A seemingly simple filling app demonstrates that working with cannabis oils requires understanding their unique properties.
In 2015, Jake Berry and Coley Walsh founded Pyramid Pens, which now operates under the Loud Labs banner and sells various formulations of cannabis oil packaged in cartridges available in a variety of e-cigarettes. Using the renowned CO2 extraction process, the partners set about developing unique strains and flavors of THC and CBD oil for vaping. In fact, the brand’s innovative approach to packaging caught our attention back in 2019, check out what they’ve been working on back then and see how far they’ve come with their next endeavors.
Today, Loud Labs is selling its line of cannabis-infused Pyramid Pens oils, which come in cartridges and capsules, in Colorado and Michigan, and is laying the foundation for future expansion in other states. Expansion is a complex process that requires adaptation to each state’s individual legal and sales environment. The company offers a total of six oil formulations, each with a different potency and flavor profile, concentrate, distillate, and CBD/THC combination. The company also offers impregnated pre-rolls and food slabs.
Vape devices come in many shapes, sizes, and technologies, all based on oil-filled cartridges. Cartridges usually contain 0.3, 0.5 or 1 gram of oil depending on the type of device. For optimal dosing of expensive oil, topping up must be accurate. The heated hemp oil pours easily into the heated container of the Thompson Duke IZR Automatic High Volume Filler. On the machine, the tool with the refillable cartridge is fixed on the table of the Festo EXCM XY. The HMI touch screen allows the operator to control and optimize the process through a simple menu of commands.
“We got kilos of compounds from the extractor,” says CEO Berry. “These compounds are then blended into our various formulations to create our unique products. Then we painstakingly draw oil from the flask with a small syringe and dose the indicated volume of oil into the cartridge.”
As cannabis oil cools, it becomes thicker and more difficult to draw on and accurately dose. This oil is sticky and difficult to process and refine. The process of recruiting and dispensing through a syringe is physically and mentally demanding, not to mention slow and wasteful. In addition, each formula has a different viscosity, which can change the strength of application and dispensing. A hard-working team member can refill 100 to 200 cartridges per hour, Barry says. As the popularity of Loud Labs recipes grew, the rate of order fulfillment decreased. Too much topping required in too short a time.
“We want to use our best knowledge of product development, market and customer needs to grow the business, rather than spending most of our work time refilling cartridges by hand,” Berry says.
Loud Labs needed a better way to produce competitive and affordable products while maintaining high quality. Automated processes seem like a potential solution. However, it is worth noting that since the industry is in its infancy, automated solutions (good ones anyway) are not as common as in established industries.
In 2018, Berry and Walsh met Thompson Duke Industrial in Portland, Oregon, a wholly owned Portland Engineering company that manufactures and services cartridges and cigarettes used to fill and seal cannabis-based e-cigarettes.
“We knew it was very important to consider the variable viscosity of the oil when designing a cannabis canister filling machine,” said Chris Gardella, CTO of Thompson Duke Industrial. “Hemp oil doesn’t behave like any other liquid. Each oil composition has a different viscosity. Some formulations can be so thick that the oil won’t pour out of the can at room temperature.”
To facilitate the flow of oil, Gardella says the material needs to be heated. However, the temperature must be precisely controlled, because too high a temperature can damage key components of the oil, and too low a temperature can reduce flow. Another consideration is that some formulations must be dosed carefully or they may be damaged.
The oil circuit of the Thompson Duke cartridge filler consists of a heated reservoir and a short tube connected to a stationary dosing head. In this way, a pneumatically controlled actuator raises the plunger of the syringe, sucking in a certain amount of oil. The second drive lowers the syringe to the empty cartridge and the drive pushes the plunger. An XY automated stage containing a matrix of hundreds of cartridges accurately positions each cartridge in turn under the dosing head. Thompson Duke has standardized Festo’s pneumatic and electrical components and systems for its machines based on parts availability, quality and support. Once manually filled, time-consuming and wasteful, Loud Labs now uses Festo-based automated Thompson Duke machines to cleanly process hundreds of cartridges in minutes with no waste.
“Another design consideration is that each oil formulation will be dispensed at a different rate, and as the oil heats up, it can distribute faster, which means the XY table is faster and coordinated with the dosing head,” said Gardella. “This already complex process is made more difficult by the fact that the evaporator equipment industry is moving towards many different cartridge configurations.”
Knowing the technological characteristics of Loud Labs formulations and what they do, Berry and Walsh thought they were talking to a supplier who understood their needs after hearing Thompson Duke employees describe the design features of the company’s patented IZR automatic filling machine.
