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Product is conveyed on a vibratory conveyor that feeds into a bucket elevator carrying nuts to an approximately 40’-long conveyor at a mezzanine level that accommodates the WeighPack scales or separately an older vertical form/fill/seal machine.
For the bulk containers product is gravity-fed into a stainless-steel hopper. Beneath the hopper are two side-by-side transfer pans. Under both transfer pans are a bulk pan and a dribble pan. From these pans nuts descend onto a scale hopper. Each hopper is equipped with a load cell. Each scale accommodates up to 50 lb of product providing accuracy of ±1 oz on that size Pintarelli estimates.
Accuracy comes from the scale’s Multi-Trix microprocessor that operates machine functions including weight set points for both the vibratory bulk and dribble feed pans. The system also provides a control panel where Robertsdale operators can make adjustments for different nut varieties and packaging weights. Currently the plant uses about 13 different recipes.
“We pull up a menu on the screen select the product we want to run and hit enter” Pintarelli explains. “So we can do a changeover in a minute or two.” The only other necessary changeover task is to switch the filling funnel beneath the scale when a more elaborate size change is needed such as going from a 50# bag to a 3# mesh bag. Even that only takes minutes requiring an adjustment of three “thumb wheels” as Pintarelli describes them. No tools are necessary to do the job.
When the desired product weight is reached the scale releases product through the funnel or chute. For boxed goods nuts fall into the open white corrugated case on a roller conveyor. For bags the operator holds the bag open under the funnel to accept the fill. The bag is held just inches off the moving belted conveyor. The bag is filled in a matter of seconds and descends the few inches onto the conveyor.
The fill level is at least 6” below the top of the bag. That prevents product spillage as the bag conveys downstream to a high-speed sewing machine that applies the string closure.
Pintarelli says that a more automated method for this process is being developed. “We could have used clamps to attach the bag to the funnel but the process was too time-consuming” he says.
Pallet loads of nuts are shipped to retail grocery stores and mass merchandisers who fill nuts into bulk display bins for sale to consumers.
Two-season payback
Although the scale has only been used for a few months it’s already earned the respect of Feely and Pintarelli at the Robertsdale plant. “The line runs on an as-needed basis” explains Feely. “We used to be able to do about 250 50-pound bags an hour and now we’re at 450 bags per hour. And we only need one person to fill rather than two.”
Again using the high-volume 50-lb bags as a point of reference Feely says that by using the WeighPack scale system “we save at least four ounces of product per bag.”
Overall the company estimates it’s reduced product giveaway by 50% on its various-sized packages.
Besides giveaway and labor savings Diamond of California earns payback from savings on forklift rentals. Pintarelli explains “We had packaged in two rooms before. By adding this scale we could move our bulk bag and box packaging into the same room so we only need one forklift instead of two. That’s about $1 a month in savings.”
Diamond of California would not divulge specific dollar savings. However the combined labor giveaway and rental savings are justifying Robertsdale’s investment in the scale. “At this rate we’ll pay off the machine in less than 18 months or about two seasons” Pintarelli estimates. And what about using the scale at other Diamond plants?
Pintarelli and Feely give the scale two thumbs up. “As far as I know we’re the only plant using it right now” Feely believes. “It’s pretty simple and it works well. We’ve had no maintenance issues with it and by automating filling we’ve doubled our production speed on our 90-pound boxes.”
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