April 23, 2015 — In a matter of months, Innovative Mold Solutions (IMS), a contract engineering/manufacturing facility producing application-specific plastic injection molding products for military, industrial and medical industries expanded its capability to produce a new line of eco-friendly compostable plastics products from one to five machines and is poised to triple that capacity. “With rapid growth, it’s important to be able to reconfigure our auxiliary equipment—to do an R&D process with the conveyor systems. The DynaCon is like a large erector set—we can reconfigure the way we need it instead of being stuck with one configuration,” says Sean Wright, IMS, Manufacturing Engineer.
IMS discovered the reconfigurable conveyor technology after acquiring machinery that included a 6ft version of the DynaCon. Muskegon, MI-based Dynamic Conveyor Corp. offers sustainable conveying solutions designed for easy configuration and reconfiguration.
Previously IMS’s conveyor systems were structured, “you could change the angle of the incline and adjust the overall height but they weren’t modular enough to be able to extend or change the entire configuration,” says Wright. “The DynaCon system allows us to quickly change how we want to transport the molded parts on the production floor.”
IMS uses modular conveyor systems throughout its entire process beginning with catching parts from under molding machines, feeding them through a camera inspection system and through to final packaging. Most off-the-shelf type conveyors catch parts from under molding machines as they are ejected, bring them up an incline, and then drop them into a container, but the DynaCon gives IMS the ability to experiment with other configurations like coming out the side or back of the machine. “The DynaCon allowed us to custom configure the system to catch and move parts away from the machine in a way that best fits the production floor layout,” says Wright.
DynaCon conveyor systems also give IMS the ability to fine tune its system. Originally belts were ordered with flights spaced at 12” intervals but did not separate the parts as planned. Wright was able to order additional flights and rebuild the belt reducing the intervals by 50 percent; and after further testing, altered the position of flights to create a waterfall of parts moving down the conveyor. “We were able to pull the belt completely off and add twice the number of flights in about an hour. With another belt that would not be possible because the flights are typically permanently attached and cannot be adjusted,” he says.
The system is also “very compatible for bolt-on equipment,” says Wright. Dynamic Conveyor offers a host of accessory items including metal detectors, parts separators and cooling options, but manufacturers can also bolt on existing equipment or, as IMS has done, customize systems via in house fabrication.
“The DynaCon has allowed us to revamp the entire post molding system, effectively transporting molded parts to an in-line camera inspection system. To be able to do that and not have to absorb any more cost or overhead with additional machinery is outstanding,” says Wright.
All DynaCon products offer reconfigurable conveyor technology and come in a variety of widths, lengths, and accessory options. To see DynaCon modular conveyor systems visit https://dynamicconveyor.com or call (800) 640-6850.
For information about Innovative Mold Solutions, Inc. contact Derek Helmer, V.P. Business Development at (978) 840-1503 or visit http://www.innovativemold.com.