For packing consulting companies and any business that needs to harness the power of a packaging product, flexible packaging equipment can provide huge development advantages. More locations than ever are adopting this specific development in packaging technology to maximize return on investment and produce better results than ever.
According to Pharmaceutical Technology, one machine that has been designed to specifically meet these needs is able to improve interchangeability with one key development. A simple lock-and-key system makes it possible for almost any user to quickly and easily swap out various components to the machine. This is done using an inflatable seal in the machine's L-flange that hermetically seals a connection between production modules and isolators.
Any type of packaging achievable
This means that whether a business fills its packages by using fill and seal methods or fill and close methods, it will be able to interchange any part required for the specific form of packaging. Filling of packages can also be done in many ways, via several types of pump or the auger. Various options include tub unpacking and special modules for stability testing and product formulation.
The same level of flexibility is achievable for solid forms, too. Some of these products can handle bottles whether they're round, rectangular or oval-shaped, and their sizes can range from 45 and 25 millimeters in height and diameter, respectively, to as much as 200 mm and 125 mm. Machines that package these products come in monoblock designs that mount all functions on a single frame in a length of less than five meters, with a single touchscreen interface centralizing all of the controls and stations necessary.
"In a conventional layout, these processes would be performed with multiple machines—usually from multiple suppliers—with each using different operating systems," said Uhlmann Packaging Systems regional sales manager Ralf Klotz. "The library [available in the machine] allows users to duplicate the last run settings identically."
Any change time limited
What's more, these products are limited by any changeover-related downtime thanks to a hygienic machine design. This cuts down on any areas where product can collect or build, speeds the cleaning process and makes it much easier for operators to achieve high-quality production results.
The formats on the different machine parts are also designed specifically for plug-and-play functionality, which will help improve the overall time frame of the equipment.
"Quick disconnects, ball detent locking, and pneumatic unclamping will speed removal and replacement of change parts," Klotz noted.
New equipment made for all pouches
For companies that mainly need pouch packing technology, their needs are covered as well. Packaging Printing reported that one new KSPQ hybrid pouching machine focuses on customized and premade pouches including spouted ones that allow for quicker product changeover and highly improved efficiency from multiple standpoints.
The pouch production equipment has a web width of 450 millimeters and can fill as many as 225 cycles in a minute. This helps companies that are used to serving a large marketplace, giving them more opportunities to produce new pouches in many different formats.
"The KSPQ is the fastest and provides the smallest footprint for a compact multi-functional pouch machine in the industry," said Jim Pease, the director of pouching commercial division for the product's parent company Karlville Development, to the news source. "We are pleased that SPT is the first company to purchase this machine and look forward to assisting them become a major player."
The industry would normally need several different machine to run a line-up of pouches, but now an entire line can be taken care of using only one machine. It features reduced scrap rates, fast changeovers and boosted run rates.
