Handling Spray Cans Transported Cleanly in Line

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At a leading manufacturer of spray paints, link chain conveyors from Minitec ensure that the spray cans are reliably transported on their way through production and buffered if necessary.

Professional paint aerosol systems are the domain of Peter Kwasny GmbH. The family-run company with 450 employees produces paint sprays, touch-up pens, and preparatory products for various requirements and markets. Around 35 million spray paint cans leave the factory each year. Customers include the international automotive and paint industries, specialist retailers, manufacturing industries, and DIY stores. In addition to the headquarters in Gundelsheim near Heilbronn, there is a logistics center in Sinsheim and several foreign branches.

From Mixing the Paints to Packaging the Cans

The production features a very high level of vertical integration, ranging from mixing the paints to the final labeled can. After manufacturing and refining, the paints are first placed in containers of various sizes, from IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers) to five-liter buckets. Next, they proceed to aerosol filling. After filling the spray cans, they are sealed with valves and gassed. In the next area, packaging occurs, which involves attaching the spray cap and applying the label and coding. Finally, the finished products are palletized in an automatic carton sealing machine.

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The collaboration with Minitec GmbH has been ongoing for quite some time. Michael Seidler, senior plant engineer at Kwasny, recalls: "We began in 2016 with a project where we equipped inline scales and spray head machines with chain conveyors. Behind the machines, we set up accumulation routes where the cans are buffered for the next assembly step. Two years later, we expanded this configuration with larger conveyor lines across multiple lines. All four inline scales and all four spray head machines were equipped with them. In 2020, a new machine was added, our 2K special production, where we equip a spray can with a hardener cartridge. This entire plant, including the complete transport and rotation process of cans, was again fully linked by Minitec."

Quality Assurance According to the Production Sequence

Kwasny has an inline production where the spray cans are manufactured "first in, first out." They must be evaluated by quality assurance according to the production sequence and coded with date and time. Here, the Minitec chain conveyors have proven to be the best solution because they ensure that the cans are smoothly transported in line.

Previously, Kwasny used conveyor paths based on steel frames, which are increasingly being replaced by Minitec systems. The reasons for this are diverse, says Michael Seidler: "One advantage of Minitec chain conveyors is that they allow very small curve radii, which enables tighter buffering. Additionally, the path can easily be redirected and continued in another direction. And since we are very cramped, we can easily install a step or deviate a bit to the left or right, and not just run in a straight line. Another advantage is the flexibility of the Minitec system. Since we frequently reconfigure details in the production processes, the machines can be easily connected to the profile system, allowing us to integrate small additional solutions like stoppers very easily. With the stainless steel sheets, changes always required drilling holes, which sometimes look like Swiss cheese. Last but not least, the Minitec conveyors are easy to clean. With paints, a small accident can happen quickly, like a spill somewhere. Such contaminations can be easily removed from the aluminum profiles, and that is also why we are very satisfied with this system."

Further Increase Productivity

To meet the increased demand for its spray cans, Kwasny needed to further boost its productivity. Therefore, the company aimed to further automate the existing line. As the latest project, in early 2024, a buffering line for the last remaining assembly line was initiated. The packaging of the cartons is currently still done manually but will soon also be automated. For this, the buffering line from Minitec was necessary to buffer the spray cans during format changes.

In the latest system, in addition to a regular GKF route, a unit with an inclined conveyor is also used. Michael Seidler explains: "The reason we went vertical for the first time was due to the lack of space. There simply wasn't enough room to buffer the cans. By implementing the concept of conveying the workpieces up and then down again, we gain a tremendous amount of capacity in a very confined space." Another measure for space saving and optimal space utilization in the new system was raising the preceding normal conveyor line to allow large cartons of material to be stored beneath the conveyor.

Space-Saving Vertical Buffering

The buffer capacity has increased enormously with the new system. Up to 400 cans can be buffered on the route before packaging—depending on their diameter. On the route with the vertical buffer, which runs between the packaging and the planned packaging system, up to 600 cans can even be parked.

The entire project was completed within a few months. Michael Seidler praises the good cooperation: "It went very smoothly, Minitec is always easy to reach. The exchange of drawings and agreements worked very well. The on-site assembly was also completely seamless, everything fit perfectly."

System Brings Noticeable improvement

After three months of practical operation, the senior plant engineer notes that the system is running very well so far: "Of course, the system will only be complete once the new automatic packaging line is implemented. But even now, the Minitec system brings a noticeable improvement. We can buffer more. The hustle and bustle of the employees have subsided. Since there are larger buffer areas, they can now approach a disturbance without stress because the entire system doesn't come to a halt immediately. That's what the buffers were intended for, and it works very well."

In general, with Minitec projects, the design of the respective conveyor solution and the division of tasks vary from case to case, says Seidler: "Sometimes we have just a conveyor system with a drive motor, and in other cases, control is also associated with it. Everything happens hand in hand in close coordination and collaboration. In the latest system, the control cabinets also came from Minitec. Kwasny created and integrated a few interfaces for this. Where another stopper needs to be set, etc., so that the pressure accumulation on the can isn't too high. This was slightly reconfigured by our electricians because it's only when the machines are installed in the production process that you really see where something additional might be needed."

Further Projects Planned

Due to the consistently successful collaboration in recent years, the next projects with Minitec are already in planning, says Seidler: "On one hand, we will convert several more conveyor lines from steel belts to the Minitec system. Additionally, we are currently planning an automatic depalletizer that places empty cans on an assembly table. And since, as mentioned, we are very cramped in the hall, an 'Omega conveyor' is also being coordinated, which elevates and lowers the cans, creating a passageway. So, there is still plenty to do."

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