Pneumatic Conveying System for Toner Remanufacturer

Case Study

Vacuum Conveying System Increases Production Efficiency, Cuts Cost at Toner Packaging Plant

DuraLine Imaging, a packager of remanufactured laser toner cartridges, realized it had a problem when its slow-moving production line kept it from landing a major new client.

Based upon the recommendation of others in the toner industry, and with the assistance of Solid Design, a local Vac-U-Max rep, DuraLine was able to quickly retool and reestablish their position in the marketplace.

The Problem

DuraLine’s major hurdle in its quest for a greater share of the market was the performance of its packaging system. Because filling cartridges with laser toner is the company’s staple business, the first aim was to streamline the production process. Toner has a fine particle size, and as a result, is difficult to work with. Drifting dust and spills are always problems with loading toner cartridges.

Typically, toner would arrive at the company’s facility in small, pre-measured bottles. The bottles were then emptied by hand into the toner cartridges. This was an inefficient, messy, and tedious task.

The Solution

To improve the operation of the company, Tom Dunn, DuraLine President purchased an auger filler machine from All-Fill of Exton, Pennsylvania—a unit which would discharge the material quickly, accurately, and with excellent repeatability. Dunn’s next problem was how to load this new filler with the toner. Hand loading was just as messy and haphazard as his original problem. The solution would be a pneumatic conveying system from Vac-U-Max.

The vacuum conveying system draws toner from drums at floor level into a unique flared tube receiver—a distance of 10 vertical feet—and then discharges it into the filling machine according to the demand set by the level control in the filler. A special internal dust filter was also fitted to prevent toner from leaving the vacuum receiver during transfer. The filter is cleaned during each discharge cycle using a unique shaking method, ensuring that the filter stays clean while maintaining efficiency. A Vac-U-Max single jet Venturi power unit which uses a modest amount of plant compressed air supplies power for the conveyor to create the vacuum and airflow for conveying.

Higher Volume, Increased Profits, Less Waste, and a Cleaner Workplace

“The speed of production is great,” says Dunn about the Vac-U-Max / All-Fill solution. “Waste and drift is reduced. Setup and cleanup time has also improved.”

With the new system, DuraLine can buy toner in bulk quantities and cut nearly 25 percent off its raw material costs. Buying toner in bulk saves “a couple thousand dollars a month in material costs alone,” plant manger Alan Stepp said.

Labor costs are also down. According to Stepp, operating the Vac-U-Max conveyor cuts two to three hours a day in operating costs, or nearly $6,000 per year.

DuraLine reports that with its new conveyor and filling system, it can meet the demands of potential customers. This was something the company could not always count on with the old filling system.

With the new system in place, DuraLine is now able to handle customer production needs while ensuring a safe work environment for its employees.