When you are, er, older like me, you’ve seen many different designs. Machines of the ‘70s and early ‘80s were pretty much single-purpose. They were not flexible in the sense of allowing simple changeover from product to product. Often they were not really safe.
Over the past ten years, I have seen a significant evolution in the engineering concept of machines. Engineers began to step back and re-think overall machine design in light of customer demands, automation advancements and improved safety systems.
Some of the machine builders I’ve visited during that time have really impressed me with the overall design and integration of the latest automation technology. Some of these advances include modular design, faster start up, easier operator training, better access for maintenance and improved safety.
We celebrate those successes here at the Packaging Automation Review. Hope you get something out of it you can apply to your machines.
