Start-up Distillery Uses Mass-Flow, Reflow, & Single Lane Accumulation

Multi-Conveyor was recently requested to build a series of conveyors to transport and accumulate a ‘bourbon shine’ inspired beverage for a start-up distillery in the Smokey Mountain foothills.

A variety of conveyor technologies were implemented to smoothly transport beverage cans between different processing machines in the line.

Two lanes of cans initially discharge from a filler at a right-angle onto mass-flow accumulation conveyor. The cans then either divert and single file into a pasteurizer or bypass it altogether. The operator only has to move a simple gate to switch. After cans discharge a pasteurizer en masse, they enter a pressure combiner and single file to a fill level inspection machine.

A separate 300-can capacity re-flow accumulation table was also requested to stage product prior to the customer’s shrink labeler to allow for roll changes without the need to shut down upstream equipment. Post shrink tunnel, the cans travel over a micropitch transfer onto a labeler conveyor and 6-pack ringer.

Loose cans or six packs then end transfer onto a side flexing conveyor to feed the customer’s tray packer. The micropitch transfer is equipped with hold-down rails at the infeed and side transfer dead plate at the discharge to minimize tipping risk. The system was tied together using Allen Bradley PLC, VFD’s, and HMI.

Watch a video of Multi-Conveyor's equipment in action.