At the inaugural Pack Expo Southeast, Morrison Container Handling Solutions highlighted the depth of its range of packaging solutions designed to help machine builders increase throughput and line performance.
Based in Glenwood, Illinois, Morrison is known for providing change parts and timing screws that are engineered to streamline operations on packaging lines. During Pack Expo Southeast, the company displayed its Smart Divider-Combiner, providing a way to separate containers based on downstream product demand.
“We’re an aftermarket supplier of timing screws and change parts,” said Allison Wagner, director of marketing and business strategy for Morrison, during an interview with Packaging OEM. “We can come into any facility, retrofit our screws and change parts to that system, to get them quicker to you than typically the OEM can.”
Enhancing line performance
Morrison demonstrated its Smart Divider-Combiner by separating different colored Gatorade bottles. Using timing screws, the system combines round or oval containers from two lanes into one, with an independent lane change to help prevent backlogs.
“We’re able to divide and combine these lanes seamlessly,” said Paul Thames, regional sales manager at Morrison. “This is our Smart Combiner, so if one lane runs out, we’re actually able to keep feeding this single lane, and then once the lane is replenished, we’re able to simultaneously realign those screws back together and do the combining process again.”
The system can be used to manage earlier-stage processes that may be running at faster speeds, directing the product into two lanes for a later-stage operation, such as a labeler.
“Sometimes that container needs to be in a different orientation or configuration,” said Wagner. “You might not need to turn the container for a label to be applied. Or sometimes you’re combining and dividing lanes to run upstream or downstream equipment faster.”
Equipped with four servo motors and tool-less changeovers, it handles various container sizes and includes automatic timing screw phasing for precise control.
The compact system handles over 1,000 containers per minute while maintaining product control. The company says it can lower maintenance costs and serve as an inspection or rejection station.
Simplifying changeovers
Morrison’s change parts can provide a consistent flow of containers into packaging machinery. Capable of handling demanding applications, they can run on different container sizes, on any production line.
To meet customer needs, Morrison designs new and retrofitted stars and guides for nearly every equipment manufacturer.
“We measure your machine and create a 3D model of it, then we design change parts directly to that machine. After the measure, we typically get the change parts to you in a few weeks, instead of a few months, like you might see from the actual OEM,” said Wagner.
The company uses color-coded plugs and parts for easy changeovers.
At the event, Morrison showcased the ease of its change parts through a hands-on challenge, allowing attendees to test their speed in swapping parts.
“You can just easily take them off, slide them on, and it makes changeover a lot faster,” said Wagner, while removing change parts during the interview.
Enhancing throughput across packaging lines
Morrison’s timing screws work in various applications such as feeding, combining, dividing, and inverting.
They can accommodate rigid and semi-rigid containers of any shape, including round and square, and can adapt to create custom orientations, pitches, and spacing. Morrison’s standard timing screws come in the following formats:
· Straight root: Engineered with a constant root diameter and a graduating thread height, its design is tailored to container shape, size, and machine limits.
· Inverse taper: Used for performance when handling unstable or non-round containers during random infeed.
· Non-round choke: Separates rectangular or square containers while improving throughput.
· Shingle infeed: A pair of matched timing screws that separate rectangular or flat-sided containers while handling backlog pressure.
For specific tasks, Morrison provides the following application-driven screw types:
· Turning timing screws: Rotates containers 90 degrees, 180, or 360 to proper orientation for the specific operation.
· Dividing timing screws: A matched pair of timing screws used to separate a single lane of containers into two or three lanes.
· Combining timing screws: Provides accurate timing to combine containers of a variety of shapes.
· Dwell timing screws: Connects the continuous feeding of containers with another operation, such as filling or capping.
· Transfer timing screws: Manages control of containers as they move from one packaging machine to the next.
In the Smart Divider-Combiner demo, Morrison used combining and dividing timing screws to orient the Gatorade bottles.
Partnering with machine builders
Morrison collaborates with machine builders to assist in optimizing packaging lines through solutions like the Smart Combiner-Divider, change parts, and timing screws. To learn more about Morrison Container Handling Solutions, click here.
If you missed Pack Expo Southeast, catch up by viewing our photo gallery.
