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Vibration and shock isolation of impact machinery in can making facilities

Equipment manufacturers are increasingly designing machinery to work faster and with more precision, whilst reducing weight and cost. Impact machinery used to press or form metal and aluminum in the canning industry however is still very large. When impact machines such as Cupper Presses and Bodymakers are in operation, heavy impacts in the form of shocks and vibrations are generated. This heavy equipment is often operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and shutdown for repairs results in reduced production and increased cost.

Farrat Isolated Foundations are used to ensure that the heavy equipment operating conditions – in terms of vibration levels – are controlled to within specification, to maximise overall productivity in the can making facility and to conform to both H&S and local authority requirements.

As a result, Farrat Isolated Foundations are frequently installed in can making facilities across the world and are renowned for reducing the damaging impacts of machine enduced vibrations.

How do Isolated Foundations work? Read our 101 Article here.

A Simple Guide to Isolating Cupper Presses: Read our 101 Article here.

Latest Case Study

Discover how we reduced spoilage and increased productivity within a £115M can making facility in Europe, with Farrat’s Isomat Isolated Foundation System.

A Cupper Press was recently installed in a new canning factory in Europe, which was built near to commercial and office buildings in the surrounding area.

Following recommendations from a consultancy specialising in vibration and structural dynamics, the Cupper Press was installed on top of an inertia block supported by spring elements and visco-dampers, offering a system natural frequency of 1.25 Hz. However, high movements were reported on the machines Spring Foundation during production and as a result the vibrations were emitting outwards to the neighboring buildings. The impact of this movement was premature wear on the machine and increased spoilage, reducing the overall productivity of the plant.

Farrat were contacted to provide a replacement solution that would reduce the excessive movement of the Cupper Press and create a quieter environment for the neighbouring buildings. The primary element of the challenge was to stiffen the overall system, while preventing excessive vibrations being transmitted around.

For details of the vibration control solution provided and how it performed, continue reading here.

What our clients say:

Ongoing R&D – Farrat IMPACT Project

Over the last few years, we have been working with leading manufacturers within the can making industry on our R&D ‘IMPACT’ Project, testing vibrations emitted by Cupper Presses and Bodymakers – two primary machines used in can making factories to produce aluminum cans. This insight and experience has best placed us as specialist advisors on impact machine foundation design, impact machine layout, machine performance optimization and reducing spoilage.

Farrat frequently perform vibration surveys in can factories of all sizes across Europe, to identify how our vibration control systems can most effectively be integrated to minimise machine vibration problems. We have distilled some of this knowledge into a simple to follow, 30 minuete continued professional development (CPD) video adjacent. The intention being to provide factory designers, production managers and OEM’s with the insight required to identify vibration issues impacting OEE in can making factories.

To explore the vibration control solution featured in this CPD further, visit our Isolated Foundations page here.