Keep Wear Parts on the Shelf to Avoid Packaging Line Downtime

Nearly every packaging machinery will consist of some parts known as wear parts. For packaging machinery, wear parts can usually be defined simply as those parts that will come in contact with the product, bottle, cap or other component of the packaging process. Rinsing, filling, capping, labeling and other packaging products can only be completed by moving, stabilizing, positioning and otherwise preparing components for the different packaging tasks. Over time, this contact can "wear" down certain parts, and those parts will necessarily need to be replaced.

Liquid Packaging Solutions always suggests keeping the most common wear parts on hand at the packager's site to avoid lost production time that may occur due to ordering, fabrication or shipping of these parts. Examples of wear parts are nozzle seals on overflow filling machines. These seals cover the bottle opening when the nozzles dive into the container and allow the level fill that the overflow machine is known for. Tightening disks on spindle capping machines are used to spin the cap down on the threads. These disks contact the caps while they are spinning to create a secure and reliable seal of bottles. Other examples might include sprockets on a conveyor belt, conveyor belt itself or rubber inserts on a chuck capping machine.

Keep in mind that wear parts should not need replacing on a frequent basis, and excessive wear and tear can be an indication of an improperly set up machine. In fact, in typical scenarios, wear parts will infrequently need to be replaced which means such parts are not always at the forefront of the packaging process or the packager's mind. Keeping the most common spare parts on hand at the production site allows for a quick and easy change of the parts when the time comes, minimizing downtime for the machinery.

While it is true that some machines can run at a limited capacity, others simply will not function correctly. The six head overflow filler, for example, could run with four or five heads should one nozzle seal need replaced. The spindle capper mentioned above, however, would likely not perform efficiently with one or more disks out of commission.

For new packagers, LPS can help identify wear parts and ensure that those parts that may need to eventually be replaced are delivered with the equipment at the time of installation and training. As LPS manufactures many custom machines, the wear parts list may vary from machine to machine based on the needs of the packager. For veteran packagers, operator turnover or simple inattention, given the normal amount of time between replacement, can lead to a shortage of wear parts on site. LPS will also help veteran packagers and operators to resupply their wear parts when necessary.

The Parts and Technical Service Department at LPS will assist in identifying solutions as well as placing orders before the need becomes urgent. And of course, in those situations where parts are needed to get a machine back up and running, LPS keeps a wide variety of wear parts in stock for all of the machinery manufactured at the La Porte, Indiana plant.