A small piece of equipment, no bigger than a baby’s little finger, can be easily found in every single household all across the world. It is used for a vast number of purposes, from holding pictures on walls, holding together pieces of wood and even keeping the bones from splitting. Of course, this tiny piece of equipment we are talking about is the screw.
A brief history
The history of screws dates way back to the 7th Century BC. At that time, the people of Babylon have started using screws as a part of screw pumps, which were used as water systems at the Hanging Gardens. Later on, the use of screws had spread all across the Mediterranean, where they were used in oil presses and to fix bottles of wine. The modern, metal screws we commonly see today, were first used during the 15th Century.
These days, the packaging industry still uses various types of screws for the same purposes. The main screw design used for propulsion is better known as a feed screw or a timing screw. Various feed screw types are usually found in modern conveyor systems, where they are used to “feed” the products and items into various machines along the production line.
There are some types of feed screws today. However, in general, there are two main types that are used in the packaging industry. These are quick change feed screws and dedicated feed screws.
Quick Change Feed Screws
To achieve high efficiency and save money and time, packaging companies commonly use the same machines so as to package different products. Of course, these products are not always of the same shapes and sizes, which means that some parts of the machines need to be regularly changed. With the help of quick change feed screws, the downtime between installations and conversions is significantly shortened, which ensures optimal production and savings. These types can also be color coded, to allow for an easy and quick change between production periods.
Dedicated Feed Screws
There are also cases where machines are specifically designed and dedicated to a product that keeps its shape and size throughout the entire production cycle. In these cases, dedicated feed screws are used. These screws are much larger than quick change ones, and they are used to filter the products down the production line. Also, dedicated feed screws are never replaced with other types of screws.
To ensure the smoothness and safety of a production line, it is very important to ensure a high level of consistency when it comes to the accuracy and timing of container handling. Feed screws can be customized to meet a wide array of needs, such as to act as a line control device or halt the containers. They can also be used to divide, accelerate/decelerate, or combine the flow of containers. It is also worth mentioning that they can be used to improve the stability of odd shaped containers and bottles, as well.
Finally, it should be noted that feed screws are just as complicated as the machinery they are used for. If they have a faulty design, they can easily interrupt or break up the rhythm of the entire production line. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase them only from reputable custom feed screw manufacturers and designers.