W.H.O. sanitizer...converting a maple syrup line

Sap is done, restaurants are closed, the maple syrup facility I was helping had a few rough weeks and laid off all but one production person and most office staff.

Fast forward two weeks...a major westcoast distillery called. They heard we (I guess I'm done "helping" and now working there) had a bottling line. That started a conversation about 3,000,000 8oz bottles needed for an east coast hospital system. While trying to source product more local to N.E. Ohio a "Compounder"(blender approved by the FDA) asked if we would consider bottling 500,000 gallon jugs.

The current configuration is set up for syrup. The best we've run has been 16k 3.4 oz bottles in 7 hrs. Sanitizer is easier from the fill aspect but it is requiring a ton of safety upgrades to controls, drive motors and footprint of the bottling line.

We need to speed up the way bottles move. One way is converting from transfer plates to a side transfer.

From this:


To this:


Label changes, normally we have someone pull from the line and set them on rolling shelves...No Bueno with 80 bottles per minute and needing about 4-5 minutes to swap rolls.

We looked into a rotory 48" and while appealing, seemed to be a hassle to get around and might not be big enough. The 4' x 10' wash table seemed like a likely candidate. Right now I have the right side of the coveyor setup on my Bridgeport cutting relief of the 90° direction change on the entry and side transfer on the exit. I'm also drilling and tapping holes for the "snubber" (support) plates and body brackets and side transfer filler plates. I am videoing this mod to the wash table and will post it once it's done to help with understanding.

I will update as we proceed, it's been a hectic 5 days and only going to get super busy once jugs show up Tuesday!

 

I had to read your post a few times to understand it. Engineering skills rising to the challenge! I admire your stepping up.

 

Here is the only pic I have of the wash table before we took it apart. The entrance, from a conveyor feeding from 90°, will be approx 6" from the end with the bearing but just shy of the support with a prototype bottle zig-zag set up. This is an opening of 14", sort of like the sketch below.








I have some video to upload to YouTube but here's a screen shot of the relief cut to allow a side transfer. The relief cut is to remove the rail that extends .325" above the top of the conveyor surface. It has to be flush with infeed conveyor and a turntable that helps with the 90° turn. You can see the top of the rail on the far side, below the long run of PVC. Running into some clearance issues with the stand mounts. We'll get that cleared up this morning.




Snubber plate position and view of rail undercut. Also, shows one small cross support hole clearance issue to the lower left corner of white plate. Also, a pic of the power-tapped hole to mount plate.

 

I love seeing this. Good on you all!

 

Exactly.

Sounds like quite an undertaking.

 

So, if I understand correctly, you will be filling 500,000 gallon jugs with sanitizer along with labels?

 

Plus 3 million 8 oz for an east coast hospital.

 

Wow.

 

I bet Mr Screwloose would be interested in following along here...
I know I'm all

 

Present and accounted for !

 

Very interesting and badass

 

So glad y'all can help out and put people back to work.

 

Good for you guys Casper

 

That’s an undertaking

 

Is that green hyfax material we are looking at there in the last pic?