A single Bradman Lake SL904 automatic endloader, working two shifts, handles the whole output of 2 IMA baggers and 2 FMC flowrappers to pack up to 3.7 million teabags a day on the new cartoning line at Keith Spicer Ltd.

The power of multiple servo drives and the flexibility of electronic motion control are combined by skilled engineering design. Key to the high performance is Bradman Lake’s specially designed product infeed system.

Two conveyor lanes, each delivering 60 flowrapped packs of 40 teabags a minute, are merged, collated into units of 1,2, 4 or 6 and inserted into cartons of 40, 80, 160 and 240. Currently operating at 120ppm, the system is designed for a capacity of 150 flowraps per minute.

Spicer’s Operations Director John Cardwell calls it “an innovative design solution resulting from Bradman Lake’s clear understanding of our operations and objectives. We achieve higher productivity with 20% increased output and 50% reduction in packing labour costs. Integrating infeed collation inside the cartoning machine also saves valuable floor space. From Day 1, we have had no problems and the system has exceeded our expectations.”

The SL904 is the latest in Bradman Lake’s 900 Series of automatic endload cartoners. For Keith Spicer, it is driven by no fewer than 14 independent servo motors which, rather than running continuously, are set to intermittent operation to match the sophisticated infeed system.

After the two lanes are merged, servo-controlled “daisy wheels” time the flowraps into a fast indexing series of buckets until the correct number for each carton load is built up. The buckets are lifted, spaced on the same pitch as the line of cartons and the flowraps are pushed into their open ends, which are then closed and sealed.

Cartons of 40 teabags in a single flowrap are loaded four at a time, 80’s and 160’s two at a time. The 160’s are packed two-on-two and 240’s, packed three-on-three, are loaded one at a time.

With four carton sizes, each with a different loading pattern, time lost between runs could be a big factor. In fact, says John Cardwell, changes are made in just 30 minutes and downtime is minimal.

The SL904 replaces two SL60’s and is the fifth Bradman Lake cartoning system at the Keith Spicer plant which supplies major retail outlets across the country.

Further information from:
Paul Jeffery
Bradman Lake Ltd
Yelverton Road
Bristol
BS4 5HP

Tel: +44 (0) 117 9715 228
Fax: +44 (0) 117 9775 514

Press enquiries to:
Roy Honnor
The RH Consultancy
25 Pembroke Square
London
W8 6PB

Tel: +44 (0) 207 9376 817
Fax: +44 (0) 207 3762 778

Author Information - Graham Hayes

Chairman, Bradman Lake Group

Graham Hayes spent the first two years of his business career as a trainee with the Kliklok Corporation in United States. Returning to the UK, he joined BP plastics in their marketing department, then worked 3 years for Engleman and Buckham, an import agency, selling equipment to the packaging industry. Graham then formed his own company and acquired the selling rights for Bradman Lake. He merged the sales and manufacturing companies in 1986 and became non-executive chairman. Concurrently, Graham began to represent the Mead Corporation supplying Kraft linerboard to the corrugated industry, representing then successfully for 15 years. Acted as a consultant for a further 3 years and was later appointed managing director of their UK company. In 1996, Graham Hayes led a management buyout of Bradman Lake and took up the position of Executive chairman of the Group. Graham has chaired several companies and has been a successful investor in a number of private businesses. He has a strong lean towards sales and marketing and is an advocate of the saying, “Everything starts with an order” Graham has spent 35 years in the packaging Industry. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Packaging.

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