They are excited about the potential of an industrial-grade system capable of refilling 1,000 cartridges per hour, meaning one machine can do the work of at least four employees with more accuracy and less waste. This level of throughput will be a game changer for the company, not only in terms of refilled cartridges and quick response to orders, but also in terms of labor savings. Business owners have learned that a Thompson Duke machine can switch from one oil to another in less than 60 seconds, which is an advantage for companies like Loud Labs that have multiple formulations.
Thompson Duke added two additional facts to the Discussion. The company is engaged in technical support. After the sale, customers can be assured of world-class support. In addition, Thompson Duke software makes it easy for operators to navigate complex processes. Berry and Walsh quickly purchased a Thompson Duke IZR filling machine.
“In the cannabis industry, consumers are looking for brands they can trust—brands that offer consistent product quality and variety,” Berry said. “Today, Pyramid Pens offers six different pure, potent and pure cannabis oils packaged in cartridges compatible with any 510 battery-powered vape device. It offers five different types of Pax Era pods, as well as three different refill cartridges and disposable e-cigarettes. All this is refueled using modern Thompson Duke automatic filling machines. In addition, Loud Labs has achieved a simplified manufacturing process. The company has also added a Thompson Duke LFP cartridge capping press.”
Automation removes the physical constraints associated with manual processes, speeds up lead times, and ensures precise quality control. Before the introduction, large orders could be completed up to a month, but now large orders can be completed within a few days.
“By partnering with Thompson Duke Industrial, Loud Labs has achieved a rapid return on investment by incorporating speed, efficiency, quality control and cost-effective solutions into its manufacturing facility,” Berry said.
“There are three takeaways from the Loud Labs automation experience,” Walsh adds. “Hemp is a material with unique properties. The supply community must develop automation and packaging solutions specifically for hemp, or at least be prepared to significantly modify the systems to adapt them to the performance characteristics of the material.
”The second takeaway is that this is a new industry. Cannabis companies will benefit from ease of use and a high level of support. Finally, there may be a need for electronic accounting, traceability and good manufacturing practices in the near future. Suppliers and end users should ready for it.”
At the same time, both Berry and Walsh say they are continuing product development, finding ways to automate, exploring expansion in New South Wales and, most importantly, focused on providing their retailers and consumers with a premium brand. on which they can rely.
Pre-filled and sealed cartridges ready for retail in CR bags. This high performance IZR unit is a tabletop machine designed and built in the USA with a deceptively simple base, HMI, XY table and top oil circuit design. Electrical and pneumatic components are standard industrial components from Festo and ensure a long service life, trouble-free operation and high product availability. This simplicity and ease of use is critical to some parts of the cannabis industry as automation knowledge is still evolving. However, this patented technology provides a powerful automated performance program.
At the top of the machine is a heater and a 500 ml reservoir. Manufacturers preheat their cannabis oil before placing the oil in a tank where the exact temperature is maintained. A transparent tube at the bottom of the reservoir provides a path for dispensing oil via the syringe tip dispensing mechanism. When it’s time to switch between different oil formulations, the reservoir, tubing, check valve and dosing syringe are quickly removed and replaced with the supplied set of spare parts. Switching between oil recipes takes about a minute. The removed components are then cleaned and prepared for the next batch.
The gooseneck heat lamp is easily adjustable and keeps the oil warm for a very short time as it flows from the tank into the cartridge. At the top center of this image are the dosing nozzles controlled by two Festo cylinders. The top cylinder raises the piston, drawing oil into the dosing syringe. As soon as the required amount of oil has been drawn into the syringe, the second cylinder lowers the syringe, allowing the needle to be inserted into the cartridge. The plunger is pressed by the cylinder, and oil enters the barrel. Both cylinders are easily adjustable manually using mechanical stops.
The XY table of this IZR machine was originally developed by Festo to ensure speed and accuracy of sample handling in an automated laboratory. It is very accurate as it points to the cartridge under the filling head and is industrially reliable. XY-table EXCM, HMI, temperature, pneumatics – everything is controlled by a small Festo PLC in an IZR housing.
The touch screen HMI allows the operator to control and optimize the process with a simple menu of commands (point and click). All complex programs are downloaded and fully evaluated before each unit is shipped. Using the Codesys API, the process performance and reporting system can collect all the necessary production and batch traceability data, which precedes the FDA requirement for record keeping at this level.
This LFP is a four-ton pneumatic press that operates entirely on air pressure and contains no electronic components. Connect an air compressor to the LFP and get started. The operator enters the desired force from 0.5 to 4 tons with fully adjustable force control. They close the door and flip the switch to the extended position. The door interlock is activated and work begins. Move the switch to the retracted position, the press will retract and the door lock will unlock. Once again, Thompson Duke combines rugged industrial components with ease of use for customers looking for the benefits of automation.
Post time: Mar-14-2023