IS MACHINES & PRODUCTION
IS Production & Maintenance
"The IS Production is the Cornerstone where everything materializes....All spotlights are on us!"
Taking that into consideration, Empakglass's IS Machines & Production Department provides to its partners a technical support that ranges from the initial installation project to the everyday operation and troubleshooting.
Our goal is to provide our partners the tools for them to become "the" problem solver, and be able to build the IS production efficiency themselves.
That is why we prepare and help our partners to analyse, plan and perform on a consistent and standardized basis, all the necessary tasks that will lead at the end of the day to pallets filled with containers that fulfill the Fillers quality requirements.
The collaboration and communication with the other departments also present on the process is fundamental for an optimal and efficient flow of information.
Our support packages can be described in four main categories:
FORMING AND GLASS CONDITIONING
- Understanding how the different fore-hearths designs work and influence the operation and thermal homogeneity of the gob;
- Setting up the proper operation in accordance with the Riser, working end and gob temperatures for the required pull;
- Preparing the fore-hearths for a job change with different weights and temperatures of operation – fore-hearth setups;
- Fore-hearth refractory and burner preventive maintenance;
- When to change orifice rings, revolving tubes, plungers and stirrers – accessories; Standard Wear Rate;
- Troubleshooting – Glass defects generated in fore-hearths (blisters & stones). Using the Troubleshooting Manual for faster assessment on the defects cause.
JOB CHANGES
- Understand the influence of a job change and start-up on the overall performance of a glass plant;
- Influence of the production planning on the total monthly job change time. Job Change Index Concept (JCI) and KCR;
- Main objective: reduce the time of non-production (t1) caused by job changes & improve the ram up time (t2), by doing well at the first time;
- Identify the various areas and factors influencing the job change time, and coordinate them into improvement modules with defined TEAM;
- Organize the job on/job off meetings and how to collect and use the necessary data.
- Gob ready before the end of the IS mechanical job change (fore-hearth, feeder and delivery systems ready);
- The proper gob for each specific job;
- Identification of the factors taking most time in the process of making the right gob for the right job
- Creation and continuous implementation standard procedure for Orifice Ring Changes;
- Creation and use of the "Team Gob" objective control Datasheet;
- Gob & Process Data collection system;
- Job change SMED
- Make sure that all components (IS accessories, tools, molds …) required for a job change are ready and in proper condition on the IS machine before the Job Change stopping.
IS MAINTENANCE
- Establishing the required procedures for a good and consistent is maintenance;
- Minimize the IS machines interruption due to IS accessories failure;
- Implementation of a preventive IS parts maintenance plan: make sure that all IS accessories on the machine are in good quality;
- Standardization of the IS accessories and various components;
- Implementation of a controlled and scheduled preventive check-up of all IS accessories (neck ring arms, holders…);
- Assessment of the containers and related accessories in use on the current existing IS lines;
- Importance of standardized defined Mold Design setups.
IS PRODUCTION START-UP
- Get as fast as possible all IS sections under glass after the IS mechanical job change;
- Optimization of the procedures for the "cold run" setup (w/o glass);
- Make sure that the change of all components related to transport (pushers…) is done before the start-up under glass;
- Quality of the transport: no bottle falling down on the conveyors to the lehr; Identification of the factors taking most time during the transport setup;
- Time in minutes between first gob in first section and all sections "90% PTM" to be decreased step by step – The job change index in action;
- Fast defect identification and correction during start up;
- Troubleshooting – Glass defects generated during start-ups (most common defects for a given plant);
- Identification of the factors taking most time during the start-up of the IS sections => what can I do to reach as soon as possible 90% PTM?;
- Creation and continuous implementation of the standard procedure for the start-up of IS machines;
- Hot End Coating Setup & Control;
- Lehr Setup & Control.