If you're in the packaging industry, you've likely heard of the PACK EXPO, which just wrapped up this past week in Las Vegas. Whether you’re new to the industry or a packaging veteran, the PACK EXPO is a great opportunity to explore manufacturing options or start a conversation with others in the industry.
Here at W.C. Branham, we are especially proud of the role our company and products have played over the years in helping improve packaging equipment design and functionality. Versatility is critical when it comes to equipment design options, because “packaging” covers a lot of ground. Products come in all sizes, shapes, and weights, all of which present certain design challenges. But all equipment requires actuators to move the process along and stop/hold at certain points.
Pneumatic cylinders are ideal for packaging equipment
They not only meet the need for versatility, they are:
- Durable and reliable
- Economical to operate
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Can be manufactured from stainless steel to meet stringent food health and safety requirements or withstand washdown conditions
Together, these features provide the ultimate benefits: maximum uptime and return on investment.
We make several different types of rodless pneumatic cylinders that give you all the benefits noted above plus significant space savings that allow a much smaller machine footprint. Our OVLPRO products are a great example of this. Our innovative approach to cylinder design has made W.C. Branham a leader in industrial automation, including packaging machinery applications.
Look under the surface
The folks that attend PACK EXPO represent every aspect of the packaging industry. But if you’re like many of them, your goal is to investigate the latest line equipment or learn more about components that go into successful, cost-effective design. So as you reach out to exhibitors from this year's PACK EXPO, past events, or even just others in the industry you discovered because you were inspired by this year's event, here are some questions you’ll want to ask in moving forward:
- What kind of pneumatic actuators do you use/make? What are the configuration options?
- What alternatives do you offer that address explicit food safety or environmental requirements?
- What is your experience with different types of packaging applications?
- Can you customize products to meet different specifications? Or design and build 100% custom products?
- What about repair and replacement components (for example, field repair kits)?
- Do you offer design or product selection consultation, 3D CAD drawings, or other professional assistance for customers? And what about follow-up support?
Good to know, even if you don’t attend the show
All of these considerations and questions matter every day, whether you’re attending an annual trade show or working on your next equipment design or acquisition project. Our design and engineering experts at W.C. Branham know that every project presents its own challenges and creates its own questions, beyond what we’ve mentioned here.
So give us a call. We have answers. And we have ideas, too, if you’re looking for a solution.
