Integrated machinery lines · Troubleshooting
A station stands still without a fault: starved or blocked
A machine that stands still without a fault is usually waiting: for product from upstream (starved) or for space downstream (blocked). The cause is often two stations away. Use this page to trace a standstill along the line to its origin.
Page context
- Line
- Reference line RL-1: end-of-line packaging (RL-1)
- Stations
- Infeed and accumulation conveyor → Filler and capper → Labeller → Inspection and reject → Case packer → Palletiser and stretch wrapper
- Lifecycle phase
- Operation and maintenance
- For
- Operators, Maintenance technicians
- Page type
- Troubleshooting — Leads from a symptom to its cause and remedy
Z1 · Filling
- Infeed and accumulation conveyorSystem integrator
- Filler and capperSupplier A
Z2 · Labelling and inspection
- LabellerSupplier B
- Inspection and rejectSupplier B
Z3 · Case packing
- Case packerSupplier C
Z4 · Palletising
- Palletiser and stretch wrapperSupplier D
How to use this page
Find the symptom that matches what you see, then work through its causes from top to bottom — the most frequent cause comes first. “Check” tells you what to look at, “Remedy” what to do. Follow the line in the direction the page tells you: starved means look upstream, blocked means look downstream.
The case packer shows Suspended (starved), no fault
Where to look: Z3, look upstream towards Z2
Possible cause 1
Zone Z2 is stopped
Check
Line HMI: is “Zone stop Z2” or an open door shown?
Remedy
Restart Z2 as described in the restart procedure.
Possible cause 2
The labeller is Held, e.g. for a label reel change
Check
Labeller panel: reel empty or splice request?
Remedy
Change the reel following the labeller manual; the line continues on its own.
Possible cause 3
The inspection rejects every bottle
Check
Reject counter rising fast, reject bin filling
Remedy
Stop Z2 and check the label position and the camera image; see the inspection manual.
The labeller shows Suspended (blocked), no fault
Where to look: Z2, look downstream towards Z3 and Z4
Possible cause 1
The buffer ahead of the case packer is full
Check
HMI buffer display “buffer full” between Z2 and Z3
Remedy
Find why the case packer doesn’t take product — often the palletiser blocks it.
Possible cause 2
The palletiser waits for an empty pallet
Check
Palletiser panel: pallet magazine empty?
Remedy
Refill the pallet magazine; the palletiser restarts and the line follows.
Possible cause 3
The case packer has run out of cases
Check
Case packer panel: case magazine low or empty
Remedy
Refill the case magazine from outside the zone.
The whole line runs slower than rated, no station stops
Where to look: All zones
Possible cause 1
The line controller reduced the speed because a buffer is nearly full
Check
HMI trend of the buffer levels during the last 30 minutes
Remedy
Find the slowest station downstream of the full buffer and check its settings.
Possible cause 2
The filler runs at reduced speed after a product change
Check
Filler recipe: speed setpoint
Remedy
Load the correct recipe; ask the shift lead before changing setpoints.
If none of this helps
If the standstill returns more than three times per shift, or no cause in this list fits, call maintenance and note the times from the line history. Repeated micro-stops are a line issue, not a machine issue: they belong in the line’s downtime analysis, not in a single machine’s service call.