JOTUN is a global manufacturer of decorative, industrial, marine and protective paints and coatings.

Founded in 1926 in Norway, Jotun operates in more than 100 countries and is recognized for innovation and sustainability. Its products include:

  1. Pinturas decorativas
  2. Industrial coatings
  3. Marine coatings
  4. Protective coatings

Jotun stands out for its focus on research and development, prioritizing sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions.

 

 

PRODUCT AND OBJECTIVE

The customer requested three complete lines for high-speed packaging, with the following requirements:

  • The product is water-based decorative paint, with density of 1.51 kg/dm³ and standard viscosity, designed for uniform application and optimum adhesion. Ideal for durable and resistant interior and exterior finishes. Batches from large capacity finishing tanks and packaged in 1L, 2.5L, 3.5L, 18L and 20L cans.
  • Two lines to process all formats, especially the larger ones.
  • One line only for 2.5L and 3.5L formats.
  • Cadences (containers per minute):
    • 1L (21-23 )
    • 2,5L (20-22)
    • 3,5L (19-21)
    • 18L (16-18)
    • 20L (15-17)
  • Control system integrated in the customer’s MONTH.

 

SOLUTION O+B

To achieve the objectives and requirements set by the client, O+B implemented the following solution:

  • Two packaging lines focused on large formats, consisting of the following equipment:
    •  PAILMANAGER container dispenser for conical (stackable) containers.
    •  DB-350-SQ feeding table for cylindrical containers (non-stackable).
    • KETAN EUROPE labeling machine for jars and cans.
    • FLASH-25 T volumetric filler for cans and jars from 1 to 20L.
  • A third packaging line focused on 2.5 and 3.5 liter formats, consisting of the following equipment:
    •  PAILMANAGER container dispenser for conical (stackable) containers.
    • FLASH-55 T volumetric filler for jars and cans from 1 to 5 L.
    • KETAN EUROPE labeling machine for jars and cans.

In the first two lines, the small formats of 1L, 2.5L and 3.5L are cylindrical and not stackable, so a DB-350-SQ feeding table is included, which allows feeding at the required rates with a single operator.

The 18- and 20-liter formats are conical, allowing them to be stacked and, therefore, managed automatically by PAILMANAGER, which unstacks them and delivers them to the labeling machine and then to the packaging machine.

On line three, the 2.5L and 3.5L cans are conical and stackable, and are therefore unstacked automatically by PAILMANAGER. In this case, the labeling machine is located downstream of the filler to ensure a better labeling process.

Both FLASH-25 T and FLASH-55 T packers work with a single hopper that feeds two heads, which dose 50% of the product into each pack in order to increase throughput.

All the packaging machines were equipped with a cleaning water heating system to reduce the cleaning cycle of the hopper and dosers, minimizing downtime between different production batches.

All elements of the packaging system communicate in real time with the customer’s MES.

The packaging machines are connected to the Emerson DCS system. The different systems are connected via Profinet protocol.

The packers send the following information to the system:

  • Recipe number of the product / Name of the selected product.
  • Machine speed.
  • Count of good products.
  • Count of rejected products.
  • Warning and alarm messages.
  • Status of the machine when running / stopped.
  • Machine status ready / not ready.

Jotun MES sends to the packers:

  • Order number.
  • Data for label printing.

 

 

 

RESULTS

The project was able to fully meet the customer’s needs, achieving the required packaging rate with precision and efficiency. The implemented solution stands out for its reliability and robustness, guaranteeing consistent performance.

The systems supplied by O+B provide a sustainable operation aligned with Jotun’s quality standards.

 

ROI

The system was installed on new lines in a newly constructed plant, so there is no direct comparison with a previous system. However, these packaging lines are managed by a single qualified operator and perform the equivalent work of five operators in a manual process. Taking into account labor costs and considering three shifts per day, the investment is recovered in less than two years.

In addition to a rapid return on investment, automatic packaging offers a much higher level of precision and accuracy than manual packaging, optimizing operational efficiency and minimizing waste.

