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Optimizing a Beverage Can Production Line by Material Flow Simulation

Chapter · January 2016

DOI: 10.2507/26th.daaam.proceedings.028

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 26TH DAAAM INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMATION

OPTIMIZING A BEVERAGE CAN PRODUCTION LINE BY

MATERIAL FLOW SIMULATION

Popa Cicerone Laurentiu, Cotet Costel Emil, Constantin Florin, Zaleschi (Negrea)
Violeta - Carmen

University Politehnica of Bucharest, Machines and Manufacturing Systems Department, No.313, Spl. Independentei,
sector 6, Bucharest, 060042, Romania

Abstract

The paper proposes an optimizing algorithm based on a virtual model of a processing architecture. To illustrate this
algorithm we have chosen a beverage production line, a diffused processing architecture using productivity as the main
performance indicator. The material flow management of this beverage can production line will be based on its virtual
model in order to identify and eliminate material flow concentrators and increase productivity. Simulation will be used
to diagnose the initial performance of the system structural elements as well as to validate the optimized system
performances after eliminating the bottlenecks. The algorithm could easily be adapted to any manufacturing or
processing architecture based on discrete material flow, where the circulating entities (e.g. parts) are distinct and
countable.

Keywords: beverage can; production line; simulation; virtual model; material flow management

This Publication has to be referred as: Popa, C[icerone] L[aurentiu]; Cotet, C[ostel] E[mil]; Constantin, F[lorin] &
Zaleschi Negrea, V[ioleta] -[ Carmen] (2016). Optimizing a Beverage Can Production Line by Material Flow
Simulation, Proceedings of the 26th DAAAM International Symposium, pp.0206-0211, B. Katalinic (Ed.), Published by
DAAAM International, ISBN 978-3-902734-07-5, ISSN 1726-9679, Vienna, Austria
DOI:10.2507/26th.daaam.proceedings.028

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1. Introduction

The modern manufacturing constraints should produce highly customizable and innovative products;
continuously increase their quality and decrease the time-to-market and costs in order to gain competitive advantages.
All these determined a focus on optimizing the manufacturing and processing systems starting early from their design
phase by using MFT (Material Flow Theory) and specific simulation software tools [1]. Depending on product
characteristics and production type, several classical architectures of manufacturing and processing systems (assembly
line, flexible manufacturing system, flexible manufacturing cell, job shop, etc.) can be deployed in a factory [2]. These
architectures can be analyzed in conjunction with MFT applications and specific algorithms in the MFM (Material Flow
Management) area, and optimized based on mathematical and virtual modelling. To optimize a material flow, one
should focus on maximizing or minimizing specific parameters according with their nature (for instance, cost is a
minimizing parameter, while productivity is a maximizing parameter) [3]. We present in this paper an optimization
algorithm based on identifying the points where the material flow is slowed down or even blocked (flow concentrators
or bottlenecks) and finding solutions to eliminate such problems with or without modifying generic architecture [4].
In a work post, one or several operations/activities can take place using processes and machines. In an attempt
to decrease the overall production time, there are approaches which consider eliminating the transport & transfer times
between work posts by combining in a single machine, two (or more) manufacturing processes. As known, the
manufacturing processes can be classified as: subtractive – involving material removal (such as milling, drilling,
turning/lathing, etc.), additive – involving material addition layer-by-layer (stereolithography, fused deposition
modelling, selective laser sintering, etc.) and with material distribution (injection molding, forming, casting, etc.) [5].
In the hybrid manufacturing work post, additive and subtractive processes can be combined within a single
machine, completely computer-controlled, in order to benefit of the advantages of each technology, such as complex
geometry, controlled geometry, functional graded material parts – for additive fabrication, and high precision and
surface quality or very good mechanical properties – for subtractive fabrication [6][7]. The presented algorithm covers
all these situations, producing a virtual manufacturing model used to configure an optimized manufacturing architecture
for different purchase orders of the customers [8]. The algorithm could also be extended for virtual enterprises and
collaborative networks, using basically the same software solution [9].
We will illustrate this algorithm using a simple application from beverage industry. Beverage cans were
produced for the first time in the US in 1935. Since then there have been many innovations in the beverage cans
production line and as a result the beverage cans became more light (about 5% of the total weight when full). Today, a
beverage can weighs 40% less than its equivalent from the 70's. An empty beverage can weighs about 13.5 grams and
has a thickness equal to the thickness of a human hair.
The beverage cans capacity varies from country to country: 150 ml, 200 ml, 222 ml, 237 ml, 250 ml, 330 ml,
341 ml, 350 ml, 355 ml, 375 ml , 440 ml, 473 ml, 500 ml, 550 ml, 568 ml and 1000 ml.
The beverage cans are 100% recyclable, which means that are economically efficient and environmentally
friendly and can be recycled indefinitely.

