machinery update - september

MACH

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PDATE — ISSU

E 5, VOLU

ME XVIII. SEPTEM

BER/OCTO

BER 2007 SH

ELFREA

DYPACKAG

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• MIXIN

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Issue 5, Volume XVIII. September/October 2007

RETAIL READY PACKAGING

Flexibility rulesthe options MIXING

Creating theperfect blend

CHECKWEIGHING

X-weigh orcheckweigh?

The only ‘machinery only’ journal for processing and packaging

Forthcoming events. 11

F E A T U R E S

17 Retail ready packaging Accelerating interest in retailready packaging comes at atime when the choice ofmachinery is broadening andoffering greater flexibility tohandle a variety of pack styles.

27 CheckweighingX-weigh or checkweigh? Two technologies are now competing fortraditional checkweighing duties.

32 Robots in cartoning and case-packingItalian manufacturer Cama recently demonstrated how it issuccessfully combining robots with conventional mechanisms.

35 Mixing Creating the perfect blend. Mixing is the process that can have themost dramatic effect on productivity, product quality and energyconsumption in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

46 Total show report 2 Concluding our reports on newmachinery seen at the TotalProcessing & Packagingexhibition in May.

M A C H I N E R Y U P D A T E • S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7 3

Editor: Michael Maddox

Production Manager: Bill Lake

Production: Miriam Naisbett

ISSN 0969-4145A PPMA Publication. PPMA Ltd,New Progress House, 34 Stafford Road,Wallington, Surrey SM6 9AATel: 020 8773 8111 Fax: 020 8773 0022E-mail addresses: [email protected]

[email protected]@ppma.co.uk

Web site: www.ppma.co.uk

Applications for free copies of Machinery

Update are considered from specifiers,managers and purchasers of processing andpackaging machinery in the UK. Annualsubscription £35 (UK), £50 (ContinentalEurope), £65 (rest of world).

The Processing and Packaging MachineryAssociation assumes no responsibility for thestatements or opinions, whether attributedor otherwise, in Machinery Update.

Typeset and printed by: Manor Creative,7-8 Edison Road, Highfield Industrial Estate,Hampden Park, Eastbourne BN23 6PT.Tel: 01323 514400.

MAF Combimatic is able to create a

variety of retail ready pack styles. 17

T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E P P M A

Loma X4 X-ray machine now has

checkweighing software. 27

Ytron-Y ByPass high shear mixer

employed on batches of fruit juice. 37

R E G U L A R F E A T U R E S

6 News and people PPMA autumn training programme: Free seminars for PPMAShow 2008: Orders and installations: New PPMA members.

12 Machinery in action Largest side feed sleever in UK: Trays gain postal advantage:Stainless motors cut costs on Twiglets line.

43 Component matters Boost to pneumatics: Integration with other technologies ishelping accelerate the development of pneumatic systems.

45 Labelling, coding, markingLaser wavelength tuned to PET: Print-apply identifies tote bins atBoots: Branding and tamper evidence for sushi.

C L A S S I F I E D

48 Machinery and services

B U Y E R S ’ G U I D E S

49 Ancillary equipment 51 Processing equipment53 Packaging machinery

CONTENTSI S S U E 5 , V O LU M E X V I I I . S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7

Diary Dates sponsored by

The Regional Industry Series

theBrandNew

PPMAMachineryDirectory

for2007-08

Make sure you have themost complete and up to

date information on all theProcessing and PackagingEquipment and Machinerysupplied by PPMA member

companies:reserve your copy NOW!!

Order Your copy nowonline at

orTel: +44 (0)20 8773 8111(Credit Card Payments accepted)

Given the extent to which our business livesseem dominated by the internet, e-mail

and other forms of electroniccommunications media – webinars andGlobal Skype conferencing to name just acouple – it's a comfort to reflect howremarkably robust, and useful, the moretraditional forms of media andcommunication are still proving to be.

Business-to-business magazines,directories and trade shows remain just asmuch a part of the ‘information mix’ asever before – as well, of course, as trainingcourses and seminars. What has changed isthat, increasingly, a more sophisticatedaudience is learning which parts of thatmix sit most readily with the job at hand.

Over the years the PPMA has responded to the needs of themachinery world with a series of improvements to its web site – in July,for example, recording more than 76,000 visits – and also to themachinery finder service. But at the same time the Association hasmoved ahead on many other fronts, particularly with extendedprogrammes of training for both users and suppliers of machinery.

