Case Studies
Useful Worksite Knowledge
Automatic bag-opening equipment: What is the annual loss without maintenance?
The “acceptable range” behind statements like “We have not performed any maintenance since delivery, but no particular problems have arisen” or “It seems to take a little longer to open the bags now, but I suppose it is within acceptable limits” may actually be reducing production efficiency without you even realizing it.
Actual Case
The processing speed of the PowOpener has decreased
When we visited the customer’s plant to perform a regular inspection of the PowOpener (automatic bag-opening equipment), we confirmed a significant decrease in processing capacity. When we asked, the customer said that no maintenance had been performed since delivery. The investigation revealed that the cylinder’s movement had slowed, and the cause was “raw material powder clogged inside the silencer (exhaust air treatment component).”
▲PowOpener
The accumulation of powder significantly increases exhaust resistance
The cylinder of the PowOpener operates by the air supply and exhaust. A silencer is a component that reduces the noise of the exhaust air from the cylinder, and in a powder processing line, powder carried by the exhaust air gradually accumulates inside.
The time required to process one bag increases
This increases exhaust resistance, causing the cylinder’s operating speed to decrease. Eventually, performance will slow down significantly, and the cycle time required to process one bag will increase.
In this case, we confirmed an improvement of about 10 seconds per bag processed through cleaning and reassembly.
If you leave this unchecked, it could lead to expensive repairs!
Current stage: Clogged silencer → Cylinder malfunction → Decrease in processing capacity
Left unchecked for even longer: Powder enters the cylinder → Damage to the cylinder body
Final stage: Cylinder replacement is necessary (The cost of parts plus labor adds up to a high total)
Left unchecked for even longer: Powder enters the cylinder → Damage to the cylinder body
Final stage: Cylinder replacement is necessary (The cost of parts plus labor adds up to a high total)
Message from TSUKASA
“It’s still working, so it’s fine” is a big mistake!
The PowOpener is a frequently used piece of equipment. We recommend performing an annual inspection and maintenance. By regularly cleaning the silencer and checking the condition of consumable parts such as the cutter blades and fixing bars, you can ensure long-term, reliable operation of the equipment. Preventive maintenance is ultimately the most cost-effective approach.
The PowOpener comes standard with a “predictive maintenance” function
The PowOpener counts the number of times the cylinder is actuated, and the total number of actuations is displayed on the panel. You can freely set the maximum operating time and number of cycles, and the system will alert you when maintenance is due, so please take advantage of this feature.