Cap sorter and elevator

01

Orient caps on the cleated belt

Jalbert Automatisation's patent for an adjustable cap sorter describes a closed-loop belt whose receiving portion passes under the bulk caps at a slant and whose sorting portion is close to vertical. Caps that land between adjacent cleats with their end wall away from the belt fall back toward the pickup because the cleats are thin enough that the cap's centre of gravity lies beyond them; caps not caught between cleats also fall back, while caps with the end wall against the belt ride up to discharge. [1]

At the discharge section it uses pulsed air jets from nozzles to move caps sideways off the cleats into the chute, timed by a controller. [1] Fowler Products' patent for a cap sorter cleat likewise lets caps that are too tall or improperly oriented fall off the cleats in the vertical run, and mentions a blower or mechanical arm at the top to move caps off the belt. [2]

Editorial calculation: to deliver 300 caps per minute on cleats at 50 mm pitch, if an assumed half of the cleat positions carry a correctly oriented cap, the belt must run at 300 × 0.05 ÷ 0.5 = 30 m/min; ask the supplier for the measured fill rate with your caps and the margin over the capper's speed.

Give the supplier the cap types and drawings (diameter, height, sports or flip-top features), line speed in caps per minute, number of sizes and changeover frequency, hopper volume and refill method, chute to the capper, inspection and reject requirements, materials and hygiene class, and floor space.

02

Plan changeovers and inspection

The Jalbert sorter uses two belts carrying interleaved cleats, driven by separate actuators; changing the phase between the belts changes the spacing between adjacent cleats to suit the cap size, set by driving the two motors at different speeds until the desired spacing is reached. A suitable slope in the sorting section makes unseated caps fall back while seated ones stay on the cleats. [1]

Arol's patent for an elevator for caps integrates a vision system: caps rest on projections on their side wall so cameras can see the top, the inner thread and the safety ring through transparent guide walls, and caps not in the set position fall into a duct back to the orientation device. It notes that vision systems identify defects such as deformation or ovality of the cap or safety ring, dirt and missing projections. [3]

Editorial note: ask suppliers whether changeover is by adjustable cleat spacing, change parts or a different belt, how long it takes, and whether inspection and rejection are built in or added downstream.

03

Cap sorter elevators sold beside filling, capping and labelling machines

Listings include cap sorter elevators alongside filling, capping and labelling machines.

04

Compare rated speed, cap size range, changeover time and discharge

Closure Systems International (CSI), a closure maker, lists its SE24 elevator sorter at a sorting speed of up to 1,000 caps per minute. It handles flat caps from 26 to 43 mm in diameter and sports caps from 26 to 28 mm; quick-change cleats let the operator adjust for closure size without extra belts, and CSI quotes a full changeover in 15 minutes. A quick-change Slope-Lok lets the operator adjust sorting while the machine runs to eliminate upside-down caps, a louver system is said to reduce closure knock-off, and the bin has an adjustable shelf that meters closure flow. [4]

Unlike the air-jet discharge in the Jalbert patent above, CSI says the SE24 needs no compressed air to discharge closures. Its footprint is 58 × 56 × 121 in with the 25 cubic foot option and 58 × 84 × 121 in with the 50 cubic foot option; custom elevations can be accommodated and discharge can be right- or left-handed. [4]

Editorial calculation: 1,000 caps per minute is about 16.7 caps per second; against a capper needing 600 caps per minute (illustrative), the rating is 1.67 times demand. CSI states the speed as a maximum, so ask the supplier for the measured rate with your cap, the cap sizes covered by each cleat set, the changeover time, and whether discharge uses compressed air.

05

Hopper, cleated belts, discharge, return path, vision option and drive

Discharge is where designs split: the Jalbert patent blows oriented caps off the cleats with timed air jets, while CSI says its SE24 discharges closures without compressed air. [1] [4]

06

Output, cap diameter and height, hopper volume, changeover time and inspection for an elevator order

The output row needs your capper's demand beside it: CSI rates the SE24 at up to 1,000 caps a minute as a maximum, so ask for the measured rate with your own caps and the margin over the capper. [4]

07

Send the cap, rate and changeover data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Caps: [drawings; sizes; features]
Rate: [caps per minute; capper speed]
Changeover: [sizes; frequency; method]
Hopper: [volume; refill]
Inspection: [vision; reject]
Line: [chute; height; hygiene]

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