Our magazine Machinery Update now attends many more Europeanevents, bringing readers news of the latest developments that surface forthe first time at Continental shows. Then there is the PPMA Show itselfwhich, next year, will offer visitors the benefit of a major programme ofseminars that they can attend for free.

Which part of the information mix buyers of machinery findattractive will clearly depend on circumstances. The written word is stillprobably the best alerting service on what's new and who's using what.Web sites don't drop on your desk and are not edited.

However web sites are best when a decision to purchase a particulartype of equipment has been made and more information is required on aselect number of potential suppliers.

But without guidance from the PPMA web site – or the PPMA

Machinery Directory for that matter – it’s a jungle, as anyone who hasasked Google about conveyors (4.5 million results) or for print andapply labellers (29 million results) will testify.

Used together, the printed word and electronic media provided by thePPMA become a powerful sourcing tool for the machinery buyer. Add inour exhibitions and seminars and the information mix is complete.Individual needs will, of course, determine the proportions.

Even so, all said and done, no internet ‘virtual exhibition’ or the likecan ever provide so much information so quickly and as well as thePPMA Show. I have yet to meet anyone who bought a machine becausehe or she liked the picture.

In my view it is a fallacy that exhibitions are less important thanbefore. In an age where information is at a premium – but there isusually too much of it – an exhibition is a great place to sift, sort andassimilate information and ideas very quickly. And exhibitions willalways be a breeding ground for ideas.

So we hope that you will see the PPMA as an increasingly valuablepartner in your business. Whether it’s exhibitions, this journal, CEMark information, web sites or even ‘one to one’ advice on findingmachinery, we are full of ideas to help you navigate your way throughthe information mix.

P P M A M A T T E R S

The information mix

Chris BuxtonChief Executive, PPMA

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6

PPMA DIRECTORY

Machinery detailsat your fingertipsThe 2007-2008 edition of thePPMA Processing & Packaging

Machinery Directory is nowavailable giving comprehensivedetails of machinery supplied onthe UK market by theAssociation’s 350 members.

Running to 368 pages, thedirectory includes a full list ofPPMA members, with themachinery they build or import.

The index covers over 1200processing and packagingmachinery classifications whilethere is also an index to more than1000 trade names and a full guideto the overseas manufacturersrepresented in the UK by PPMAmembers.

The directory is available for£45 (including delivery in the UK)from the PPMA (tel: 020 87738111, fax: 020 8773 0022, e-mail: [email protected]).

N E W S A N D P E O P L E

M A C H I N E R Y U P D A T E • S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7

THE PPMA SHOW

PPMA Show 2008 builds onsuccess with free seminarsNext year’s PPMA Show willinclude a major free seminarprogramme for the visitors, showorganisers the PPMA and ReedExhibitions have announced.

“The PPMA Show remains the‘must attend’ exhibition for buyersand users of processing andpackaging machinery and itcontinues to attract the singlelargest gathering of theseprofessionals in the UK,”comments Liz Finlay, PPMA Showexhibition director.

“The show always delivers highcalibre exhibitors keen to show offtheir latest developments. Eachtime, visitors will find machinesthat are faster, more accurate andmore efficient than the timebefore, reflecting customer

demands to maximise productionand minimise cost.”

Nearly 300 exhibitors from 17different countries took part in thePPMA Show 2006 and theexhibition attracted a registeredvisitor attendance of 6,296.

“We will be aiming to build on

the success of the 2006 event,which was characterised by thequality of visitors and the leadsthat this generated,” says LizFinlay.

The 2008 PPMA Show takesplace September 30 to October 2.and is co-located with Interplas.

The PPMA Show: The ‘must attend’ exhibition for processing and packaging

TRAINING

The 2007 PPMA seminar andtraining programme – held inassociation with MTA and Picon –is resuming after the summerbreak with three courses onmachinery safety and electricalequipment legislation.

Provision and Use of WorkEquipment Regulations (11 Oct-ober): This course will help anyonewho is responsible for thepurchase, use, maintenance ormodification of work equipment togain a thorough understanding oftheir responsibilities under thislegislation and what it does anddoes not cover.

New ElectromagneticCompatibility Directive (22 Nov-ember): Compared with the

current directive, the new EMCDirective contains significantdepartures that will haveparticular impact on companiesthat combine items of equipmentto make fixed installations.

It now applies to componentsand sub-assemblies as well aselectrical apparatus. Proceduresfor claiming conformity to theDirective have changed, as havethe requirements for what wasonce called the technicalconstruction file.

