February 2007 Equipment Round-Up: Packaging Machinery

Skin tight and inline

Automated FormShrink thermoform-fill-seal systems allow marketers of meat, poultry, cheese and many other food products to create skin-tight packaging inline rather than with pre-formed pouches. Packages are produced on the R550 and R250 rollstock machines, both developed specifically for the process. Roll-fed films capable of shrinking up to 40 percent form the bottom web to specifications. After the product is loaded, the top web is applied and sealed. The package is then shape-cut and passed through a steam shrink tunnel, activating the unique properties of the film to render the final customized look.

Multivac Inc.; Kansas City, Mo.
800-800-8552; www.multivac.com

Fills or forms pouches

The Innopouch K series horizontal pouching machine fills and seals pre-made pouches or forms pouches from rollstock for filling and sealing. The pouches are transferred into the dual gripper system where they are held by a leading/trailing clamp mechanism and released only when the filling and sealing cycle is complete. It's particularly suited for filling liquid products such as soups, sauces, ketchups, juices, ready-to-eat meals, pre-cooked rice, and other products of this nature.

KHS USA; Edgewater, Fla.
386-424-0202; www.khs.com/us

Horizontal wrapping

The Pack 201 Horizontal Wrapper, introduced at the fall 2006 Pack Expo, is for tray packaged items, such as biscuit stacks, crackers, chocolate candies and frozen novelties. The new mid-range speed machine is easy to maintain and is designed for delicate product handling. Its simple and smart design incorporates minimal parts to increase reliability, streamline maintenance and allow for greater adaptability.

Bosch Packaging; Hoffman Estates, Ill.
847-645-3600; http://www.boschrexroth-us.com

Tape system with elastic memory

The Stretchable Tape Load Containment System helps prevent loads from tipping, vibrating and shifting. It provides ventilation, so loads chill faster and corrugated degradation from condensation is prevented. The two-part systems features Scotch Stretchable Tape and the 3M Stretchable Tape Wrapper ST1000, a semi-automatic pallet wrapping device that ensures consistent, tape stretch ratio and pattern. Tape is automatically stretched and wrapped in a selected pattern, even around the bottom of the pallet when necessary. When stretched, the strength is increased, reaching 40 lbs. per inch tensile strength at 650 stretch.

3M; St. Paul, Minn.
800-567-1639; www.3m.com/packaging

Affordable case erector

An affordable new case erector delivers high-speed performance features in the mid-speed (30-40 cpm) packaging range. The large, self-feeding case magazine holds up to three stacks of cases. As each stack is used, another moves into position maximizing time between refills. The low level design makes it easy to refill without lifting cases. This erector/sealer incorporates the solid production features of high speed models ensuring top performance from the packaging line.

A-B-C Packaging Machine Corp.; Tarpon Springs, Fla.
800-237-5975; www.abcpackaging.com

Better than manual

For heavy or industrial sized bags of product, the Bag Palletizer is for applications where consistent throughput and well-packed unit loads are essential. Controlled motion assures smooth and dependable product flow, increases throughput and reduces the damage typically associated with manual handling. The unit easily interfaces with other equipment, and the built-in diagnostics are tightly integrated with the user-friendly touch screen.

Schneider Packaging Equipment Co.; Brewerton, N.Y.
315-676-3035; www.schneiderequip.com

Swift horizontal bagger

The Swifty Bagger is a new form/fill/seal machine that does up to 60 bags per minute. It uses non-wicket, pre-made bags and automatically grabs, opens, fill and seals them. This intermittent-motion machine runs gusset, pillow, flat bottom, zipper and stand-up bags. Touch screen controls make it user friendly. It's suitable for liquids and powders.

WeighPack Systems; Montreal
514-422-0808; www.weighpack.com

Drive for packaging

The Sinamics S120 AC Drive is for high-performance, single-axis applications and features a modular concept that separates power and intelligence. Freely selectable combinations of power sections and controllers increase flexibility and scalability of the drive system. Multiple choices allow users to select the right controller for current needs but protect their drive investments if the application ever changes. This flexibility opens up new possibilities for innovative modular machine designs.

Siemens Energy & Automation; Alpharetta, Ga.
770-751-4959 ; www.sinamics.com

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A legend in cartoning

The Legend L200 cartoner is a standard product among the vendor's many custom solutions. Pre-engineered configurations of this machine mean minimal customization, resulting in shorter lead times and lower-cost solutions. It makes up to 200 cartons per minute and has 9- and 12-in. machine centers. Leasing is available.

R.A. Jones & Co.; Covington, Ky.
859-341-0400; www.rajones.com

Shrink tunnels for fresh meats

Several hot water shrink options are available to complete the vacuum bag packaging process. The ST101 is a universal hot water shrink tunnel with a 24-in. wide belt. It features a bottom dip or bottom spray and top waterfall.

Cryovac div. Sealed Air Corp.; Elmwood Park, N.J.
201-791-7600; www.sealedair.com

High-lift drum dumper

S-1145 bulk filling system with high-lift drum dumper automatically transfers bulk solid materials from drums to the machine's fill head dust-free, fills pails by weight and verifies fill weight accuracy. Drums are loaded at floor level onto a platen that lifts hydraulically to form a seal between the drum lip and gasketed discharge cone. The entire drum carriage elevates hydraulically, then tips, causing the discharge cone to mate with a gasketed receiving ring on the filling machine's surge hopper lid. A slide gate valve at the cone spout is then actuated, allowing material to fill the hopper with no dusting.

Flexicon Corp.; Bethlehem, Pa.
888-353-9426; www.flexicon.com

Medium-size thermoformer

Masterpak is a thermoforming machine concept geared to medium-size production. It features modular design, easy operation (touchscreen monitor with functional sketches and pictograms and integrated maintenance functions), innovative labeling and coding units (TiroLabel and TiroPrint for modern market presentation) and optional modified atmosphere packaging.

CFS North America; Frisco Texas
214-618-1100; www.cfs.com

Faster laser marking

With a marking speed up to 1,200 characters per second and line speeds up to 10 meters per second, the Model 3120 is the fastest laser marker in its class. It marks complex, multi-line alphanumeric messages, foreign language fonts, graphics, symbols and machine-readable codes.

Videojet Technologies Inc.; Wood Dale, Ill.
800-843-3610; www.videojet.com

Char-free sealing

A new DVD explains advantages and benefits of the Easy-Pac Package Sealing Solution, a system that has been developed for case and carton sealing applications. It significantly reduces downtime and maintenance costs and improves packaging productivity and safety for case and carton sealing operations. This system virtually eliminates char, the largest single cause of adhesive equipment malfunctions, and comes with the industry's longest equipment warranty.

National Adhesives; Cincinnati, Ohio
866-266-5565; www.myeasypac.com