Best Packaging is not only dedicated to helping customers stay running, but we also strive to help customers become more efficient by improving their operations.
One of the most common calls Best Packaging receives it that a machine has been damaged due to being struck by a fork lift. In these photos below, you can see that this machine had extensive damage under the turntable. The damage was due to a forklift-operator striking the turntable with their forks as they were attempting to load the pallet on to the turntable. This machine required a new turntable, center shaft, bearings, chain, proximity sensor, mounting brackets and sprockets. The end result is good as new, but the cost of such a repair is not cheap.
Anytime we install a machine, we urge the customer to invest in proper guarding and forklift bumpers to prevent this kind of damage to a machine. The initial investment of installing proper guarding can prevent thousands of dollars in damage due to machines being stuck by forklifts or other machinery. Call us today at (888) 930-BEST to discuss how we can properly safeguard your equipment in order to prevent costly repairs and downtime.
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An automated stretch wrapper can often be the bottleneck in a plants production line, especially when it goes down. Such is the case with this month’s repair.
This particular plant has twenty different production lines running 24/7 all feeding into one stretch wrapper- making it imperative that the wrapper runs around the clock without issue. While on site for an unrelated repair, one of the Best Packaging technicians noticed something odd with the conveyor running through the stretch wrapper. After removing some rollers, we were able to get a better look and discovered the drive shaft was sitting crooked and the drive chain was eating into the gearbox. To address this issue, we had parts expedited and were back out for repair shortly after. After taking another look at the problem, we discovered the bearings which support the drive shaft had locked up and were worn almost all the way through the shaft. Had the issue not been spotted by our technician, this would have caused a major production delay for the plant.
Thanks to our technicians, the entire drive assembly was rebuilt and the conveyor is now running good as new. Proof once again that a qualified technician and preventative maintenance can save you from costly down time in the future.
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Whether you need a consultation on your machines, a preventative maintenance program or a reliable emergency service team, Best Packaging is here to help! Last month, we were called on by a customer who had purchased a used Priority One Depalletizer. Initially, the plant planned on utilizing their in-house technicians to assemble the machine; however when the machine arrived, the task proved to be beyond what they could handle. When the Best Packaging technicians arrived, they discovered the machine had been carelessly disassembled. All the wires had been cut from control panel and no parts were labeled proving this would be a challenging repair both mechanically and electrically. The Best Packaging technicians managed to trace all of the wiring, rewire the control panel and bring the machine to life. Once our technicians managed to turn on the machine, it required extensive troubleshooting and debugging. After a bit of fine tuning, the Best Packaging technicians had the equipment is working good as new, and all problems were resolved. If you’re experiencing issues with your packaging equipment, give us a call at (888) 930 BEST.
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At Best Packaging Inc., we work hard to provide you customized solutions that best fit your needs. Last month, we got a call from a customer to reconfigure their plant’s main conveyor line in order to accommodate seven new plastic mold injection machines. With our techs on site, Best Packaging helped install over 100 feet of new conveyor equipment. The conveyor extension was complete with loading stations and pneumatic pop up sections. The Best Packaging technicians also replaced the out-dated stretch wrapper with a state-of-the-art fully automatic Lantech® stretch wrapper integrated into the conveyor. To top it off, we installed a new control panel, two Polychem® strapping machines, and a bar code scanner to notify the system on which pallets to wrap and which to strap. Our technicians are trained on all packaging brands and equipment. Whether you need a consultation on your machines, a Preventative Maintenance program or a reliable emergency service team, be sure to give us a call at (888) 930 BEST.
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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Or in this case, 1600 lbs of steel. Our customer was the proud owner of a Synergy 4 high profile stretch wrapper by Highlight Industries. This state-of-the-art pallet wrap machine features a Fast Film Feed for quick film change, and electronically controlled pre-stretch for ultimate flexibility.
Unfortunately, even the smartest packaging equipment can encounter issues when environmental factors, and inconsistent maintenance, create a harmful compound. This highly efficient machine was debased when its turntable refused to turn. Material handlers had resorted to placing pallets onto the stationary turntable, then manually rotating the base as the pre-stretch carriage dispensed film. This movement caused a rather grating metal-on-metal grinding sound, but the operations team had no choice if they wanted to continue shipping their product.
Anxious to get back to the grind… that is to say, back to normal operations, the plant manager dialed Best Packaging’s toll-free number: (888) 930-BEST. Best Packaging was able to send a service technician to the Northern Illinois facility within a week. The professional repairman effortlessly diagnosed the issue once onsite. The central shaft that causes the turntable to rotate was mangled beyond repair, likely due to challenging warehouse conditions and/or lackluster maintenance. This had caused the center bearing to lock up and the shaft had seized onto the bearing. Since the existing system literally came to a grinding halt, the bearings were beyond economical repair (BER). The only option was to replace the high-profile turntable, shaft, and central bearing.
Since Best Packaging is a licensed dealer of Highlight equipment, the customer service team ensured the right parts were ordered at the best possible price. While the customer awaited the shipment of the new turntable, a service technician began the Herculean task of removing the old table. Since components had seized up underneath the old turntable, extraction was executed with precision in to minimize further damage. The above photo depicts Best Packaging’s technician severing the old shaft to free the turntable above it.
A new turntable, shaft, and center bearing from the original manufacturer were installed by Best Packaging’s factory certified team. The turntable now spins smoothly, with hardly a sound.
If you want to ensure your high caliber stretch wrap machine is a smooth operator, we recommend enrolling in a Preventative Maintenance Program from Best Packaging. The service technicians maintain a detailed log of machine condition, services performed, and potential issues to watch out for in the future. Best Packaging calls for appointment reminders and service is scheduled when the customer agrees to an appointment time. Best Packaging can be reached at (888) 930-BEST or by following the link below.
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Faulty machinery is a real pain in the back! That was certainly the case for a Chicago-area canned food manufacturer whose inline pallet strapper broke down. Material handlers had resorted to manually palletizing and banding layers upon layers of heavy cans. As a result of the broken strapper, production at this facility was reduced by 50%.
That was when the discomforted cannery called the toll-free number for Best Packaging and scheduled a diagnostic appointment for the same day. When the technician arrived, he received background information from the support engineer and immediately began troubleshooting. He noticed the feed module’s motor was spinning, but the module was not feeding.
Usually, the most obvious answer is the correct one, but this was the exception that proves the rule. Typically, when technicians receive a feed error, it indicates a faulty feed module. The support engineer certainly suspected so and was surprised when Best Packaging discovered the real issue. What couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, was that the motor was not fast enough and could not pick up enough torque to feed properly. The feed module itself worked fine, but the board supplying current to the feed module was at fault. The feed module was not receiving enough current.
New parts for their board were required to remedy the inline strapper and alleviate the employees. With Best Packaging’s expertise, the right part was quickly identified, and they coordinated the order directly from the equipment manufacturer. The strapper was transported to Best Packaging’s workshop at the request of the customer to streamline their production area in the interim. The support engineer, line supervisor, and all the laborers at the cannery grew eager for the new parts to arrive as their team began to experience ergonomic constraints from manually pushing pallets.
Finally, new parts for the board arrived at Best Packaging’s workshop. Because the machine was already there, technicians could complete the installation of new parts quickly, without having to schedule a service visit.
With Best Packaging’s help, this purveyor of canned goods regained 100% productivity and put an end to their sciatic saga. Malfunctioning equipment is not always what it appears to be, so next time faulty packaging equipment has you puzzled (or even pained) call the packaging equipment specialists at Best Packaging: 888-930-BEST
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