Functional safety of controlsystems (22 November): Thefunctional safety of control systemsis one of the most contentioussubjects in CE marking with fiercedebates on the relative importance

of circuit architecture, selection ofcomponents and the safetyintegrity of components andsystems.

This seminar will discuss therelative merits and likely uses ofthe different standards and providepractical examples of how they canbe applied to conventional hard-wired safety circuits and tosoftware synchronised machinesand machines that use safety bussystems, safety PLCs and safetycritical software.

For full details of PPMA 2007training courses and seminars,including discounts for multiplebookings, contact Emma Corneyat the PPMA, T: 020 8773 8111,E: [email protected]

PPMA training programmelooks to safety legislation

ORDERS AND INSTALLATIONS

Schubert takes£6m orders forbespoke foodpacking linesRobotics specialist Schubert hasannounced over £6 million worthof new orders to provide foodmanufacturers in the British Isleswith bespoke automatic packinglines. These include systems boundfor Burton’s Foods’ Llantarnambakery in South Wales, Fox’sbiscuit plant in Batley, Yorkshire,and Cuisine de France’s factory inDublin.

Baker Perkins is to supplyJackson’s Bakery, Hull, with afurther mixing and forming line toincrease output of loaves forsandwich making. The line willinclude Tweedy dough mixers,Accurist dividers, a conicalmoulder, intermediate prover andMultitex4 moulders.


ISPE UK ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Operational excellence - leveraging the value of experienceOperational excellence is the theme for this year’s ISPE UK affiliate annual conference in on 15 November,with the proceedings focusing in particular on the value of experience, both internal and external, to thepharmaceutical industry. To give justice to the depth of this topic, the ISPE UK Northwest Region, which isorganising the conference, has elected to deliver a two-stream event, allowing 12 papers to be presented.

Morning and afternoon sessions will both start with a keynote paper, and an additional paper, in a singleforum. The conference will then divide into project management and engineering technology streams for thebalance of the period, so providing professional focus and value. The conference takes place at the DeansgateHilton Hotel, Manchester, – the tallest building in the UK outside London.

Seminar sponsors: The Austin Co UK, Bovis Lend Lease Technology, CI Electronics, C21C, Currie & Brown, DMN UK, Faithful& Gould, Haden Freeman, Industrial Technology Systems, K Home International, Parker Domnick Hunter,PM Project Services.

Participants in the tabletop exhibition:Alpha Laval, Amec Design & Project Services, Ardmac, The Austin Co UK, Bovis Lend Lease, Buck Systems,Buss-SMS-Canzler, Cambridge Fluid Systems, Camfil, CEL International, Christ Water Technology,Complyserve, C21C, Dockweiler UK, Epsilon Pharmaservices, Eurotherm, Excelsyn Management Consulting,Fairfield Control Systems, Festo, Foster Wheeler, Freestead Process Technology, Gardner & Theobold, HadenFreeman, Huttlin, ITCM, Industrial Technology Systems, K Home International, Koerber Medipak UK, IWKAManesty, Matini Biopharm Installations, MRC Systems, Orthos Engineering, Pacpharma Handling Solutions,Parker Domnick Hunter, Pharmadule, PPMA, Roplan, RTS Life Science, Shield Medicare, Siemens Automation& Drives, SRG, Steris, Testo, Thermal Transfer, TTL, Ytron-Quadro (UK), M+W Zander FE UK.

Conference agendaRegistration, coffee and tabletop exhibitionIntroduction and welcomeKeynote speaker: The quest for operational excellenceSimon Shelley, vice-president engineering, primary supply, GSK

Challenges of the Beetham Tower ProjectPhil Lovell, Carillion plc

Mid morning break and tabletop exhibition

Project managementCan we do it faster?Trish Melton, MIME Solutions

Sharing design best practiceAdrian Barrass, AstraZeneca Engineering

Tom Stanway, AstraZeneca Engineering

Engineering technologyEngineering for cleaningPhil Shering, AstraZeneca Engineering

Manufacturing excellence in packagingBruce Paxton, Molins UK

Lunch and tabletop exhibition

In support of excellenceBruce Davies, AstraZeneca

Facility of the year – Wyeth Biotech, Grange CastleJason Hier, Bovis Lend Lease

Afternoon break and tabletop exhibition

Project managementManaging successful shutdownsMichael Glass, PICME

Learning from overseas projectsLes James, Jacobs Engineering

Engineering technologyEnergy management or sustainabilityFrank Mills, Environmental Design Consultants

Nanotechnology in pharmaDan Gooding, Centre of Process Innovation

Close

8:009:15

10:45

11:25

12:45

14:00

15.20

15:50

17:15

PEOPLE

Newman namesnew engineeringdirectorPharmaceutical and healthcarelabelling specialistNewman LabellingSystems hasappointed KevinTriggs (right) asengineeringdirector. He has been engineeringmanager since 1999 and waspreviously with the company 1987-94 before relocating. Chris Lindley-Smith has joined NewmanLabelling as European salesmanager.

