DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOTYPE AND SIMULATION

TESTING OF AN AUTOMATIC BOTTLE PACKAGING

MACHINE

Patrick Sullang Ambun, Dr Sukarnur Che Abdullah, Dr Malek Abdul Wahab

School of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering, University Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Patricksullang@gmail.com

Abstract
The automatic bottle packaging machine is fast becoming a key instrument in the manufacturing sector
such as the manufacturing of water bottles. In the industrial sector, the packaging line is the last part of a
manufacturing production line and the packaging line is important to improve the production rate to reach the
clients and customers. Some manufacturers use the manual workforce to pack the product, and this will take
production time rate. To improve the manufacturing sector and the industrial sector, the revolution nowadays has
implemented new technologies and modern machines. Product quality, production time, growth, and cost will
benefit from the newly developed technology. The goal of this project is to create and design an automatic bottle
packaging machine that can sort and organize 24 bottles of 500ml of the water bottle into a box. The design and
simulation were made by the computer-aided design from SolidWorks. The component that used in the machine
is proximity sensors and linear actuators. The sensors act as input devices and the linear actuator is the output
device. A programmable logic controller (PLC) is the processing device for the system of the machine between
input and output processes. Based on the simulation using SolidWorks, the automatic bottle packaging machine
will help reduce time on packaging the water bottles into the box by a few seconds thus saving time and labor
force. The bill of material of the product is estimated in a total of 68 components. The results from the simulation
will be used in the industrial sector and help increase the production packaging quality.
Keywords: automatic bottle packaging machine, simulation, design, prototype, sensors
I. INTRODUCTION

The objective of the project is to compare the packaging time of the manual bottle packaging process
with the automatic bottle packaging machine. The project aimed to simulate the design of an automatic bottle
packaging machine using SolidWorks. Based on a case study, Eagle Swipe Sendirian Berhad (ESSB) was founded
on March 3, 1997. The company has been handled by local Bumiputera, and MeSTI and HALAL certifications
have been gained [1]. The company also obtained the Ministry of Health Malaysia's approval and conducted tests
on a 200-meter deep well regularly. The mineral water output was sourced from the well. In July 2017, ESSB
produced around 50,000 cartons of mineral bottles every month, which were sent to Faiza, Yaqin, Tabung Haji,
and Darussyifa'. With ten workers managing the operation, ESSB has begun making mineral water bottles in sizes
ranging from 250 mL to 500 mL and 1.5 liters. As a result, the monthly mineral water bottle production capacity
is roughly 24,000 of 125 to 600 ml and 12,000 of 1.25 and 1.5 liters. The ESSB's bottling line is broken down into
numerous phases. For example, in other packaging industries that used automation, the treatment and purification
of mineral water, and the production of polyethylene (PET) bottles are an example of the process of water filling
machines, labeling, and packaging of the mineral water bottle into the box [2]. The mineral water bottle was then
labeled, and it was then transferred through the conveyor line to the bottling manufacturing line's last stage, which
is the packing of the mineral water bottles into boxes [3]. Manual labor performance is prone to human error,
which can lead to mistakes and cost the organization money. Workers may become exhausted as a result of the
supplier's demand [4]. This factor decreases in planning for increased productivity and following customer’s
demand [5]. Packaging is a part of a plan for transporting goods and requests, as well as the preparation of items
for shipment, storage, the logistical process, and ultimately client delivery [6]. Automatic packaging machines
have been popular in the food and beverage packaging industry because they meet industry regulations, satisfy
customer demands, ensure food safety, and reduce environmental effects [7]. Once the sensor counts the product
up to the required number, the bottle will be poured into the box [8].

Figure 1: The process of manually packing bottles mineral into a box

Figure 2: 939 APT Versatron Active Product Transfer Case Packer

II. METHODOLOGY

The project's completion. necessitates that the entire packaging system's design is created and then
reproduced the design prototype in SolidWorks software. As a result, the project starts with data collection and
followed by the packaging system's design and layout are next. Furthermore, the design and layout of the
packaging system. The process and the flow of the process on the component with the electrical component can
be shown in Figure 3 as it also shows the flow chart of the research.

