Innovation at Work: Custom ExtractPack Plus Creates a New Sustainability Solution for IV Bags
Innovation often begins with a customer bringing us a problem that does not have an off-the-shelf solution. Recently, Harmony Enterprises worked with a medical company that needed a more efficient way to recycle full and partially full IV bags. The challenge involved more than simply reducing the volume of discarded material. The customer needed a system capable of perforating the bags, removing the remaining liquid, compacting the material into manageable bales, reducing manual handling & creating a more efficient path toward its sustainability goals. IV bag recycling is a relatively new industry niche.
The solution was a customized Harmony ExtractPack Plus liquid extraction baler combined with a specially designed material handling system that automates the process from loading through baling.
Taking Liquid Extraction Into a New Market
Harmony’s ExtractPack Plus has traditionally been used to perforate, drain & bale liquid-filled containers such as aluminum cans, PET bottles & Tetra Pak packaging. Its combination of liquid extraction and horizontal baling makes it an effective solution for businesses that need to destroy packaged product, remove liquid & significantly reduce the volume of the remaining material.
This IV bag recycling project demonstrates how that same technology can be adapted for a very different waste stream.
Instead of beverage containers, the customized system processes full and partially full IV bags generated by a medical company. It opens new possibilities for Harmony’s liquid extraction technology within the medical and healthcare sector, where organizations may be looking for more automated & sustainable ways to manage difficult liquid-filled materials.
Custom Automation Reduces Manual Handling
Processing liquid-filled material manually can be labor intensive. Employees may need to lift containers, empty liquids, move material between processes & repeatedly handle waste before it is ready for disposal or recycling.
Harmony engineered this ExtractPack Plus installation to reduce those steps. A custom Harmony tipper allows material to be loaded into the system more efficiently, while an integrated conveyor moves the IV bags into the ExtractPack Plus for processing.
Together, the tipper, conveyor & liquid extraction baler create a highly automated material handling system designed to reduce direct labor, limit repetitive handling & create a more consistent process from start to finish.
Perforate, Drain & Bale in One Integrated Process
The customized system combines several waste-handling steps into one coordinated operation.
Full and partially full IV bags enter the system through the automated material handling equipment. The ExtractPack Plus perforates the bags, allowing the remaining liquid to drain in a controlled process. The emptied bags are then compressed into dense bales that are easier to handle, store & transport.
Combining these functions into one integrated process can eliminate multiple manual steps and reduce the amount of loose material occupying valuable space within a facility.
It also highlights the versatility of liquid extraction technology. A machine traditionally used for packaged beverage applications can become the foundation for solving an entirely different material-handling challenge when combined with custom engineering & automation.
Creating New Sustainability Opportunities
Organizations across many industries are looking for ways to reduce waste, improve material handling & operate more efficiently. Liquid-filled products can be especially challenging because the liquid often needs to be removed before the remaining packaging can be compacted, transported or evaluated for recycling.
By automating much of that process, this customized ExtractPack Plus gives the customer another tool for improving how this waste stream is managed. It can also reduce the amount of manual intervention required while making the remaining material easier to handle.
Just as importantly, applications like this can introduce liquid extraction technology to industries that may not traditionally consider a baler or liquid extraction system as part of their sustainability strategy.
Custom Engineering Is Where New Solutions Begin
Harmony has built waste & recycling equipment for customers around the world for decades, and many of the most interesting applications begin with a simple question:
Can you build something that will solve this problem?
In this case, the answer involved combining proven ExtractPack Plus liquid extraction technology with a customized tipper, conveyor & automated material handling system specifically designed for an unusual application.
That ability to adapt equipment around a customer’s unique material stream is a core part of Harmony’s approach to customized waste & recycling solutions. Different industries generate different materials, operate within different facilities & face different labor, space, handling & sustainability challenges. The most effective solution is not always something that already exists in a catalog.
Sometimes it needs to be engineered.
Innovation at Work
This customized ExtractPack Plus is a strong example of innovation at work at Harmony Enterprises. By adapting a proven liquid extraction platform to process full and partially full IV bags, Harmony created a more automated solution that can reduce labor requirements, improve material handling & support the customer’s sustainability efforts.
The project also demonstrates how custom engineering can extend existing technology into entirely new applications. From beverage manufacturers and bottling facilities to medical and healthcare-related waste streams, the goal remains the same: understand the material, identify the operational challenge & engineer a solution that makes the process more efficient.
That is what customized waste & recycling equipment is all about.
Learn more about the Harmony ExtractPack Plus and its liquid extraction capabilities by calling us at (507) 886-6666 or filling out this short contact form today!
