For smaller microbreweries, this stage of canning production is often performed by an operator. There are several methods for depalletizing the cans on a pallet. Sometimes the issue when making a decision is financial, sometimes it is space that is limited. Let’s see the possibilities and the costs associated with investments in the acquisition of equipment.
Use a rotating table at the entrance of the canning machine to feed the conveyor. The table must then be filled by the operator who manually handles the cans. The initial investment is low. The operating cost is high since it requires manpower. The ability to increase production is low.
Having a semi-automatic depalletizing station makes it possible to use half-pallets and manually pull a row onto a tray. Once the cans are on the tray, it tilts slightly to lower the cans into a funnel, down to the conveyor. The initial investment is average, considering that it is necessary to have a pallet truck which allows the pallet to be mounted one row at a time, at the level of the platform. The operating cost is average since the operator must go several times per hour to push a row on the plate. The ability to increase production is average.
An automatic depalletizer for full pallets allows the pallet to be unloaded, one row at a time, onto a conveyor which feeds a twist rinse chute, up to the canning machine. The initial investment is high. The operating cost is low since an operator only needs to enter a full pallet into the equipment for it to feed the canting line for several hours. The ability to increase production is high. A can depalletizer feed a canning line with a rate of several hundred cans per minute.