NPB and Canline introduce Dynamic Hopper Technology

By challenging established industry principles, a patent-pending solution has been developed jointly by Canline and NPB.

The objective in developing the solution has been to redefine conveying uptime by addressing the stacking process in high speed end handling. The new Dynamic Hopper Technology is designed to significantly improve conveying uptime, robustness and future speed readiness in high performance end lines.

In end manufacturing, even minor disturbances in the stacking process can rapidly escalate into jams, mis-stacks, or stoppages – particularly as production speeds continue to increase. Traditionally, vacuum
hoppers and liner discharges have been highly sensitive to small variations in end behaviour, spacing or overall process stability.

The Dynamic Hopper Technology addresses this challenge by applying a fundamentally more tolerant approach to stacking, enabling stable operation even under demanding conditions.

“The availability and efficiency of end conveying are ultimately defined by the system’s ability to stack ends reliably,” said Magnus Wigenstedt, director of sales, technical development at NPB. “By rethinking the weakest link in the chain, we have developed a solution that directly translates improved liner
discharge conveying performance into higher overall line uptime.”

The Dynamic Hopper Technology is engineered to handle current line speeds of up to 2,600 ends per minute, while being fully future-ready for performance levels up to 3,500 ends per minute, without compromising stack stability. Its forgiving geometry and operating principle absorb disturbances and variations in end behaviour, enabling stable stacking at high speeds and under challenging conditions.

Key design elements include a different downstacker geometry, controlled vacuum levels, and conveying speed. Together, these features allow the system to automatically compensate for misalignment and
material variation, significantly reducing or even removing the need for fine-tuning and operator interventions.

Developed through close collaboration between Canline’s specialised conveying expertise and NPB’s system-level automation know-how, the Dynamic Hopper Technology translates real customer challenges into a robust, industrial solution.

After half a year in production, results confirm the design’s ability to increase uptime, reduce stoppages, and support higher sustained production rates. Compared to traditional vacuum hoppers, the new patent-pending solution delivers up to 10% higher production output, reduces the number of stoppages by at least two-thirds, and lowers the risk of compound splashes.

“With increasing demands on speed, efficiency, and reliability, end producers need solutions that are not only precise – but forgiving,” Wigenstedt at NPB concluded.

Eric Reinders, Canline sales manager, continued: “This technology sets a new standard for conveying uptime in high-speed end manufacturing.”

NPB and Canline are now introducing the Dynamic Hopper Technology initially for liner discharge conveying, as part of a continuous roadmap to strengthen overall end line performance. The solution, Liner Discharge Conveyor DH, will be offered as standard in new projects, setting a new industry
benchmark for liner applications.

The solution is also fully retrofittable, enabling upgrades of existing liner generations through the Dynamic Hopper LD. This allows producers to increase capacity and uptime on installed lines without major layout changes or extensive rebuilds. The rollout will continue with Dynamic Hopper solutions for Synchronizers, followed by further applications to improve complete end line performance, enabling end producers to meet evolving market and customer demands while safeguarding productivity, capacity and long-term competitiveness.