Parker Hannifin Corporation and material handling equipment builder Flexibility Engineering have collaborated to create a new model of the patented Anysize pneumatic-based positioning system. The technology frees users from having to make time-consuming manual adjustments when changing over a packaging line to accommodate different bottle, package or case sizes. The newest addition to the line, the Compact Anysize, is designed to fit into tighter spaces for conventional mechanical conveyors. The company says that Anysize is unique because users only have to input a desired guide rail width, and the technology automatically makes a thousand or more positioner adjustments, to tolerances of a few millimetres from each other, down the entire length of the line. Anysize technology is based on the pressure of the plant’s compressed air system. The air pressure acts on a positioner to apply force (up to about 10 lb.) on a heavy spring, which moves an exact distance for a given force. Anysize also includes a control component called the Regulated Air Distribution (RAD) box that regulates air pressure. The RAD box includes filters to ensure clean, dry air, along with pneumatic components to smooth fluctuations in the plant air.