David Maddernhas been promotedto sales director atSchubert UK. Hejoined the companyduring 2003 assouthern area sales executive.

Mark O’Donnellhas returned toWeber MarkingSystems asnational salesmanager for theUK and Ireland. He brings 25 yearsexperience of the coding industry,having begun his career withMarkem in 1983.

Mike Smith has been appointedsales manager for the PCM(package coding management)business at Claricom.

Martin Roe has joined ChronosRichardson as regional salesmanager for Scotland and Ireland.

Dick South, whowas responsible forsetting up the UKarm of French end-of-line machineryspecialist Cermex,has retired after 40 years inpackaging. He was managingdirector of Cermex UK for 20 yearsand, in 2005 was presented with aPPMA Lifetime AchievementAward, recognising his contributionto the machinery industry.


ANDREWS AUTOMATION

Conveyor rangeincludes systemfor handlingpalletsMidlands-based AndrewsAutomation designs, manufacturesand installs a complete range ofconveyors, specialising particularlyin handling palletised goods.

One example is the Q89 rollerconveyor system for pallets andother heavy items with an evenbearing surface.

This is built up from a series ofstandard modules including non-driven and chain-driven rollerconveyors, chain conveyors, chaintransfers, turntables, slatconveyors, transfer carts,elevators, and pallet destackers.

Andrews also produces threestandard conveyor systems – forlight, medium and heavy dutyapplications – which form the basisof custom solutions with speciallydeveloped components andintelligent logistics control systems. T: 0845 201 0626E: [email protected]

BRAMIGK & CO

Confectioneryfood and pharmamachinery forover 130 yearsBramigk & Co has been supplyingthe confectionery, food, chemicaland pharmaceutical industriessince 1872 and operates fromoffices in Chelmsford, Birminghamand Newcastle.

Equipment provided includesbulk storage and powder handling,

roasting, mixing and homogenising– including laboratory equipment –sieving, forming, depositing andrecycling, through to fill-seal andform-fill-seal machinery of varioustypes.

In addition, there is machineryfor collating and loading primarypacks into outers, display packs,shelf ready packaging or transitpacks. Trial facilities areavailable.T: 01245 477616E: [email protected]

CC AUTOMATION

Portfolio canlink to providecompletepacking linesCC Automation represents anumber of Continental Europeanmachinery manufacturers whoseequipment is complementary andoften integrated to providecomplete lines for the food, dairy,

personal care, beverage andpharmaceutical industries.

These include Paal PackagingMachinery which builds end-of-line systems, extending from sideload case packers to wraparoundmachines and those able to maketwo piece shelf ready packs,horizontal and vertical cartoners,multi-packing systems and robotictop loading systems able to createmixed flavour packs.

There is also Lorenz Pan, whichmanufactures palletising andassociated product conveying,pallet handling and palletwrapping systems, includingrobotic systems, and low and highlevel palletisers.

Novapac builds rotary cupfilling and inline horizontalthermoforming systems foryoghurts, dips, margarine, ketchupmayonnaise, meat and cheese andelectrical components.

Miromatic specialises in largerbucket and drum filling for yoghurtand dairy based drinks as well as

fruit yoghurt mixing systems.Synchrosys makes flow-wrappingand conveying equipment includingorientating and aligning units. T: 01892 544789E: [email protected]

D & D ENGINEERING (HULL)

Conveyors instainless areaimed at thefood industryD & D Engineering has beenbuilding conveyors and conveyorsystems for 20 years, initiallymostly for food manufacturers inthe Humber region but morerecently across global marketswith the Double D range ofconveyors. Stainless steelconstruction is a speciality.

The D&D conveyor range hasexpanded and the company nowsupplies a growing number ofequipment manufacturers withancillary conveyor and producthandling equipment.

This includes conveyor andreject systems to complementproduct inspection equipment andautomatic handling and feedingsystems for a range of packagingmachinery. T: 01482 879175E: [email protected]

DATALASE

Laser sensitiveprint or tapegives codingalternative The DataLase Packmark processfor coding and marking employs apigmented ink – printed onto

More new membersTHE PPMA CONTINUES TO WELCOME NEW MEMBERS FROM ACROSS THE ENTIRE MACHINERY INDUSTRY.

