Engineering of can conveying systems has been far from an exact science in the past. The conveying components of yesterday’s systems were based upon the experience of individuals along with advice from the Farmer’s Almanac, old wives’ tales, practical jokes, medicine man’s chants and astrologer’s forecasts. This was, and still is, practical where cans are built from automobile body plate and where they are filled at 150 cans per minute. In those days, can conveying problems were relatively non-existent, and even as line speeds increased, can conveying methods were over-shadowed by can closing, can processing and can manufacturing problems. Even today many production supervisor’s view can handling by yesterday’s standards. However, the high speed lines, and relatively fragile cans and products of today, are demanding that each segment of the can conveying system be thoroughly engineered and controlled.
Paper published with permission.
