Sweets left standing

14 May 2009



Russell Hicks looks at the latest developments in confectionery packaging machinery sector


One trend that is currently occupying the minds of the people at PFM Packaging Machinery involves the potential of stand-up bags for improved on shelf-presence and recloseability. With origins in continental Europe, the company anticipates this format to shortly expand its presence considerably in the UK market.

Chris Bolton, sales and operations director at PFM Packaging Machinery, says more and more confectionery companies are considering the benefits of the stand-up bag as a means of achieving greater presence on retailers’ shelves, though the style chosen is crucial. “Traditional stand-up bags

work particularly well when the contents, such as liquid or rice, support the packaging and help maintain stability, but loose products such as some sweets may require help from the packaging itself.

“This is one of the reasons for the PFM Steelo bag in which the four vertical corners of the bag are sealed to create ribs that strengthen the pack. This gives the rigidity required and allows the vertical seal to be incorporated in one of the corners, giving a full uninterrupted panel at the back for graphics.”

The Steelo bag can be made on PFM’s Vetta vertical form-fill-seal machine, which is capable of some 20 different styles of bag, including packs that are re-closable.

Wrap and bag

PFM also recently introduced of two new machines for the confectionery industry: a medium speed flow-wrapper and a budget priced integrated bagger and multi-head weighing unit.

The new flow-wrapper is the Zephyr, which offers speeds of up to 450 a minute, providing a mid-range flow-wrapping option. Also targeted at the confectionery industry is the PFM ZC1 integrated multi-head weigher and bagging machine for mid-speed duties up to 80 bags a minute.

Aimed at the smaller, or start-up business, the ZC1 machine brings together the established PFM Zenith bagger and the new multi-head weigher, which is mounted on the bagger itself with no need for a supporting gantry. “The ZCI has been developed to meet the need for an inexpensive system that nevertheless offers a high degree of flexibility and accuracy and is simple to use,” comments Chris Bolton.

Multi-head weighing has also been in focus at Multipond. After 12 months in development, the weigher was launched last year and is already in operation at various manufacturers. The MP 28-400/400-A combination weigher is specified to deposit efficient outputs in excess of 450 weighing’s per minute whilst maintaining the highest accuracy, allegedly making it the fastest combination weigher on the market. The new reduced size hoppers (0.4 litre) mean the machine is suitable for the weighing of small target weights (< 1 g), and for weighing mini bags for the confectionery market. The 28-head weigher uses the principle of combining partial quantities to achieve the target weight.

A combination of the weigher with the patented oscillating high-speed transfer system ‘Twin Double Duckmouth’ enables up to 40 per cent higher speeds compared to conventional discharge hoppers, the company claims.

Taking the heat out

A majority of packager converters still use traditional heat sealing methods or crimp seals, which are not 100 per cent hermetic. For packaging “delicate” products such as chocolate confectionery, Bosch Packaging Technology believes that ultrasonic technology is the way forward.

Bosch’s recently introduced SVE2515WR vertical form fill and seal machine features ultrasonic sealing technology for use in food and confectionery packaging applications. Ultrasonic sealing joins thermoplastics materials together by emitting acoustic vibrations, creating a tight, strong seam for closures in doy style stand-up pouches, gusseted and pillow bag packaging formats.

The ultrasonic sealing technology is an alternative to heat sealing, and can process conventional heat sealed packages, such as those manufactured from polypropylene and polyethylene film. With the ultrasonic process, the packaging film is sealed with heat from friction generated by an oscillating tool, which eliminates the need for direct heat contact.

Typical heat sealing systems often require intensive cleaning as the product tends to melt and accumulate in the sealing zone. The ultrasonic process can seal film structures that have been contaminated by product, minimising stoppages, reducing downtime. Removal of the heating element also enables “cold” packaging of sensitive products, which is particularly useful with delicate confectionery.

Thermoforming

Ultrasound sealing also plays a role within the new thermoforming product from automated packaging systems specialist Schubert. It has unveiled a new machine for thermoforming plastics film and packing for wide variety of individually pieced products in plastics trays. The TLM-T800 model is said to be capable of processing all types of thermoformable packaging polymers and offer a maximum output of 20 cycles a minute at a drawing depth of up to 80 mm.

The machine boasts a number of features including two separate thermoforming areas, automatic roll change facility for the pair of 400 mm film webs, a quality mark imprinting system and an ultrasound sealing and punching device.

The T800 is designed to be integrated with a series of Schubert’s TLM-F44 robotic packing stations, with each unit capable of packing up to 220 items every 60 sec. According to Schubert, the T800 has a maximum filling output of around 3,300 products a minute with the highest upgrade configuration of 15 packing stations.

The system is not only able to undertake sealing and punching in a single operation, but it also requires only one tool to be changed to accommodate different tray sizes and materials, the company says. After punching out the finished packs, the skeleton web is drawn upwards and wound onto a reel or sent to a shredder.

Horizontal wrapping

The Bosch Pack 201 horizontal wrapper is offered for tray packaged bakery items, such as chocolate candies and frozen confectionery. The mid-range speed machine is said to be easy to maintain and designed for delicate product handling. The design incorporates minimal parts to increase reliability, minimise maintenance, and allow for greater adaptability.

The infeed, finwheels and cutting head on the machine are cantilevered and a stainless steel execution is available for applications requiring high levels of sanitation. The Pack 201 can operate as a stand-alone machine or be integrated with other packaging equipment such as Delta Robots for secondary packaging or product handling, and various infeed modules. Its speed ranges from 10 to 250 packages per minute.

“Our Pack 201 horizontal wrapper and the Presto top loader represent an efficient packaging line,” says Marc de Vries, product manager at Bosch Packaging Technology. “The Bosch Module++ strategy combines our expertise in devising and supplying standard machines that can be linked together with low engineering content. Quick change-over coupled with short downtimes during production changes makes a cost-efficient and user-friendly combination.”

The Pack 201 machine is the first in a series of new generation flow wrappers that has been developed by Bosch.

The company has also developed a second machine, the Pack 401, that incorporates a similar design and implementation process which is said to ensure that “challenges and solutions from around the world are addressed”


Bosch Pack 201 offers 'minimal maintenance' Bosch Pack 201 PFM’s new flow wrapper PFM flow wrapper Multipond's multi-head weigher Multipond's multi-head weigher

PFM flow wrapper PFM flow wrapper
Multipond's multi-head weigher Multipond's multi-head weigher
Bosch Pack 201 Bosch Pack 201


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