Process Stabilisation in Final Packaging: How Vibration Technology Prevents Disruptions
In automated packaging lines, even minor irregularities during the filling of bulk materials can disrupt the entire process. This is particularly relevant when packaging elongated products such as screws. After filling, screws can become entangled, stand upright or distribute unevenly inside the packaging. The result can be unreliable carton closing, interruptions in downstream processes and, ultimately, unplanned line stops.
Targeted vibration for more reliable packaging processes
This is where vibration technology can make a difference. By applying controlled vibration directly after filling, the bulk material is briefly set into motion. Entangled screws can be loosened, upright parts can settle back down and the material can distribute more evenly throughout the carton.
Custom-designed vibration tables can be integrated into existing packaging lines without fundamentally changing the established material flow. The vibration parameters are individually adapted to the product, packaging format and machine layout to achieve the desired material movement.
Practical example: SPAX
A practical example from screw manufacturer SPAX demonstrates how this approach can be implemented. Several packaging lines were regularly affected by so-called “hedgehog formation”, where screws become entangled and stand upright, as well as by uneven carton filling.
NetterVibration developed a solution together with SPAX in which four vibration tables were integrated into the existing packaging lines – one for each line. The downstream processes, including automated carton closing and gluing by a robot, remained unchanged.
By specifically influencing the bulk material structure immediately after filling, the packaging process could be stabilised. Entanglements are reliably loosened, cartons are filled more evenly and the closing process can operate more consistently at the intended cycle rate.
The result is a calmer and more predictable packaging process with fewer interruptions and less need for manual intervention. This demonstrates how targeted vibration can contribute to greater process reliability, particularly in highly automated packaging lines with high throughput and short cycle times.
Read the full technical article
The technical background, the challenges associated with screw packaging and the solution developed for SPAX are described in more detail in our technical article “Process Stabilisation in Final Packaging – How Vibration Technology Automates and Secures Packaging Processes”, published in issue 4/2026 of the German trade magazine SCHÜTTGUT & PROZESS.
Discover the SPAX application case (including video and flyer):