The advantages of using beverage cans are:

 cost efficient,
 high transport efficiency,
 360°brand exposure,
 variety of sizes to match application/market conditions,
 content is protected from light and air,
 long shelf life,
 easy to recycle. [10]

The beverage can contains two main parts:

a) the can body (the neck, the can wall and the can base)
b) the lid (EOE - Easy Opening End)

The beverage can is used for packaging of: water, juices, beer, tea, soft drinks etc. There are many can
producers all over the world (including Romania): Rexam Beverage Cans Americas, Crown Holdings Inc., Ball
Corporation, Can-Pack Group etc. The production line from our case study is placed in Romania.

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 26TH DAAAM INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMATION
2. The beverage cans production line modeling using Witness 14

The production line from our case study is placed in Romania. The goal of the simulation is to realize a
diagnosis and to propose an optimized solution including an increase in terms of productivity by eliminating the
material flow concentrators. We have used Witness 14 for the modeling of the production Line (see Fig. 1). The
beverage cans production line has the following structural elements:

 The cupping press - the machine that makes the beverage can.
 The bodymaker – the machine that makes the body of the beverage can.
 The washer – the machine that washes the beverage cans.
 The decorator – the machine that prints (on) the cans.
 The oven that dries the cans after they were printed.
 ISM – the machine that applies the interior protection polymer layer.
 IBO – the oven that dries the interior of the can.
 The necker. The machine that narrows and borders the beverage cans.
 Work point for packaging the cans.
 The conveyors – they cover the internal transport of the cans from one machine to another.
 The buffer – spare lanes that insure the continuous functioning of the line in case of breakdown. There are 4 of
them, one for each area that can cause blockages.
 Production operators – they insure the good functioning of the machines. There are 15 operators: one at the
press, 4 at the bodymaker, 1 at the washer, 4 at the printer, 2 at the ISM and necker and 3 at the work point for
packaging.
 The CTC (metc). It insures the final control of the beverage cans.
 Human resources coordinator

We have modelled the system's structural elements using the database available in the Witness 14 simulation
software. For the virtual model, the links between the system's structural elements were created using the system real
parameters in order to reproduce the material flow trajectories.

3. The beverage cans production line modeling using Witness 14

In the figure 2 we see the simulation of the production line of aluminum cans where the press is supplied with
rolls of aluminum sheets – aluminum coil from the warehouse. It produces 12 workpiece cans with every beat of its
mould and the leftover material is recycled. The workpiece cans are transferred with the help of a transfer conveyer to
the conveyer that distributes the workpiece cans to the 9 bodymakers (bm1, bm2…bm9) in order to manufacture the
beverage can. After the making of the cans they are transported by a conveyor to the washer that washes away the oils
used in manufacturing the cans.
A conveyor transfers the washed and dried cans to the two printers where they are printed. The cans that have
been printed are dried on ovens and are collected by the feeding conveyer of the machine that makes the inside
protective layer of the cans. Afterwards they are transferred to the place where the interior protection coverage will be
performed.
After the interior protective layer is done and the cans are dried in the oven they arrive at the narrowing
machine where the neck of the can is narrowed and the necker is made. The narrowing of the upperside of the can is
done according to the final parameters in order to prepare the can for the attaching of the cover. The conveyer transfers
the can narrowed at the top to the palletizing area where the cans are gathered in pallets of 5000 pieces in a buffer area
and then the packaging and tying takes place. After packaging the pallets are transferred to a storage place for being
transferred to the client.
Using this virtual model, a simulation was performed in order to identify the bottlenecks and the long waiting
times of the system. In the preliminary simulation, the parameters for the system's components were set to their default
value. During the preliminary simulation the structural elements were parameterized in conformity with the existing
settings from the production line equipment. A diagnosis and a confirmation of productivity were desired. Following
the preliminary simulation, reports have been generated for all the structural elements of the system.