 

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL

“We are very satisfied with the project delivered by Oliver + Batlle. The three packaging lines installed have exceeded our expectations, achieving the desired packaging rate and significantly improving operational efficiency. The solution is highly reliable and robust, with consistent and faultless performance.”

Guruh Susanto (Project Manager – Jotun)

 

accessories for the automation

Sergio Dunjo, Technical Director at Oliver + Batlle, advocates the strategic use of advanced tools such as additive manufacturing of dispensers to optimize cycle time in paint filling.

Challenges in filling optimization and their relation to additive manufacturing of dispensers

The transport time in the paint manufacturing process has almost reached its physical limit. Any reduction of this time compromises safety or quality. Therefore, when seeking to optimize manufacturing processes, the right choice is to focus on the dosing time, because this phase still allows significant margins for improvement.

 

 

Dosing is highly complex due to the wide variety of containers and products: plastic or metal cans, rectangular and oval formats… Each of these particularities requires adaptations in the process that add to the product’s own complexities, such as viscosity and density.

After trying to stress traditional solutions to improve the filling cycle time by incorporating up to four filling heads in our machines, Oliver + Batlle concluded that even then we would not achieve a proportional reduction in cycle time. To optimize filling processes with nozzles, we had to break the paradigm of traditional manufacturing, which is limiting technology. We had to completely rethink the process.

Additive manufacturing of dispensers: An efficient solution customized for each manufacturer

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, provided us with the solution we were looking for. With it, we were able to develop an optimized nozzle for the dispensing process that not only improved speed, but also filling accuracy by improving dispensing speed by 20% without compromising quality. And, in some cases, reducing the cycle time by 30%.

By creating nozzles layer by layer, 3D manufacturing facilitates customization for each customer and need – tailoring the design to product and packaging specifications – reduces production times and offers flexibility that is key to the demanding paint market. This allows our customers to be more responsive to market demands and significantly reduces lead times.

In short, additive manufacturing allows us to improve and optimize our filling equipment, maximize our technological capacity by adapting designs to every need, improve the quality of the final product, increase the application limits of our equipment and, with regard to the market, increase our differential value.

This solution also offers a kinder response to the environment by minimizing the waste of materials in the manufacture of the nozzles, since it only uses the amount necessary to manufacture the desired object.

If you would like us to evaluate your production process and study together how to implement improvements to increase the efficiency of your plant, please consult our engineers without obligation.

The future of additive manufacturing of dispensers and its influence on productivity

The future of additive manufacturing is promising, with constant advances in materials and techniques that will further increase the speed and quality of manufactured products. This technology is expected to continue to revolutionize various industries.

With the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning, additive manufacturing has the potential to improve the efficiency of production processes, raising productivity to levels that previously seemed unattainable.

 

accessories for the automation

 

Paint & Coatings, an international event bringing together the main companies working in the surface treatment and paint technology sector, will be held on 16 and 17 November at Fira Barcelona.

As a company specialised in developing machinery for manufacturing paint and related products, Oliver + Batlle will be present at the event, not only on the expo -where you can visit us at Stand 108-, but also at online events and webinars that will take place during the months leading up to the event. Let’s have a look at some of them.

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envasado de pinturas, paint filling

The paint filling process is a crucial phase in the manufacturing line since it involves significant labour costs, requires high accuracy, and must be completed as quickly as possible.

When it comes to choosing equipment for filling paint or related products, one must bear in mind that there are many models that can be adapted, to a greater or lesser extent, to the specific needs of each client and product. Read more

new flash 52

Oliver + Batlle introduces the latest version of the Flash 52 automatic volumetric filling machine.

The main novelty is that the IP54 and the IP54-ATEX versions (restricted to the dosing area) have a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) control system fitted that replaces the pneumatic logic system of the previous version. In the ATEX full machine versions, the PLC control system is available as an optional. The main improvements and advantages will be discussed in this article. Read more