Product Misalignment in the Infeed

Problem

Products enter the forming area rotated, skewed, or with uneven spacing. Wraps look crooked even though film tracking and sealing are correct, and feeding faults appear intermittently.

Possible Causes

1. Infeed speed ratio to machine speed is incorrect for the current product.
2. Guide rails are worn or set outside the product's tolerance.
3. Chain flights or infeed lugs are worn, bent, or dirty.
4. Product itself is inconsistent in size or condition.
5. Hand-feeding rhythm does not match machine pitch (where applicable).

What to Check

• STEP 1Verify speed synchronization.Check the infeed/machine speed ratio against the recipe and observe product transfer over multiple cycles.
• STEP 2Check guide rails.Inspect rails for wear marks and product debris; confirm settings against the changeover record for this product.
• STEP 3Inspect flights and lugs.Look for bent or worn elements and clean product residue that changes the effective pitch.
• STEP 4Sample the product.Measure a sample of incoming product against the specification the machine was set up for.
• STEP 5Observe the transfer point.Watch the handover into the wrapping area at reduced speed for tipping, catching or bunching.

Corrective Actions

• Re-establish the correct speed ratio and save it to the recipe.
• Re-set guides per the changeover record and lock the positions.
• Replace worn flights or lugs — order via the spare parts request form with photos and part numbers.
• If product variation is the cause, involve quality and Path Pack engineering to review feeding tolerances.