Product loading hopper, elevator and counter

Product loading hopper and elevator

Product (gummies, capsules or tablets) is loaded into the product loading hopper at floor level. A cleated elevator conveyor lifts the product and drops it into the counter’s main hopper. A level sensor in the main hopper controls product addition: it starts the elevator when the hopper is low and stops it when it is full.

1. 1Confirm the loading hopper, elevator and counter hopper are clean and labelled CLEAN.
2. 2Check the product container label against the BPR: product name, batch number and QA RELEASED status.
3. 3Wear gloves; never touch product with bare hands.
4. 4Pour product into the loading hopper gently to avoid breakage. Do not overfill.
5. 5While loading, inspect the product for foreign matter, broken or misshapen pieces, stuck-together gummies or wrong colour, and remove them.
6. 6Close the hopper lid or guard.
7. 7Start the elevator and confirm product lifts evenly along the cleats and drops into the counter hopper.
8. 8Confirm the level sensor stops the elevator when the counter hopper is full and restarts it when the level drops (F-15).
9. 9Keep the loading hopper supplied throughout the run; record each container loaded in the BPR.

Vibratory trays and counting heads

From the main hopper, product drops onto the vibratory trays. Each lane has three vibratory trays (vibrator 1, 2 and 3). The grooved channels and stepped vibration spread the product out so that pieces travel in single file. At the end of the trays the product falls into the counting holes: the line has two counting machines (heads), each with six counting holes. Photoelectric sensors in each hole count every piece using the PLC settings (Section 4.2). Each head (left and right) releases its counted quantity down a collecting chute into the bottom funnel, which drops it into the bottle.

Reference values for gummies; each lane is tuned separately and values change with the product. Vibrator 1 and 2 start delays: 3 s. Adjust all vibration values on the counter PLC.

1. 1Check all three trays on each lane are seated and their fixing screws are tight (N-07).
2. 2Start the vibrators and listen: smooth hum, no banging or rattling.
3. 3Adjust vibrator 1, 2 and 3 on the PLC until product moves in an even single line into all six counting holes on each head (N-08).
4. 4Too fast: pieces overlap or bounce, giving miscounts. Too slow: low output and gaps.
5. 5Check the collecting chutes are fitted with their fixing knobs tight and both head connectors are latched (N-09, N-10).
6. 6Centre each funnel over the bottle: bring a bottle to the fill position, loosen the four black plastic knobs, move the funnel until its outlet is centred over the bottle neck and just above it, then tighten the knobs evenly. Repeat for the second counting machine ().

Bottle presence sensor

This sensor tells the counter that a bottle is in position under the funnel. When bottles stop arriving, it signals the counter to stop. If it fails and wrongly reports a bottle, the counter keeps running and drops product onto the conveyor with no bottle underneath (N-11).

1. 1Clean the sensor lens.
2. 2Check the bracket is tight and the sensor aims at the bottle body between the guide rails.
3. 3No bottle in front: the LED shows no bottle. Bottle in front: the LED changes.
4. 4Remove bottles from the infeed: the counter must stop and release nothing.
5. 5If it fails, stop the machine and adjust or replace the sensor before production.

Counter touchscreen (HMI)

The counter is controlled from its own touchscreen, labelled CAPSULE GUMMY COUNTING. The same screen is used for capsule, gummy and tablet bottles; load the product settings before each batch.

Electronic counter operation

1. 1Turn on main power and compressed air.
2. 2Release the emergency stop; clear any alarms.
3. 3Confirm the correct counting plates and product guides are fitted.
4. 4Set guide rails for the bottle.
5. 5Enter product name and batch number if required.
6. 6Select the saved product setting for the product and bottle size (cc), then confirm the count per bottle.
7. 7Turn on the conveyor, then Machine 1 and Machine 2.
8. 8Adjust vibrators 1, 2 and 3 for a smooth single-layer flow.
9. 9Check sensors are clean and detecting correctly; test the bottle presence sensor by removing bottles (the counter must stop).
10. 10