Equipment designed for use in cannabis cultivation and processing facilities leads to a higher quality product and increased revenue.
Purpose-built cannabis cultivation, processing, and extraction equipment has become increasingly popular in the cannabis industry. Specific machines are necessary for the production of cannabis concentrates, flower pre-rolls, THC and CBD infused edibles, topicals, sublingual sprays, vape cartridges, tinctures, and more. Some cannabis equipment removes compounds from plant biomass, while other machinery batches and packages cannabis flower.
Equipment builders are an innovative bunch. Throughout the history of manufacturing, these inventive individuals have cracked into the mainstream marketplace with products built using equipment and parts meant for other industries.
The first car? Built using bicycle parts.
The first air conditioner? Built using an industrial fan and steam coils filled with cold water.
The first computer? Built using whatever Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had laying around the garage.
Those advancements in the consumer sphere happened because innovators worked with what they had, changing the world with sheer ingenuity, gritty determination, and a willingness to think outside the box.
Pioneers of the modern cannabis industry are cut from the same cloth. Cannabis cultivators and processors made incredible strides through the last decade or so, producing concentrates, extracting oils from raw plant material, and infusing edibles, often without the aid of dedicated equipment and machinery.
In a world where cannabis continues to become legalized across the nation, manufacturers devising purpose-built machinery for cannabis cultivation and processing are making great strides. The industry, as well as consumers, deserve to reap the benefits.
Not All Cannabis Equipment and Machines Are Created Equal
Much like other industries, the cultivation of cannabis flower and the production of cannabis-related products for retail sale encompasses many different processes. There’s no Willy Wonka-style contraption that completes every task, humming along with bells, whistles, and puffs of multi-colored steam.
Instead, cannabis equipment and machinery run the gamut of heavy-duty laboratory and manufacturing facility tools. Cannabis machinery can include:
- Automatic weighing and filling machines
- Cannabis batch counting machines
- Combination scales for cannabis
- Cannabis flower packaging machines
- Cannabis jar filling machines
- Large-scale cannabis flower filling equipment
- Closed-loop hydrocarbon extraction equipment
- Ethanol extraction equipment
- Stainless steel extraction and storage tanks
With such a specialized collection of equipment, it’s easy to understand why companies that are serious about cannabis processing require purpose-built machinery. Products containing cannabis and hemp, as well as medicinal products, come in a wide variety of forms. As such, outfitting your processing facility with the correct equipment is crucial and depends greatly on what end product you desire.
“Once the first recreational cannabis markets opened in Colorado and Washington State, cultivators there quickly discovered they had a product that requires unique processing equipment to commercialize. Since it was clear that repurposing existing equipment was failing, Green Vault System (GVS) was born to quickly fill the needs for dedicated cannabis processing equipment. It was the “pioneer” days when there were only two legal recreational markets, but we knew that GVS needed to be 100% focused on cannabis, and that focus has led us to become one of the most recognized brands in the industry today.”
Conjuring a final product that becomes a major hit in the marketplace is the main “pro” in using purpose-built cannabis machinery. The “cons” are not quite as obvious, but they have the potential to permeate your business goals.
Machines Made for Other Industries
Like slipping on an ill-fitting pair of shoes, there’s something not quite right about using machines designed and built for other industries. You will constantly be operating from a deficit, as there will be little to no resources available to troubleshoot cannabis-specific problems.
Industrial-grade processing and weighing equipment for dried flower processing is perhaps the most specialized piece of equipment for cannabis. The delicate flower must be handled with care in order to maintain the precious trichomes and preserve the cannabinoids and terpenes. Machines made for other industries aren’t precise enough for flower. When you run cannabis through a machine meant to handle snack cakes, for example, you could end up with a pile of stems and not much else.
Other Industry Machines Retrofitted for Cannabis
Speaking of snack cakes, some cannabis processors find themselves retrofitting equipment meant for the food and beverage industry. This is like attaching a boat propeller and a sail to your SUV. You end up with a vehicle that’s more car than boat, one that’s just as bad at driving as it is at staying afloat.
Remember: Just because you can make a jerry-rigged machine work doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Retrofitting, while tempting and seemingly convenient, does not help you lower labor costs, increase yield, or improve overall product quality. What’s more, transforming non-cannabis handling machinery into equipment meant to efficiently process cannabis also creates unnecessary safety concerns.
Equipment Built for Other Industries Lacks Innovation
Since the cannabis industry is fairly new to the consumer marketplace, many equipment manufacturers are eagerly designing new and innovative processes for the different stages of handling cannabis.
In 2021, industry publication Cannabis & Tech Today released a list of some of the most innovative cannabis products. In addition to lab-grade potency testers, hemp-infused tea, and CBD calming chews, that list included Green Vault Systems’ Precision Batcher, a tailored cannabis-specific machine, which uses patented Air Kush Technology to move flower (instead of vibrations, which can damage delicate cannabis flower).
Innovations such as these are only possible with equipment purpose-built for the cannabis industry. You won’t ever find Air Kush Technology integrated into machinery built for non-cannabis industries.
Purpose-Built Cannabis Equipment Ensures Quality Product
When you use equipment that carefully batches flower and packages various cannabis products, you ensure a level of quality control that can’t be achieved with retrofitted machinery. Cannabis consumers care about quality; they want their chosen product to be reliably potent, clean, and packaged in a way that appeals to their tastes.
Carefully curated cannabis packaging increases consumer confidence in your brand. It also provides you with the label space you need for product information, such as ingredients, THC and CBD percentages, and the required regulatory language. Cannabis presented to consumers in a quality package can also include logos that pop and graphics that are eye-catching, which serves to boost consumer purchasing habits.
Green Vault Systems Makes Cannabis Industry Machines
Equipment and machinery from Green Vault Systems is designed with cannabis in mind and engineered to meet the marketplace goals of cultivators and processors. Automated precision and flexibility are two of our most valued design directives. These tenets of cannabis equipment manufacturing help you achieve quality and accuracy in your facility.
Green Vault’s cannabis-specific innovations include:
This technology has not always been available to cannabis processors in purpose-built form. But now, the industry has the option to forgo machinery made for other sectors or equipment retrofitted by manufacturers in an attempt to serve the cannabis industry. No more half measures. Outfit your facility with cannabis equipment that means business.
