Amcor Rigid Packaging

Mezzanine system allows for annual savings at packaging plant

Amcor Rigid Packaging, an international PET Bottle Producer, operates process equipment for plastic material handling in their bottle production facilities. These consist of multiple storage surge bins, granulators, gravimetric material blenders, vacuum pumps and other materials handling equipment. With floor space at a premium and safe accessibility a stringent requirement, Plastics Auxiliary Equipment and Systems supplier Universal Dynamics Inc (UnaDyn) incorporates MiTek Mezzanine Systems mezzanines to accomplish these goals.

CHALLENGE

UnaDyn considers the following as the essential elements for the implementation of mezzanines into their system designs:

• Elevate equipment so that gravity discharging can be used for material transfer
• Support for equipment that typically requires integral legs – reduces quantity of structural support columns for increased access and cleaner appearance
• Support of equipment in a vertical stack-up, to maximize the amount of equipment that can be stored within a given floor space area
• Gain access to upper decks of process equipment via purpose-built separate access mezzanines
• Elevate equipment so that separate equipment groups or processes can be installed and performed at the level below
• Provide support for process piping below equipment group, eliminating need for separate structure and providing clean and easy mounting method

SOLUTION

Amcor’s resin handling system mezzanine provided a way to centrally store material in an elevated manner, in a configuration such that the discharge could be routed by gravity tubes to four adjacent blenders virgin material supply hoppers. This gravity flow eliminated the equipment requirement to vacuum convey these material transfer steps. At an estimated $1.50/hour to run a 25-horsepower motor, this conveying step equates to a savings of about $40,000/year for the six-unit mezzanine. Furthermore, without powered equipment, it saves floor space, filter maintenance and does not degrade the material due to not subjecting it to mechanical conveyance.

RESULTS

The products and services of MiTek Mezzanine Systems allow UnaDyn to provide end-users the best system possible by facilitating a myriad of system configurations, custom-designed to suit the application. Efficient estimation and design phases, professional engineering services and modular, yet robust structures with a wide range of options, provide the perfect support to UnaDyn’s systems offerings.