The auger filler is an automatic quantitative filling machine and is the best choice for filling all dry, non-stick, and powdery materials. Its biggest advantage is that it is relatively closed, which can effectively avoid external air, microorganisms, dust, and other pollutants. The application scope of auger fillers is wide, such as food, medicine, and chemical products. It can be quantitatively produced according to user needs, meet customers’ production needs, and reduce investment and costs for customers. However, some auger filler problems may occur during the actual operation.
For example, safety hazards, quality issues, maintenance challenges, and environmental compliance. This highlights the importance of users having relevant knowledge. Operators need an in-depth understanding of equipment principles, safety standards, maintenance requirements, and product specifications. Extensive knowledge ensures stable operation of equipment, consistent product quality, and compliance with regulations, ultimately achieving production goals. This article mainly introduces five important points of knowledge that operators need know about the auger filler machine.
1. Startup Issues
When the machine fails to start, a series of inspections can solve the auger filler problem. Here are some common inspection steps:
- Power Supply: Make sure the power plug is in the power socket and check whether the power cord is intact. Check the main power switch to make sure it is on. If you have a voltmeter or ammeter, check that the motor is receiving adequate power.
- Control Panel and Setting Parameters: Check the switches, buttons, and setting parameters on the control panel to make sure they are in the correct position. If the device has a digital display, make sure there are no unusual alarms or fault codes on the display.
- Drive Failure: Check whether the servo drive parameter is “000000” and whether your auger filler is equipped with a servo system. If it is not “000000”, you can further troubleshoot the cause based on the fault code of the servo drive. Possible reasons include overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent, etc. In other words, the optional servo system can more effectively protect your auger filler system from voltage and current damage.
- Mechanical Components: Check mechanical components such as screw devices, transmission systems, and conveyor belts to ensure that they are in good condition. Check the lubrication status of mechanical parts to ensure they are properly lubricated.
- Thermal Overload Failure: As you know, auger filler has motors with different functions, such as stirring motor, unloading motor, loading motor, etc. If the motor overheats, it will cause irreversible damage to the motor if without intervention. The auger filler manufactured by VTOPS has a thermal overload protector for each motor to protect the motor for a longer service life. If thermal overload is the cause, please refer to this article to troubleshoot.
- Material Supply and Process: Ensure the normal operation of the material supply system and the smooth supply of materials to the auger filling machine. Check the status of materials to ensure they meet the requirements of the equipment, such as temperature, viscosity, size, etc. Check process parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc., to ensure they are within set limits.
- Safety Switches: Check the safety switches, such as emergency stop buttons, to make sure they have not been triggered or damaged.
2. HMI Issues
When there is a problem with the HMI of the auger filler, some inspections can identify and solve the problem. Here are some possible steps to check:
- Power Supply and Cable Connection: Make sure the power connection of the HMI device is normal, and the plug is in the power socket. Check that the power cord is intact. Check the HMI device’s cable connections, including power and communication cables, to make sure they are not loose or damaged.
- HMI Screen Display: Check whether the HMI screen is normal. If problems such as screen blur or flickering occur, please restart the HMI or check the screen for hardware problems.
- Operational Problems: If the operator encounters problems that are difficult to understand or use, training is essential. Review the design of the HMI interface to ensure that its labels, buttons, and menus are clear to improve user-friendliness.
- Alarm and Fault Codes: If alarms or fault codes appear on the HMI interface, make sure the operator understands their meaning. Provide a clear description and resolution so operators can quickly identify the problem and take appropriate action.
- Performance Issues: If the HMI interface responds slowly, causing the operator to wait or make repeated entries, the performance of the HMI system may need to be checked. It may be necessary to upgrade hardware or optimize software to improve performance.
3. Accuracy Issue
More than 99.99% of customers will pay attention to the filling accuracy of auger filling machines. When accuracy issues occur with your auger filler, some of the following steps may identify and resolve the problem:
- Calibrate the Auger Filling Machine: First, check whether the auger filling machine is calibrated correctly. Ensure that the auger parameters and settings match the required accuracy requirements. If recalibration is necessary, follow the equipment manual or manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Check the Material Properties: Accuracy issues may be related to the properties of the fill material. Ensure that the viscosity, density, particle size, etc., of the filling material match the design specifications of the equipment. Different material properties may require different settings.
- Check Filling Speed: Filling speed may affect filling accuracy. If the filling speed is too fast, it may cause too much material to accumulate on the auger device. Try to reduce the fill speed to see if that improves.
- Check the Material Supply System: Make sure the material supply system is working properly and has no blockage or leakage. Check whether the material is uniform and whether there is any accumulation.
- Cleaning and Maintenance: Regular cleaning and maintenance of your auger filling machine is key to maintaining accuracy. Impurities or residues may interfere with the operation of the device and affect accuracy. Regular cleaning, lubrication, and replacement of worn parts are necessary.
- Filling method: Usually, more than 90% of auger fillers on the market adopt fill-by-volume filling method. This filling method has strict requirements on the characteristics of materials. For example, there must be no stickiness, the material must be uniform, no particles of inconsistent sizes must be mixed, and the fluidity must be moderate. However, some customers’ needs are always beyond these characteristics, so another filling method is needed: fill-by-weight. VTOPS’s independently patented system has completely solved this problem and has received market verification and good feedback.
4. Materials Free Flow:
The fluidity of the material is crucial to operating the auger filling machine. Good-flowing materials help ensure the accuracy, efficiency, and consistency of the filling process. This not only affects product quality and production efficiency but also concerns equipment maintenance and operator safety. Therefore, understanding the flow characteristics of the material is crucial to the normal operation of the auger filler and the success of the production process.
How to determine if your product is free flow or non-free flow is critical. After determining the fluidity of the material, you can select the appropriate model of machine for filling. VTOPS produces various models of powder auger filling machines. For ordinary VTOPS-P series models, a device that prevents free flow device will solve this problem. For the VOPS-DGS series, first, unload the materials accumulated in the hopper. Then, observe whether the clamping device is closed well and whether there is any accumulation of material in the valve. If the above is normal, you should check whether the sealing of the discharge cylinder is good.
5. Clamp and Hold Device not Work:
Both the VTOPS-P2C and VTOPS-DGS series have a clamp and hold device to provide accuracy. The difference is that the filling range of the VTOPS-P2C series ranges from 1 kg to 6 kg. The filling range of the DGS series ranges from 2 kg to 50 kg.
If the bag clamp and hold device does not work, the electric switching valve does not work normally. When the air supply pressure is normal, first check whether the voltage of the reversing valve coil can be controlled. If the electrical switching is normal, the reversing valve is faulty. Please replace it in time. If it cannot be switched, the corresponding maintenance process is a pocket switch, a reversing valve control transistor, and a bidirectional trigger optocoupler.
Above are some common solutions to solve problems with your auger filling machine. Only by mastering the overall structure of the equipment and solutions to common problems can users ensure better and stable operation of the equipment. In addition, after daily use of the device is completed. In addition, regular maintenance, maintenance, inspection, and timely maintenance work are essential, and it is the key to ensuring product life.
