Case Study

Denesting Solution for Wax Ring Flanges

Operating Speed: 120 CPM

Container: Wax Ring Flanges

Customer Container Handling Challenge 

A toilet wax ring manufacturer needed a system to denest 3” and 4” flanges into plastic molds, aligning with a wax filler that processes 12 flanges at a time. The solution required seamless integration with an existing lug conveyor, precise placement, and throughput rates of up to 100 containers per minute.

Morrison Solution 

Morrison designed a custom denesting system featuring:

On-the-Fly Denesting: Efficiently separates and places individual flanges onto molds.
Compression Belt and Wheel: Seats flanges securely into molds.
Advanced Controls: AB NEMA 12 servo/AC controls with encoder or sensor for precise operation.
Changeover Components: Timing screws and infeed chutes tailored for 3” and 4” flanges.
High Throughput: Achieves 100 CPM for continuous operation or 60 CPM for groups of 12.
Consistent Product Placement: Using timing screws to denest product creates consistent product placement of the flange into the plastic mold, reducing human error of manual placement and increasing speed of operation.
Retrofitted to Existing Layout: This system is retrofitted to the existing lug conveyor and production line layout, minimize costs associated with integrating the system and helping sustainability practices in the plant by utilizing existing equipment.

Construction 

Built with anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and food-grade plastics, the system is durable and adaptable to future production needs.

Results

The custom denesting system significantly improved efficiency and precision for the customer’s production line by:

Reducing Downtime: Smooth integration with the existing lug conveyor minimized production disruptions.
Automation of Repetitive Task: System brought automation to a labor-intensive, mundane task to increase consistency of denesting and reduce labor needs.
Enhancing Placement Accuracy: Reliable denesting and seating helped ensure each flange was perfectly aligned for the wax filling process.
Increasing Throughput: The system met production goals with a throughput of 100 CPM and efficient indexing of groups of 12 flanges.
Adaptability for Future Needs: Designed to accommodate reduced dwell times and potential conveyor updates, the system provided a scalable solution for evolving production requirements. With changeover parts designed into the system, the machine is also adaptable for future container size changes or changes in the manufacturing of the container.