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 26TH DAAAM INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMATION

Fig. 1. The preliminary system architecture in Witness 14

Fig. 2. The beverage cans production line during the simulation

Following the simulation of the preliminary architecture, the information received from the producer is confirmed -
after 12 hours 1.800.000 beverage cans are obtained. According to the generated reports, problems were identified at:

 the cupping press - blockage up to 20%;

 the washer - where the waiting time is of 10%;
 the necker - where the waiting time is of 10%;
 small blockages at some of the bodymakers (between 4 and 10%)
 small blockages at the ISM where there are blockages between 3% and 9%.

After the identification and confirmation of the flow concentrators and of the areas that slowed down the flow,
a functional remodeling of the system was done. A technological remodeling would not have been possible due to the
requirements of the producer. Through the functional remodeling the functioning parameters for some structural
elements were modified. In this process, the technical characteristics from the handbook of every equipment from the
production line were taken into account. The parameters will be modified in successive simulations until an optimized

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 26TH DAAAM INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMATION
version of the system in terms of productivity will be obtained. We have performed several simulations with different
parameter's versions, we compared the reports and we retained the best version which had the biggest increase of
productivity compared to the original version of the system, taking into account the avoidance of bottlenecks and long
waiting times. Following the simulation, the graphics presented below were obtained, which reveal an improvement in
the functioning of the production line.

Fig. 3. (a) The cupper press report after the functional remodeling; (b) Bodymaker 1 report after the functional
remodeling

The reports obtained after the functional remodeling show the following:

 a reduction of bottlenecks at the cupping press. (see figure 3 a). The bottlenecks thus dropped from 20 % to 6
%.
 the bodymakers function 100% of the time, and in this case the bottlenecks were eliminated (see figure 3 b).
 at the necker the waiting time was eliminated, and now the necker works at 100%.
 the 15% waiting time at the washer was eliminated and it now works at 100%(see figure 4 b).

After the optimization, this line could produce 398 pallets of 5000 cans each, in 12 hours. This means
1.990.000 cans and a 11% increase in efficiency. The new simulation of the system validates the solution resulted from
the functional remodelling.

Fig. 4. (a) The necker report after the functional remodeling; (b) Washer report after the functional remodeling

4. Conclusion

When designing the layout of a manufacturing system, virtual models of different structural elements can be
used, while in simulating the material flow in the manufacturing architecture, data from processes simulations can
constitute input parameters. In this context of using data from different types of applications for defining and optimizing
manufacturing architecture, data compatibility and data portability issues should not be neglected when choosing the
software tools for supporting the optimal definition of a manufacturing architecture.

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 26TH DAAAM INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMATION
In dealing with material flow management applied to manufacturing systems, one should consider using a
specific algorithm for optimizing the associated architecture by modeling and then simulating the material flow
trajectory within the system. This algorithm, illustrated in this paper by a case study, offers a structured modality to
increase the productivity and profit in manufacturing architectures in order to respond to different requirements.
Current needs and practice in industrial engineering determined us to adapt the general material flow theory and to
develop specific algorithms like this one for diagnosis and optimization for manufacturing architectures using material
flow management.
As can be noticed, our approach, although restrictive to industrial projects, can be however used to
accommodate the advances in digital fabrication and the development of new manufacturing processes/technologies,
thus responding to the current trend of mass-customization as a paradigm shift from mass production. Based on
previous results we established the main future research direction as follows: improving performances analysis by
developing new measuring tools; integrating the investment analysis in the material flow simulators; integrating
engineering knowledge in material flow management; integrating material flow management with ERP (Enterprise
Resource Planning) applications. We want to develop an algorithm that assures a quick system reconfiguration based on
the client's needs without changing the system architecture and as well a database that can store the parameters that
must be set for each structural element of the system using the parameterization specific to the product type.

5. References

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1387-3326 print, 1572-9419 online, doi: 10.1007/s10796-008-9113-4,.
[2] M. P. Groover (2012). Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing: Materials, Processes, and Systems, John Wiley &
Sons, ISBN 978-1118393673.
[3] C.E.Cotet, D.Popescu, , (2014) - Material Flow Management in Industrial Engineering, in Encyclopedia of
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[4] J. Bekker, (2013). Multi-Objective Buffer Space Allocation with the Cross-Entropy Method. International Journal
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ISSN print: 1740-2123, 2013.
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[7] J.K.S.Nagel, , & F.W. Liou, (2012). Chapter 11. Hybrid Manufacturing System Design and Development. In
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[8] M. Debevec, M. Simic, & N. Herakovic, (2014). Virtual Factory as an Advanced Approach for Production Process
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[9] C.E. Cotet, C.L. Popa and F.Anghel, Manufacturing architecture design using discrete material flow management,
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[10] http://www.rexam.com

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