Automated bulk cartoning of folded sachet linked strips using constrained gravity stacking

• Main Author: Bea, Aaron Dee
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2012
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/4292
• Institution: De La Salle University

There is an opportunity to automate the cartoning process of connected sachet strips, which need to be folded and packed in connected link stacks rather than individually. This research studies and develops a system for the folding and stacking of connected sachets and integrates it into a conventional cartoning process, increasing system speeds. In the methodology, connected sachet strips are made to stack naturally in a single process using gravity, walled constraints, and a controlled entry path, generating the required form factor for cartoning. The stacks can then be accumulated and then inserted into a separately-formed box. This stacking and folding process was optimized through a combination of analytical equations and simulation modeling, allowing for optimal and reliable performance based on smooth and continuous flow, control over initial sachet stabilization positioning, alignment of sachet torques, and the reduction of excess velocity and vibration in the sachet stack. Simulations and analyses were also performed for the accumulation, transportation, and cartoning of sachets in order to select manipulation solutions for actuating and cartoning the folded sachet strips. To validate the system, an actual system was also created and tested, allowing for comparison to predicted performance. Based on the design and the results, the system possesses low-power consumption, low-complexity performance, good reliability, and high speed, making it a viable technology for the various industries with sachet-packaged products. Basic economic analysis was also made for the system to justify the production costs of the system. The analysis methods and equations developed can also assist in designing cartoning systems for different types of sachets in terms of geometry and the number of links.