28 MACHINERY UPDATE MAY/JUNE 2022 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Installation News
Space constraints were met by bespoke system Faster cycle times have resulted
Vertical machining centre proves perfect for bike part maker With an expanding product and customer portfolio to address, push bike parts manufacturer Works Components required new machinery to keep pace with the growing demand. Owing to its high capacity yet small footprint, the company decided to invest in a Fanuc Robodrill α-D21LiB5 vertical machining centre, with a 24,000rpm spindle and Fanuc DDRiB fourth-axis rotary table. “We identified the Robodrill as being a machine that could be fitted into our fairly tight space, all the while delivering the performance levels we needed,” explains owner Rick Hughes. Since installation, the company is now able to produce parts at twice the speed of its previous machine system. T 02476 053000 W www.fanuc.eu Nord Gear MU M-A 2021 ARTWORK
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hen Hillfarm added two new container sizes to its range of cold-pressed rapeseed oil variants, it approached Karmelle for bottling equipment to handle them. The new system needed to automatically fill, cap and label 2 litre and 5 litre PET bottles, however size and layout were key concerns as the line was going to be housed in a 40-foot cube container on Hill Farm. After discussing Hillfarm’s requirements, Karmelle offered a bespoke solution; a complete filling, capping and labelling line comprising a four head flowmeter filling machine, an EK40 capping machine, and a front, back and cross dispense labeller. The outfeed would also be automated with a rotary collection table. To accommodate Hillfarm’s unique production challenges, Karmelle opted to design a new model of flowmeter filling machine. With a servo motor, fewer moving parts
The complete system has been installed in a specially adapted container
and a reduced footprint, this hygienic filler was ideal for the production space available. In operation, wide nozzles allowed the viscous products to flow freely while the unit was built on a four head frame, so that extra heads could be added as production increased. Equipment was subsequently manufactured, assembled and tested onsite at Karmelle, before being delivered to Hillfarm and installed by Karmelle engineers in the
specially adapted container. Hillfarm business manager Lawrence Frohn acknowledges that the project presented a challenge as the company needed an end-toend solution that would fit into the production space. “Karmelle were able to meet the brief, designing a bespoke system that can be adjusted as production increases,” he explains. T 01484 533356 W www.karmelle.com