PPMA MEMBERSHIP

Andrews Automation: Conveyors include ther Q89 pallet handling system


10



primary and secondary packaging– which is imaged by a low powerCO2 laser to give an indelible code,free from risk of print gain onporous surfaces.

There is also DataLaseCasemark tape, in which thepigment is impregnated. Thepolypropylene tape is cut and fixedinto position on the case thenimaged through its surface toprovide an encased, scuff-free codeimpervious to damage fromchemicals or solvents.

Variable information and barcodes can be handled by theCasemark system, said to reduceconsumables cost by 30-50 percent compared with conventionalpressure-sensitive print-applylabelling.T: 0151 423 9360E: [email protected]

KUKA AUTOMATION + ROBOTICS

Four to six axisrobots handlepayloads from3 to 1000kgOne of Europe’s leading robotmanufacturers, Kuka Automation+ Robotics has over 85,000 robotsin the field and also providesturnkey solutions for a wide varietyof automation requirements.Typical applications includemachine tending, order picking

and assembly, packaging, andpalletising.

Kuka robots are capable ofhandling payloads from 3 to1000kg for a broad range ofapplications, with four-axis Scarato six-axis slim jointed units. Allmodels employ a synergy of controllanguage and architecture.

Engineering services providedby Kuka include 2D and 3D design,robot and system integration,process analysis and cycle timestudy as well as remote diagnosisvia the internet.T: 0121 585 0800 E: [email protected]

LONGFORD EUROPE UK

Feeders linkwith full rangeof hostmachineryLongford International designsand builds customised frictionfeeders, bandolier feeders, sachetfeeders, 3D premium and desiccantfeeders, pile sheet feeders, androtary pick-and-place feeders.

All can be integrated with anytype or make of flow-wrapper,cartoner, vertical form-fill-sealmachine , or shrink wrapper, aswell as web-fed presses.

Current applications include anumber of feeders integrated withbar code scanners, glue systems,

ink jet printers and vision systemsfor turnkey packages. T: 07920 113308 E: [email protected]

OCS CHECKWEIGHERS

Checkweigherrange suitsfull range ofdutiesOCS produces a comprehensiverange of checkweighers, designedon a modular basis forapplications that extend fromsimple standalone duties to multi-track machines with minimumspace between track centres.Speeds up to 600 items a minutecan be achieved.

All machines operate on thebasis of Electro Magnetic ForceRestoration (EMFR) which is saidto offer extremely accurateoperation over a large weighingrange and at high speed.T: 01865 338028E: [email protected]

RTS FLEXIBLE SYSTEMS

Robotic handlingsystems includeproduct ID andquality controlRTS Flexible Systems specialisesin automatic product handling and

packaging applications, offeringbespoke solutions that combine thespeed and flexibility of vision-guided picking robots with thelatest product identification,tracking and quality controltechniques.

The company was established in2001 by the RTS Group to offerthe food and FMCG industries itsexpertise gained during 20 yearsspent developing industrial robottechnology.

Among RTS food industryclients is Warburtons bakery,which recently awarded thecompany a Supplier’s Award at itsfirst ever supplier conference.

RTS was the only engineeringcompany to receive one of fourawards in recognition of its“commitment and outstandingcontribution” during a 12-yearworking partnership. RTS has over25 robotic bread tin handling andstorage systems in service at sixWarburtons sites. T: 0161 777 2000 E: [email protected]

WIRE BELT CO

Wire link beltsfor conveyortransport andhandling dutiesWire Belt group is the manu-facturer of Flat-Flex belting andalso produces a full range of Eye-Flex wire link belts for tougherapplications as well as a widerange of other conveyor belts.

In addition, the company’sConveyorTec division produces adiverse range of conveyors whichare designed to change productdirection, spacing or gappingbetween processes.

Wire Belt’s latest product isCompact Grid, aimed specificallyat handling smaller delicateproducts while providing a lighterweight, open-mesh belt design.T: 01795 421771E: [email protected]

RTS Flexible Systems: Robotic bread tin handling for WarburtonsKuku: Full range of robotics

11M A C H I N E R Y U P D A T E • S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7

F O R T H C O M I N G E V E N T S

‘Available NOW!’the Brand New PPMAMachinery Directory

for 2007-08

Order Your copy now online atwww.ppma.co.uk/publications

or Tel: +44 (0)20 8773 8111(Credit Card Payments accepted)

‘ONLY £45.00’

DIARY DATES25-27 September: Fachpack2007 packaging technologyshow, held alongside withPrintPack and Loginternpackaging production andlogistics exhibitions.Nurnberg. Details: www.fachpack.de

2-4 October: ICSE 2007,the Pharmaceutical contractservices exhibition. Milan.Details: CMP Information,+31 346 559444.