Figure 3: Flow chart of research

A. Industrial visit

The industrial visit was done at ESSB and IR Haji Razali’s fabrication place. The visit was done by
following the SOP since the pandemic affected the journey to do industrial visits. The industrial visit is essentials
to know the dimensions of the conveyor line and ensure the design of automated packaging machined can be
implemented. The manual process of the packaging line can be shown in figure 4 below.

Figure 4: Industrial visit at ESSB

B. Bottle Conveyor

The conveyor system is used to carry items from one point to another in the mineral water bottle
production line. Conveyor systems are useful for transporting items and reducing labor costs. Conveyor systems
are frequently utilized by large food and beverage firms all over the world to deliver packaged bottles, glasses,
and plastic containers plastic [9]. Using measurements, the dimension was 1067.81mm in height, 155mm in width,
and 273mm in length. The material used is plain carbon steel as carbon steel is the most reliable metal to be used
because it is strong and shock-resistant [10].
 Figure 5: Drawing of the bottle conveyor

C. Box Conveyor

The box conveyor is where the box is delivered for the packaging process to be completed once the bottle
has been sorted out to a total of 24 bottles. Conveyors can efficiently execute tasks in a short period. The box
conveyor aids in the reduction of spillage and human mistakes [11]. The dimension of the box conveyor was
designed at 691.54mm in height and 550mm in width.

Figure 6: Drawing of Box conveyor

D. Packaging line floor plan

The packaging sector of a manufacturing organization requires automatic bottle packaging equipment
(ESSB). According to the assessment, the company's packaging department can fit the machine.

Figure 7: Floor plan at ESSB

E. Automatic bottle packaging machine

The bottle conveyor transfer the water bottles, which will then be sorted into groups of four when the
actuator pushes the bottles into the racks. The four bottles will be detected by proximity sensor 1 at around 30
mm. The sensor sends a signal to the PLC, which converts the input signal to an output signal, causing the actuator
arm 1 to expand. The process will be repeated until the racks have a total of 24 bottles on them. Proximity sensor
2 will identify the bottle's location as it reaches the end of the racks after the 24 bottles have been sorted inside
the racks. Proximity sensor 2 will send the signal to PLC and then the signal will be transferred to actuators 2 and
3. Actuator 3 extend and pushes the box under the racks and actuator 2 extend causes the bottle in racks to fall.
By using the force of gravity, the bottles will fall into the box below as the box would be pushed by actuator 3 as
shown in figure 8 below.

Figure 8: Flow of automatic bottle packaging machine

Figure 9: Mineral water bottle sorted into the bottle

I) Input devices

One of the most significant elements in the design is the input device. Proximity sensors are frequently
utilized in industrial processes for contactless measurement of an object or target displacement and position [12].
Two proximity sensors were implemented in the design. CAD diagram of sensor 1 can be shown in figure 9 below
and the features can be shown in the table below.

Figure 10: Proximity sensor

Table 1: Table of proximity sensor function in automatic bottle packaging machine

Input device Function

Proximity To measure and detect the 4 bottles
sensor 1 that flowing through the conveyor line.
This sensor will send the signal to
actuator 1 to move and extend the arm
pushing the 4 bottles into the rack.

Proximity To detect the bottle approaching and

sensor 2 once it reached 24 bottles, it will send
the signal to actuator 3 to push the box
under the rack, and actuator 2 will
move to enable 24 bottles to drop
down into the box.

II) Controller device

The machine's operation was controlled by a controller device known as a Programmable Logic
Controller (PLC). The proximity sensor must interpret the electric signal for the mechanism in the automatic
bottling packaging machine system to work, thus the instructions and commands must be stored in the PLC. Input
scan, programmed scan, output scan, and housekeeping are the steps in the operation of a PLC. The purpose of an
input scan is to identify all connected input devices. The programmed logic is carried out by the programmed
scan. Output scan energizes and de-energizes all output devices that are connected to the PLC and Housekeeping
includes communications programming terminals [13].

