Automatic PVC tape packaging machine

• Main Authors: Dimaano, Roberto S., Donggay, Andrew P., Que, Vincent O., Quiogue, Ryan G., Teng, Kenneth F.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2001
• Subjects: Packaging; Packaging machinery; Programmable controllers; Programmable logic devices; Mechatronics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_honors/327
• Institution: De La Salle University

The current production line of PVC tapes in Armak Tape Corporation is semi-automated. There are 4 workers who are assigned the task of hand-wrapping the produced PVC tapes in a plastic film by stacks of ten. The aim of this project is to make a machine, by applying the knowledge learned in mechatronics, which would arrange ten PVC tapes in a row and wrap it in a plastic film. In achieving this project, the four workers assigned to the task of packaging would be reduced to only one, and the other three will be reallocated to other production lines that need them. The machine wraps both sizes of PVC tapes, the 16m and the 4m tapes. The machine makes use of pneumatic systems to accumulate and arrange PVC tapes in a row. It also uses the same system to push the arranged stack of PVC tapes through a plastic film. A heat sealer, attached to a pneumatic system, then finishes the process by sealing and cutting the plastic film. A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and sensors were used to achieve the process of automation. The machine not only meets the current production rate of wrapping forty pieces of PVC tapes in a minute, but it exceeds it by a little more than twenty tapes a minute. Proper temperature as well as pressure is heavily depended upon to achieve the machine’s highest reliability in packaging. Given the proper calibration and right temperature and pressure, only a 2.3% error is found in packaging big tapes, while a 17% error is found in packaging small tapes. Errors in packaging were attributed to the worn out PVC tapes that were used over and over during the reliability runs. It is suggested to further mechanically improve the machine to lower the errors found in packaging small tapes. By applying the knowledge in mechatronics in building a machine that arranges and wraps ten PVC tapes the objective of the project was achieved. The part of the production line was automated thus reducing the number of workers. The machine exceeded the benchmark, and proved to be reliable with only a low percentage of errors.