11 October: PPMASeminar: Provision and useof work equipmentregulations (PUWER).Includes practical advice onhow to evaluate safety and todesign guarding systems.Marriott Hotel, Northampton.Details: John Cowdrey: 020 8773 8111,[email protected]

13-17 October: Anuga foodand drink exhibition.Cologne. Details: www.anuga.com

15-17 October: Pack ExpoLas Vegas packagingexhibition. Details:www.packexpo.com

24-31 October: K2007plastics and plasticsprocessing exhibition.Dusseldorf. Details: www.K-online.de

22 November: PPMASeminar on the newElectromagnetic Directivewhich now applies to

components and subassemblies as well aselectrical apparatus. Marriott Hotel, Northampton.Details: John Cowdrey: 020 8773 8111,[email protected]

22 November: PPMASeminar on functional safetyof control systems. Covers thedifferent Standards andprovides practical examplesof their use. Marriott Hotel,Northampton. Details: JohnCowdrey: 020 8773 8111,[email protected]

200813-14 February: IPOTphotonics and opticaltechnology, machine visionand displays technology show.NEC Birmingham. Details www.ipot.co.uk

13-14 February: Machinebuilding, drives andautomation exhibition,incorporating pneumotion airat work show. NECBirmingham. Details:www.machinebuilding.co.uk

6-9 April: Foodex Meatexfood and meat industriesexhibition. NECBirmingham. Detailswwwfoodexmeatex.co.uk

24-30 April: Interpackinternational packaging andconfectionery machineryexhibition. Dusseldorf.Details: www.interpack.com


M A C H I N E R Y I N A C T I O N

YORKSHIRE PACKAGING SYSTEMS

Fabric rolls wrapped bylargest side-feed sleever

Side-feed wrapper: Panaz has automated the wrapping process for rolls of cloth

Flame retardant fabricmanufacturer Panaz based atFence, near Burnley, is nowwrapping rolls of material forshipment around the world with a2 metre wide side-feed sleevesealer – believed to be the largestof its type installed in the UK.

Supplied by YorkshirePackaging Systems (YPS), theRochman machine replaces amanual operation in which rollswere placed in bags by hand,allowing Panaz to cope withincreased demand from theinternational healthcare,hospitality and marine contractindustries.

As rolls are fed into the filmcurtain, long edge leading, theirdiameter is automaticallymeasured and the system adjuststo provide the tightest possible bagaround the product beforeshrinking, with the seal made downthe long edge.

This, points out YPS, allows

random size product to be fed andthe best presentation to beachieved.

Sleeved rolls are then pushedsideways into a standard doublechamber shrink tunnel, short edgeleading, in the usual fashion.

Because of product weight, themachinery has also been upgradedin a number of areas including theinfeed belt, pusher system andshrink tunnel belt and side chains.T: 01924 441355E: [email protected]

FP PACKAGING MACHINERY

Three lane traydenester feedsnew Cadbury'sFingersA three lane Pneufeed traydenester has been installed atBurton’s Biscuits, Blackpool, todeliver plastics trays onto a newautomatic packaging line forCadbury’s Fingers.

The denester feeds the trayswide edge leading onto a threelane plain belt conveyor at the rateof 60 trays a minute.

Each lane on the host conveyoris fitted with a photocell whichdetects when the tray queue hasreached a high level and thisautomatically signals the denesterto stop supplying trays to therespective lane.

FP ensured easy integration of

the denester with the conveyorusing its in-house CAD system tocreate a full model of the machine.Special details include a variableangle flap fitted to the outfeed toensure a smooth flow of trays ontothe conveyor.T: 01483 532811E: [email protected]

Sachet machinesuse thinner filmto give paybackin two yearsTwo Italian built Boato Packsachet machines installed byUnilever Bestfoods at Burton-on-Trent two years ago have now paidfor themselves with savings inmaterial, wastage and labour costscompared with the previousmachines employed, according tosupplier Springvale Equipment.

At the same time, says Spring-vale, line speeds and efficiencieshave also been improved.

The two six-lane Boato PackTornado machines are producing

individual pot noodle containersalong with the noodles.

