The Problem:
Our clients know we engineer successful auger filling solutions for thick pastes, epoxy, and grease. A major roof tar manufacturer waited two years for a solution from one of our competitors until finally turning to AMS for help with a gooey problem. At their plant, our AMS Solutions Team viewed the competitor’s attempt to build a filling machine for a popular roofing cement. Immediately, we noticed the competitor did not test the correct product. They used hot wire to cut the fill which heated the gooey product, resulting in drips on the outside of the container. Under-speed timing on the prototype caused immediate under-performance. The augers were too small for the application, so the machine did not reach expected rates. Lastly, the competitor treated filing and indexing as two separate machines. The indexing pin came up from bottom, tipping the buckets. In the end, many of the full containers tumbled over, pouring 5-gallons of tar on the production floor!
The AMS Solution:
Our team designed a unique application of over-sized augers. Ball valves cut off the product without changing the product temperature. Sensors recognize whether a 5-gallon metal container is in position to fill. And indexing from the side removes the risk of tipping gooey product onto the floor.
The AMS machine in the client plant fills faster and more accurately than the competitor’s dysfunctional prototype. It operates as a single unit solution and the results are, our machine:
- Fills fast
- Fills accurately
- Handles containers as a single unit
- Indexes properly, avoiding spills
Although unrequested, we were able to double the output by incorporating two spindles, allowing the client to fill two 5-gallon containers simultaneously. Start-to-finish, we delivered a solution to the client in 10 weeks, leaving our competitor in the dust! After engineering a successful auger filling solution for the gooey product, the client continues to place orders with AMS for their filling needs.