FachPack in party mood

From small beginnings as ‘Verpackung’, a small regional exhibition with 100 exhibitors, FachPack has grown to become a meeting point for the packaging industry and its buyers from the whole of Europe. Around 34,000 visitors are expected at the FachPack exhibition this year, eager to view the many innovations on show from the 1,300 exhibitors. Held with PrintPack (package printing/packaging supplies production) and Logintherm (in-plant logistics), FachPack will focus on packaging solutions for improving efficiency and saving resources.

Addressing the theme Sustainable Production and Packing, in Hall 4 more than 20 exhibitors will focus on the challenges of climate change and scarcer resources.

On the German Packaging Institute’s stand in Hall 6, the best of the 300 entries for the German Packaging Award will be on display.Exhibitor Weidenhammer Packaging Group sees ‘no need to change its course in the face of the economic crisis’.

Along with its SnackCan, for stacked chips (crisps), Weidenhammer (Hall 5, stand 345) will present composite cans for salted peanuts and other nut products, as well as solutions for sweet snacks and caramels. Its plastics subsidiary will show the first product to be packed in PermaSafe - Muller’s sausage specialities, to hit supermarket shelves in mid-October.

Optima Group (Hall 3, stand 323i) will demonstrate its RFID Moduline, which now features fully automated processes for products such as round or square containers, spray pumps and screw caps. To underline the system’s versatility, at FachPack the machine will alternate between processing water filters and liquid cosmetics. An RFID chip attached to the transport puck actuates all format changes. This chip signals the functions and parameters needed for the specific containers via a code. Format change does not require manual intervention on mechanical elements.

Reclosable Packaging Europe (Hall 1, stand 402) will travel from The Netherlands to exhibit. This company specialises in stand-up pouch packaging machinery, and is the European distributor of the Jaguar M7000 pre-made pouch machine. The machine takes a pre-formed pouch out of the cartridge, holds it for filling, and then seals it in place, before it slides out of the machine. The company says that the machine is ’60% smaller, and a third of the price of a form fill and seal machine’. Reclosable Packaging Europe can deliver printed pre-made pouches starting at a minimum of 15,000 pieces, rather than the usual 100,000, and it says it only needs three weeks (after receiving layout) to supply the machine, which runs at 20 pouches/min, and is suitable for products such as snacks, coffee, vitamins and soup.

Mondi, of Austria, (Hall 7A, stand 306) will be presenting its Easy Seal, based on a new thermomedia technology which is said to result in faster, stronger and more reliable valve sealing. The company says that any bag equipped with Easy Seal comes with a specially developed coating on the inside of the valve. The sealing medium is reactive to the heat and pressure generated by ultrasonic welding. Effective sealing requires little energy and time, so the sealing time is short. The non-adhesive medium prevents unwanted blocking of the valve before the filling process. The Easy Seal can fill all materials, including food, chemicals, building material and dangerous goods. The special sealing medium in the bag’s valve makes it suitable for powdery substances: even if particles stick to the surface, the valve can be sealed tightly, according to the company.

A combined bottle and jar filling and capping machine wiii be shown by Gustav Overseer. The AL 31 Ti + FL can fill volumes from 5ml to 500ml and various feeding systems are available.