Significant material cost savingshave come from the use of muchthinner film than could be handledby the previous machinery,explains Springvale. Originally, 50micron film was necessary but theBoato Pack machines are able tooperate with 38 micron film.T: 01420 542505E: [email protected]

four side seal single-serve sachetsof sauce at the rate of 90 a minuteeach and feed the sachets as stripswhich are folded into storageboxes by four Mitsuhashimachines, also supplied throughSpringvale.

Storage boxes are thentransferred to another Unileverfactory where a further twoMitsuhashi machines feed thesachets from the boxes into

Sauce at less cost: Boato Pack machines operate with lower gauge film

Three-lane denesting: Pneufeed unit

delivers trays for chocolate fingers

SPRINGVALE EQUIPMENT

Replacing padded bags: Cattle tags cost less to post in sealed trays

New post costsgive trays anadvantage forlivestock id tagsIdentification tags for cattle andsheep sent through the post tofarmers by the suppliers, Ritchey,Yorkshire, are now packed in trayssealed on a hired PackagingAutomation PA210 machine, sohelping to keep postal costs down.

With the new Royal Mail pricingstructure linked to size and bulk,Ritchey faced the prospect of its

mail bill trebling if padded bagscontinued to be used.

“We needed something to fitthrough a 25mm slot so we couldsend out one or two replacementtags without trebling the postalcharge,” explains Ritchey’stechnical production managerNigel Myers.

“We can send out up to 1000individual tags a day – althoughthe average is 250-300 – sokeeping costs down matters,” hepoints out. T: 01565 755000E: [email protected]

XACT (PREPACK)

Flow-wrappingduo handle highclarity film forfruit packsCross & Wells fruit packhouse inSittingbourne, Kent, has installedtwo Spanish built Belca Malta 700flow-wrappers from UKdistributor, Xact (Prepack) as partof a wider investment in automatedpacking and labelling systems.

The machines are to be used topack Cross & Wells’ premium linesfor major multiples, in particularits stone fruit range. This, saysXact, was primarily due to theMalta’s ability to use a high clarityfilm, which was proving difficult torun on existing machinery.

“We can now pack a variety offruit faster, easier and with moreassurance,” says packhousemanager Ray Hostler. “If weincrease our flow-wrapping lines,the Malta would be top of our listfor efficiency and costeffectiveness.”

The Malta 700 runs at speedsup to 90 packs a minute and is saidto be well suited to products thatare traditionally difficult to wrap,such as high sided punnets. T: 0151 479 3020E: [email protected]

PACKAGING AUTOMATION

M A C H I N E R Y I N A C T I O N


Stainless steel motors installed byUnited Biscuits’ to drive spinningdisc oil coaters on its Twigletsproduction line have improvedhygiene, reduced downtime andmaintenance and extended motorlife, compared with conventionalAC motors.

The oil, which is viscous innature, inevitably gets depositedupon the disc drive motors and hasto be cleaned off at regularintervals. Previously, with theconventional motors, this meantremoval of the units for cleaningby hand, which took a weekend tocomplete.

In contrast, the smooth bodies,round terminal boxes and IP66sealing of the Marlin motorsallows then to be cleaned in situwith steam lances.

Being located directly above theline, the motors' stainlessconstruction also eliminates anyhygiene risk from both flakingpaint and corrosion.

Marlin Stainless explains that

as well as coating the externalsurfaces of the original motors,the oil also penetrated the cowlscovering the motors’ cooling fans,leading to unbalanced runningand wear on the bearings.

"This, in conjunction withvigorous cleaning routines,shortened the working lives of theoriginal motors to less than amonth. Hence there was frequent

MARLIN STAINLESS

Stainless motors for oil spraycut costs on UB Twiglets line

Clean-in-place: Twiglets line oil spinner motors no longer need removal

downtime plus the expense of newmotors and the cost of fittingthem,” the company explains.

By comparison, the Marlinstainless motors have beeninstalled since Easter 2007 andare still functioning efficiently andhave not required dismantling forcleaning. T: 01270 270022E: [email protected]

KUKU AUTOMATION + ROBOTICS

Robot palletisersoftware adaptsto run gantrybased systemAutomation specialist Kuka hasadapted its PalletTech roboticpalletising software to provide KPFoods’ factory in Billingham,Cleveland, with a control systemfor a new Güdel gantry-basedpalletising system, installed toautomate a manual operation.

The software is now controllingthe system’s conveyors and a pairof 30 metre long gantries fittedwith bridges and vacuum grippers.