Table 2: Proximity sensor system in an automatic bottle packaging machine

Input Controller Instruction Output

device
Proximity To measure and detect Actuator 1 extends
sensor 1 the 4 bottles that and retracts.
flowing through the
conveyor line. This
sensor will send the
signal to actuator 1 to
move and extend the
arm pushing the 4
bottles into the rack.
 Proximity To detect the bottle Actuator 2 and
sensor 2 approaching and once it actuator 3 retract
reached 24 bottles, it and retracts.
will send the signal to
actuator 3 to push the
box under the rack, and
actuator 2 will move to
enable 24 bottles to drop
down into the box.

III) Output device

In the automatic packing machine, there were three output devices out of a total of eight actuators in the
design. Tasks are performed by Actuator 1, Actuator 2, and Actuator 3. Actuator 1 will be pushing the measured
bottles into the racks in the correct order. Actuator 2 extended the bottles, allowing them to fall into the box, and
actuator 3 pushed the box under the racks carrying 24 bottles. The output device is used to recall the machine's
status about the application that was uploaded to the PLC, and the work is completed automatically. The output,
which is a directed current (DC) voltage, is controlled by the PLC [14]. The industrial process is driven by output
devices such as solenoid valves, alarm indicators, pneumatic actuators, and motors. The programming unit of the
PLC must be operated on a computer that has PLC interface software installed. The method that will be
implemented by PLC can be designed in terms of logical sequences with the help of the programming unit.[15].
The task performed by the actuator can be shown in the table below. The figure below shows an example of an
actuator arm design.

Figure 11: Figure of the actuator arm

Table 3: Actuator arm function system in the automatic bottle packaging machine.

Actuator Task performed Length of

extension (mm)
1 Actuator 1 extend and push 4 mineral water bottles 127.5
towards the rack and retracts.
2 Actuator 2 extends and allows 24 mineral water 30
bottles to drop into the box below the rack.
3 Push the empty box under the rack before the bottle 276.27
drop into the box.

F. Assembly of parts of automatic bottle packaging machine using SolidWorks and

simulation.

The proximity sensors, pneumatic actuator, bottle rack, box conveyor, and roller were employed, as
indicated in the diagram below, to transport and sort the 24 mineral water bottles. The machine has a height of
1175.75 mm, a width of 933.94 mm, and a height of 1163.15 mm. The dimension does not exceed the ESSB's
packing process space, which can be changed for a packing section line.
 Figure 12: Assembled automatic bottle packaging machine

Figure 13: Drawing of the assembled automatic bottle packaging machine.

The simulation is used to demonstrate the motion of an automatic packing machine. To produce the
simulation in SolidWorks, the process flow of the automatic bottle packaging machine was animated, and the
motion was studied. The sensor can be used in the motion study area, where the sensor detection measurement
can be tweaked and the object to be measured can be detected using a proximity sensor. Parameter driving is a
feature of SolidWorks software. When a component's design parameter is changed, the size of the component's
detail drawing changes as well [16]. Motion studies were used to generate the simulation in SolidWorks software.
In detailed studies, motion analysis can be chosen to study the time of operation for the simulation process.
G. Machine operational flow chart

Figure 14: Flow chart of process flow in automatic bottle packaging machine

The automatic bottle packaging machine process starts as the bottles start to move on the bottle conveyor.
Proximity sensor 1 will detect the first four moving bottles and send the signal to the PLC. The PLC sends the
signal to the actuator arm 1 to extend thus pushing the four bottles into the racks. The process will continue until
24 bottles are sorted out in the racks.

Once the bottles were sorted out into 24 bottles, proximity sensor 2 will move and extend out the actuator
3 to move the box underneath the racks. Actuator 2 then extends and enabled the bottles to fall from the racks into
the box underneath by using gravitational force.

III. Results and Discussion

A) Assembly of automatic bottle packaging machine

The design of the automatic bottle packaging machine can be shown in the simulation in the SolidWorks
software. Figure 15 shows the assembled parts of the automatic bottle packaging machine using SolidWorks
software.

Figure 15: Assembled automatic bottle packaging machine

 Based on the assembly that has been done using the software, the machine was 1175.57 mm in height,
933.94 mm, and 1163.15 mm for the width dimension. The design dimension was measured and shall not be
exceeding the dimension of the floor plan in the ESSB packaging line.
B) Simulation analysis of automatic bottle packaging machine.

