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Send to KindleIn the Hunt for higher output
The vacuum-mount model which comes in a variety of bright colors is highly visible through the front and back portions of the thermoform which closely follows the contours of the product and its handle. Instead of sealing all the way around the package Hunt chose bar welds on the left and right sides of the package-sufficient to resist pilferage. The bottom which is not sealed consists of an interlocking union of the front and back blisters forming a broad and stable base for standing displays. The pack is also peggable as before.
Interestingly Hunt thermoformed its own blisters previously and still has the thermoforming equipment though it chooses to buy blisters from Alloyd. "It costs a little more but it's worth it because we get uniform packaging materials" says Eller. "Plus I don't think our machine's capable of thermoforming this design."
Sales results have been encouraging. Fleming estimates that the regular Bulldog sharpener registered a 20% increase in sales and the vacuum-mount model is up about 8%. Both jumps can be directly attributed to the new package he says. (The same products continue to be offered to retailers in boxes too.)
Care and feeding
The machine itself a 16-station carousel RF-sealer employs several automatic feeding mechanisms to feed the blisters as well as the card. Blister packages are sealed 2-up with two nests occupying each of the 16 stations. The operation starts out when a vacuum plug machined to fit the thermoform pulls the bottom blister from the magazine. It releases the thermoform into one of the two nests that make up each of the 16 stations on the rotating oval track.
Once in position the blister cycles out of the feeding section around the oval track and past two operators who simply insert the pencil sharpeners delivered to them via a conveyor from behind. The blisters then cycle back into the feeding section where the card is deposited and the top blister is placed by a feeding mechanism similar to that for the bottom blister. The blisters are then sealed via radio frequency energy that melts the plastic together as opposed to heat and pressure used by the previous system. A vacuum arm removes packages from the machine and deposits them onto a conveyor belt leading to manual packoff.
Quadruple the output
For the vacuum-mount model output quadrupled from 2 packages per eight-hour shift to 8. The system reaches speeds of close to 8.5 cycles/minute (two packages per cycle). "We took a five-day job with six people and turned it into a one-and-a-half-day job with four people." Labor savings resulting from production of the vacuum-mount model which is run on the machine about once a month is about $20 annually says Fleming. For the regular Bulldog model productivity gains weren't as dramatic since Hunt had been producing close to 8 packages per day on the former heat-and-pressure sealer. Neverthless labor savings on this one product totals $6 annually and the operators prefer the new machine because there's more working space.
Hunt is experimenting with two other pencil sharpener models on the machine one of which had been packed at 3 per day and is expected to jump to 8/day. "For these items productivity on this new machine has just gone through the roof" says Eller. Material costs are about the same as before.
A final benefit is fast changeover. Eller says it takes as little as 30 minutes versus 40 minutes to an hour with the previous equipment. Operators simply pull out two pins that hold each dual-nest tray at each station swap the tray for a new one and drop the pins back in. The RF-seal tooling and vacuum plugs are also swapped and are latched in place without the use of tools. There's no significant trial-and-error alignment necessary as required on the previous machine nor do operators have to wait for the machine to heat up. "It's the most simple thing I've ever seen" says Eller.
Hunt has been pleased with the performance of the machine blister and service from Alloyd. The company also cites the convenience of Alloyd's proximity since its regional plant is located in nearby Spartanburg SC permitting overnight service for any needed parts.
Although Hunt continues to offer its customers a choice between blisters and boxes Eller favors the former. "I hope they go ahead and use this machine full-time and throw the boxes out the back door. This does justice to our product."
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