As the industry leader in spray technology we are regularly consulted by OEMs to provide our expertise for very specific custom projects. In this specific case we were asked to help with the design of a machine that manufactures ear-bud sticks with paper. In the past the sticks were made with plastic but due to environmental concerns the manufacturer decided to change their production process towards a more sustainable alternative - paper.
During the new production process the machine - provided by the OEM - has to humidify the roll that transforms the paper sheet into a stick. In this process the wetting operation has to be very precise. If there isn’t enough water the paper doesn’t hold as a stick, and if there’s too much water the paper clogs the machine.
To get an edge over their competitors the OEM contacted us to provide the spray expertise that would help them deliver a precise and repeatable humidification.
AutoJet® Humidification Spraying System
The main challenge in this project lay in the precise wetting of the roll and ensuring this process could be repeated during constant production. Together with our OEM customer we visited the ear-bud manufacturers facility to run some on-site tests. These tests helped us to determine the precise requirements and to secure the feasibility and accuracy of the wetting process.
After the tests helped us determine the correct setup the end customer wanted to validate the system in production with a one month trial period. During this period it immediately became apparent that the system could precisely handle it’s humidification tasks and the ear-bud manufacturer decided to go with our OEM customer.
The humidification part of the OEM machine contains:
- • AutoJet® E1850+ Spray Controller
- • PulsaJet® AAB10000AUH-03 nozzle
Result
Our OEM customer and the end customer were happy to note that our AutoJet® Humidification system performed as expected. Our system outperformed competitor solutions by only needing a single PulsaJet® nozzle rather than 2 nozzles. As a result the AutoJet® system is easier and cheaper to maintain over time.
In the end investing in a new sustainable production process has proven to be the right decision for the ear-bud manufacturer. Since they installed the OEM’s machine they’ve seen an increase in product quality and productivity; additionally they are now meeting the sustainability requirements of some major retail buyers.