BENVIC EUROPE SPA (FERRARA):
BIERRE AUTOMAZIONI UPGRADES TO POLYETHYLENE GUIDE ON SLIDING PLANE SACK PALLETISER, MOD. PAF/S
The Client
Benvic Europe SpA, producer of high added-value materials with factories in France, Spain and Italy, has been a major player in the PVC sector for over 50 years. Coming from a culture based on the safety and protection of its collaborators, Benvic Europe is working towards broadening the scope of its commitments and to raise its production standards through a charter, a true benchmark in terms of exemplarity and QHSE management (Quality, Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainable Development).
The need
In the Benvic Europe SPA plant in Ferrara, one of the manufacturing lines uses a sack palletiser which no longer conforms to internal quality standards, due to a chain-sliding guide system made of galvanized wrought iron, from the group known as sliding plane. Modern and functional at the time it was installed in 1987, it has since been surpassed by the latest technological innovations. The original decision to install chain guides in ferrous materials alongside chain handling systems was based on the need to combine technical decisions with economic proposals, taking into account the market situation in the 1970s and 1980s. Noise created by the machinery was not yet seen to be an important issue, and neither were maintenance costs. In fact, guide systems made out of ferrous material are difficult to install due to the type of the material and their welding, often making adaptations to the assembly line necessary, despite accurate construction of the parts.
The intervention therefore necessitated that Bierre Automazioni find a way to reduce the time between one maintenance and the next, and also to reduce installation time, diminish noise when in operation, and if possible to improve palletisation by reducing the vibrations transmitted from the chain to the layer deposit position.
The intervention therefore necessitated that Bierre Automazioni find a way to reduce the time between one maintenance and the next, and also to reduce installation time, diminish noise when in operation, and if possible to improve palletisation by reducing the vibrations transmitted from the chain to the layer deposit position.
The Solution Adopted
Bierre Automazioni first studied, then proposed and supplied Benvic Europe SpA with a complete turnkey package, including a new polyethylene (PE) guide system inserted in a new mechanical support capable of facilitating future installations. The activities undertaken were the design, installation and successive monitoring of production trials at the Ferrara factory. The introduction onto the market of polymers similar to wax that are produced in three different densities, low (300,000 molecules), medium (500,000 molecules) and high (1,000,000 molecules), has made it possible to manufacture a high quality product capable of combining today’s economic requirement to contain costs and the time required for maintenance. The choice made by the technical offices at Bierre Automazioni is reflected in the High density PE1000 product which, thanks to excellent impact and wear resistance, the non-stick properties of its surface, low coefficient of static friction, and good chemical resistance to very low temperatures and good constructive yield, rendering the new guides suitable for the intended purposes.
THE RESULTS – EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
“A few months on from installation, with the new system created by Bierre Automazioni, plant noise emissions have decreased significantly, as have situations regarding faults related to deterioration of the iron guides. And thanks to the new guide support, the alignment and quality of the palettes produced has been improved, exceeding even our highest expectations. In this way it has contributed to an overall increase in the machine’s efficiency”.
Benvic Europe Spa – Ferrara plant
Contacts: Fabrizio Maestri (f.maestri@bierreautomazioni.com)
