Case Study: Cap and Vial Vibratory Feeder Bowls Made From 316 Stainless Steel

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3 Minutes Read
 The Bellco team designed 316 Stainless Steel vibratory bowls for a pharmaceutical company to enhance their in-house packaging machines.
 
Industry:  Medical & Pharmaceutical (316 Polished Stainless Steel)
Rate: Cap Bowls 30ppm / Vial Bowl - 30ppm (Per Track) / Assembled Vial - 75ppm
Escapement: Cap Bowls - Dead Nest / Vial Bowl - Vacuum Generator Dual Lane

Client Overview

A leading pharmaceutical packaging company sought a solution to enhance its in-house dial packaging machine’s feeding system. The client approached Bellco to design and implement a tailored feeding system that would efficiently handle vials, caps, and assembled vials. Specifically, Bellco was tasked with creating three separate systems: one for vials, one for caps, and a third to feed assembled vials. The feeding systems needed to comply with strict material certification requirements due to their direct interaction with medical products.


Project Overview

The project’s main objective was to increase production rates while optimizing space and maintaining efficiency in the client’s manufacturing process. Bellco was selected for the project due to its expertise in designing multilane feeders that could meet the increased production demands while minimizing the required floor space. The scope of the project included the design and development of three systems:

  1. A dual-lane system for vials.
  2. A two-bowl system for caps.
  3. A third system to feed assembled vials into the final packaging cell.
Both Bowls (Best)-1
Close Up of Cap Tooling (With Part) (Best)-1
Bowl View (Best)-3
Welding to Linear Track-1
End of Vial track
Both Linear Tracks (Filled)
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Linear Track & Bowl
Untitled design-1
System Front-2
Inside Bowl-1
System Side View

 

Design Phase:

Vial Bowl Design:

  • Dual Track Design: The system was built with two tracks that allowed vials to be processed simultaneously, doubling production capacity without requiring separate systems. This design saved space and reduced overall system costs.

  • Part Orientation: The vials started in a horizontal position within the bowl and transitioned around the feeder, where they were singulated. At this point, the vials were guided into a vertical position by an opening in the bowl, ensuring that every vial was correctly oriented for the dial packaging machine.
  • Escapement Mechanism: The system used a dual-finger, single solenoid escapement to ensure precise vial singulation. Keyence fiber optic beam sensors detected each vial, while a vacuum generator accurately placed vials into their nests.

shared image (3)-1
Cap Bowl Design:
  • Dual Bowl Feeder System: A dual-bowl design mounted on a single base plate allowed two robots to simultaneously pick caps from identical positions. This design maximized efficiency by utilizing both robots in parallel.
  • Part Orientation: The caps were positioned with threads facing downward, as required by the client's application. Specialized tooling was developed to ensure proper orientation, with any incorrectly oriented caps being returned to the bowl for re-orientation.
  • Dead Nest Mechanism: To reduce costs while ensuring proper orientation, Bellco utilized dead nests instead of traditional escapements. Equipped with Keyence fiber optic beam sensors, these dead nests accurately positioned the caps for the robots to pick.
 Bowl 2 (Entire Bowl)-1
Assembled Vial Bowl Design:
  • High Rate Feeder Bowl: This bowl was required to feed the assembled vials at a rate 2.5 times faster than the vial and cap bowls. To ensure consistent feeding speed regardless of the number of vials, Bellco incorporated an auto vibration sensor into the feeder bowl.
  • Part Orientation: The assembled vials were oriented with the cap side up. A "V" shaped gap in the track ensured that the vials were correctly oriented, with the gap being narrow enough to prevent the cap from falling, ensuring correct positioning as the vials moved through the system.
 Escapement view full system-1

Precision Manufacturing and Integration:

Bellco's ability to seamlessly integrate custom-designed feeding systems with the client's existing machinery was key to the project’s success. Using SolidWorks, the engineering team designed each feeding system with perfect alignment to the client’s dial packaging machine. Before production began, Bellco provided the customer with a step file for review to ensure the system would fit within their existing setup. No manufacturing proceeded without the client’s approval of the design, ensuring alignment with their needs and expectations.

Run-off and Final Approval:

To ensure the system's functionality, Bellco recommended that the client visit their facility in Concord Township, Ohio, for a live demonstration. For clients unable to attend in person, Bellco offered live video run-offs to provide real-time performance visibility. For this project, Bellco conducted a 2-hour live video run-off. Upon approval, the system was shipped to the client within 12 weeks from project initiation.

Conclusion:

Bellco's successful implementation of the dual-lane feeding system for vials, caps, and assembled vials demonstrates the company’s expertise in meeting complex challenges within the pharmaceutical packaging industry. The innovative designs provided the client with increased production rates, improved efficiency, and a compact system that maximized floor space. The collaboration between Bellco's engineering team and the client ensured that the final system met all requirements and certifications, demonstrating Bellco’s commitment to precision and quality.

Bellco remains a trusted partner for companies looking to optimize their manufacturing processes, combining cutting-edge design, precision engineering, and exceptional customer service. 

Bellco Feeders

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