ProSelex® by Cermex: the simplest ideas are the best ones

Cermex has finally decided to unveil one of its leading innovations that has been shrouded in secrecy until now. ProSelex® provides a fresh solution to product selection and batch preparation, which are crucial phases for ensuring high efficiency in case packing.

For handling three or more product formats, the module is the obvious choice compared to turning and spacing systems using scrolls, which are more costly, more cumbersome and much more difficult to manipulate by operators during format changeover. Efficient with all conveyable products, whatever their rigidity and thickness, ProSelex® can be integrated into gantry or robot packers as well as multi-function case packers.

Compact, simple and respectful of products, this patented solution has found its place in most markets: food, alcoholic beverages, home and personal care. ProSelex® has proved its efficiency for all types of secondary packaging (RSC, wrap around blanks or trays) for both side and top loading applications.

An entirely original concept

Installed as an independent module or integrated into the product collating section of the case packer, ProSelex® is composed of a servo-driven comb moving at high speed on two axes to form batches of products fed in continuously on a conveyor.

A complete break from all other current solutions, the innovation proposed by Cermex does away with accumulation to ensure total product protection without rubbing, nor dividing.Products are spaced out by servo-driven lateral bands, which can be adjusted to suit the product shape and resistance. For certain bottles, spacing is done by servo-driven selecting starwheels.

An ingenious device, simple in principle, ProSelex® is nevertheless a high-speed system with a capacity of 250 products per minute. A speed of 300 products per minute can be achieved by combining the ProSelex® with an Electronic Phaser (patented system) for pre-collating several products in the same bucket.

Total reliability and access

A continuous solution with no accumulation/jamming, ProSelex® forms rows with total repeatability and absolute accuracy in product handling. Four advantages explain its immediate success with the initial users.

Compact solution

Breaking away from existing systems, ProSelex® does away with orientation and spacing by scrolls. The storage racks for change parts (combs and counter-combs) require much less space in the vicinity of the production line.

The ProSelex® layout is also more compact than a collating system with lanes by doing away with the lane divider and accumulation conveyor.

Simplicity

For format changeovers, only two lightweight parts (less than 3kg) require changing (the comb and the counter-comb) and just two elements need adjusting (the spacing bands and the product transfer guide). The whole system is uncluttered and ergonomic, extremely easy to access and dismantle so that format changeovers can be carried out in 2 minutes.

Product protection

Able to handle bottles, containers, gift boxes, cartons, aerosols, filmed packs or cluster packs, without rubbing, nor dividing, ProSelex® respects the integrity of even the most fragile products, allowing for creative designs in terms of primary packaging. In the event of a machine stoppage, the products are stocked on a dead plate to prevent any scuffing.

Saving

When handling three or more product formats, ProSelex® is more economically viable than scrolls. Productivity is guaranteed thanks to quick format changeovers requiring only one operator.When introducing new product formats, ProSelex® generates further savings due to the limited number of change parts made available in a shorter lead time.

Various completely different customer configurations have enabled Cermex to industrially validate the potential of ProSelex®. The support of initial users, convinced by the simplicity of the module, has encouraged the company to proceed with the wide-scale rollout of this promising innovation.