Bottle Unscrambler

A bottle unscrambler takes bulk, randomly tipped containers and delivers them upright and in line to the filler. It is the machine that turns a box of loose bottles into an ordered single file, and on most bottling lines it is what decides whether the filler ever gets to run at its rated speed. Nexus Australia supplies bottle unscrambling machines Australia-wide.

Mechanical or robotic: the decision that matters

We supply two different approaches, and choosing between them is the whole point of this page. They are not tiers of the same product, and the more expensive one is not automatically the right one.

• Mechanical unscrambler and sorter: containers are righted by the machine's own sorting geometry and fed onward, with an integrated inspection system confirming orientation before filling. Best where one bottle format runs for long periods at steady high speed.
• Robotic unscrambler and sorter: a KWT system using vision-guided SCARA robots to pick each container, orient it and place it in line. Best where the line changes format often, or where the container is fragile or awkward.

How to choose

Four questions settle it.

• How many container formats run on this line?
  One or two formats favour mechanical. Many formats favour robotic, because a robotic unscrambler is reprogrammed between bottle types rather than re-tooled.
• Plastic only, or glass as well?
  The mechanical sorter is specified around plastic bottles. The robotic system handles PET through to glass containers, so mixed or glass lines point to robotic.
• How often do you change over?
  Changeover time, not cycle time, is what usually costs a multi-SKU line its output. Robotic changeover is a program change; mechanical changeover is a physical one.
• What happens downstream?
  The unscrambler has to feed the filler without starving it or backing it up, so its output has to be matched to the rest of the line rather than specified in isolation.

Where an unscrambling machine fits on the line

The unscrambler sits at the very front. Containers arrive in bulk, are oriented and fed in single file, then move to filling, capping and labelling. Both systems integrate with existing conveyors, fillers and cappers, so an unscrambler can be retrofitted to a line that is currently hand-fed.

That retrofit is the most common reason customers call us about this machine. Manual unscrambling is repetitive, hard to staff, and quietly caps the output of every machine downstream of it.

Industries

Beverage, including soft drinks, juices, water and alcoholic beverages. Pharmaceutical, including medication bottles, vials and containers. Food, including condiments and cooking oils. Personal care and household products.

Tell us your container types, how many formats run on the line and your target output, and we will tell you whether mechanical or robotic is the right answer. Contact Nexus Australia for a quote on a bottle unscrambler.