The simulation analysis on the automatic bottle packaging machine was able to be done. The simulation
shows the process that the automatic bottle packaging machine undergoes and shows step by step the process flow
of the machine. The simulation shows the total time process for the machine where it took about 39 seconds from
sorting out 24 mineral water bottles into the racks and filling the box using 1X the speed of simulation. The bottles
move at about 50 mm/s in the bottle conveyor. The speed of the bottle conveyor and the actuator arm can be
controlled using PLC embedded in the automatic bottle packaging machine and make the process less than 39
seconds.
Compared to the manual process, the process took about 27 seconds for an experienced worker to perform
the packaging process and 47 seconds for an average worker that do the packaging work. Taking the average of
both workers, the average time taken for the packaging process is 37 seconds while the speed on the bottle
conveyor and tape machine were set at 2000 rpm. The process can be shown in table 4 below.
Table 4: Process flow of automatic bottle packaging machine

Bill Process Function ability

1 The bottles move through the conveyor

at a speed of 50mm/s.

2 The sensor will detect the first mineral

water bottle until the sensor measures
up to the fourth bottle and it will trigger
the actuator 1 arm to enable it to extend
127.5 mm toward the rack. The process
will be repeated until the racks are
filled with 24 mineral water bottles.

3 As the 24 mineral water bottles fill up

the racks, sensor 2 will send
information to actuator 3 to extend
276.27 mm by pushing the box under
the racks.

4 In the final process of the cycle of the

machine, after sensor 2 triggers
actuator 3 to extend, actuator 2 will
extend 30 mm enable the bottles from
racks to drop down the box using
gravitational force.
C) Motion analysis

From the automatic bottles packaging machine, the simulation uses motion study analysis to know the
total time taken for the whole process. The motion study can be shown in figure 16 below.

Figure 16: Motion analysis of an automatic bottle packaging machine

The flow rate based on simulation done in SolidWorks was 39 seconds. As the speed of the bottle
conveyor was set up to 50 mm/s, the time taken was 39 seconds but when it was set up at 150 mm/s, the time
taken to finish the process was at 12 seconds. The rate of production can be compared together between manual
production and automatic production and be shown in the table below. The manual production rate can produce 3
boxes of a packaged water bottle while automated bottle packaging in one minute. Following the production
duration, by one month (26 days) of time manual process and the automated process can produce 46800 boxes
and 59100 boxes respectively. The table below shows the increase in the production rate of packaging using an
automated process.
Table 5: Production rate of manual and automated process

Duration Manual production Automated Differences

production
1 minute (s) 3 boxes 4 boxes 1 box
1 Hour 225 boxes 284 boxes 59 boxes
(60 minute)
1Day 1800 boxes 2273 boxes 473 boxes
(8 Hours)
1 Month 46800 boxes 59100 12300
(26 Days) boxes boxes

D) Development of a prototype of automatic bottle packaging machine

Figure 17: Body frame of the prototype of automatic bottle packaging machine

Figure 17 above shows the body frame of the developed automatic bottle packaging machine. Once the
design and simulation have been conducted and tested, the design can be implemented into the development of
an automatic bottle packaging machine. The collaboration with IR Haji Razali’s fabrication team located in
Sungai Buloh helps to develop the prototype can be done based on the measured dimension of the machine.
IV) Conclusion and Recommendation

The project has achieved the goal and objective of designing, simulate and prototyping the development
of the automatic bottle packaging machine. Based on the design and dimension of the automatic bottle packaging
machine, the machine will be able to fit in the packaging floor area in the ESSB. Based on the simulations that
have been conducted, the automatic bottle packaging machine undergoes 39 seconds to complete the process at
50 mm/s speed. When the set up to 150 mm/s which is 3X the speed, the process rate would be 12.67 seconds.
This means the production time increases on automatic bottle packaging machines compared to the manual process
of packaging.
The machine mechanism consists of input, controller, and output processes. As for the input process,
proximity sensors were used in the machine mechanism. The utilization of PLC is important for the signal from
the sensor to be sent to output devices such as the actuator arm.
For future research, the automatic bottle packaging machine will be able to be optimized with a double
packing system where the machine can pack 2 boxes of mineral water simultaneously. The implementation of the
case on the machine also can improve the productivity of the packaging process for ESSB.

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