstanding services during the previous year and who want to continue to grow in the future. We do not hesitate in recommending Smart Move Safety for all your safety training needs. Check them out on www.smartmovesafety.ie tel. 061 572134