These grippers can pick up tothree cases at a time and make asmany as three separate drops ontothe pallets. A range of box sizescan be handled by the systemwhich is capable of palletising to32 different locations. It can alsohandle empty Chep pallets.

Each gantry has its own Kukucontrol panel which enables the

operator to monitor the palletisingprocess.

“While the gantry systemoffered the most cost-effective,automated solution that could beaccommodated in the availablespace in the factory, the challengefor Kuku was to adapt itsPalletTech software which isdesigned for use with roboticpalletising operations,” explainsPaul Richards, general salesmanager at Kuku Automation +Robotics.T: 0121 585 0800 E: [email protected]

Air pillows savecosts and spaceas void fill forsparesPreston-based boiler manufacturerBaxi has bought an AirPouch airpillow void-filling system fromAutomated Packaging Systems toreplace two rented paper-basedsystems used in spare partsdistribution.

These crushed paper into voidfill, but required large quantities ofmaterial, prompting the search foran alternative.

“The two existing benches havenow been replaced by one totally

portable, small-footprint machinethat provides easy-to-use airpillows on demand,” says Baxiexpediter Alan Shaw. “As well assaving floor space, only one

operator is nowrequired.”

The AirPouchmachine createscontinuousstrips of airpillows witheasy-tearperforations atthe rate of 15metres aminute.

These gomuch further

than the large amounts of paperpreviously used and providegreater flexibility, says Alan Shaw.T: 01684 891400E: [email protected]

AUTOMATED PACKAGING SYSTEMS

Saving labour: An Air Pouch system is now used by Baxi

Automated palletising: Kuka software

guides the KP Foods gantry system

From humble beginnings, RRP – retail readypackaging – has grown to be an established

part of the multiples and brand owners’ assess-ment of both new and existing products. AsJames Tupper learning manager at the Instituteof Grocery Distribution’s Efficient ConsumerResponse (ECR) unit says: “RRP is here to stay.

“The challenge is to ensure that it is deliveredin such a way that is fit for purpose,” he tellsMachinery Update. “The remit of ECR UKhere is to provide guidance that delivers opera-tional and environmentally efficient packagingwhich supports product availability and ease ofshopping.”

ECR UK has not been idle in this respect overrecent months with a new version of the RRPAssessment Tool published in March this year.This is a free tool to help assess the potentialeffectiveness of any proposed RRP solutionsagainst current and benchmark packaging.

For use in conjunction with ECR’s Retail

Ready Packaging Functional Guidelines, theRRP Assessment Tool features a simple-to-useExcel workbook format to provide comparativeratings against five key consumer and in-storeoperational criteria:

� How easy is the packaging to shop?� How easy is the packaging to identify in

the back of store?� Can the packaging be easily opened?� Can the packaging be easily merchandised

to shelf?� How easy is it to dispose of and recycle the

packaging?The IGD believes the output enables compa-

nies to understand the relative effectiveness ofdifferent packaging solutions, and highlightwhere further development work could deliverextra benefits.

In June, a new working group was set up byECR to examine the environmental impact ofRRP in the supply chain. The initial focus of thegroup will be to raise awareness in the industry

and among the public about the high standardsof recycling of corrugated board used in theretail industry.

“RRP already delivers benefits to the con-sumer, supplier, and retailer but we need toensure that these are delivered in a format thatreduces environmental impact,” explains BrianGibbs, RRP development manager at Asda andco-chair of the working group. “The core objec-tive of the group is to integrate environmentalthinking seamlessly into the overall ECR UKretail packaging strategy, and to share bestpractice across the industry.”

The group represents the entire RRP industryas membership is drawn from the corrugatedpackaging industry through to retailers. Theenvironmental sub-group plans to issue a pro-ject scope and set of objectives later thisautumn, and is planning to publish an outputdocument by late 2007.

“This document will focus on environmentalbest practice and will be used in conjunctionwith previously issued ECR UK guidelines onRRP,” says Brian Gibbs.

Meanwhile, a brand new RRP format forwine that Clifford Packaging hopes will becomea wine box industry standard is just going intoproduction and was due to appear on the shelvesthis summer.

The brief to Clifford Packaging from Tescowas to create an RRP solution that could godirectly on the shelf as well as gondola ends, toproduce a multi-functional product to reducethe number of free-issue carriers currentlygiven away, and to improve the presentation ofthe wine in-store. The ‘1066’ design for thedrop-in wine box market is said to meet all RRPcriteria and includes an integral handle for easyin-store handling which also improves cus-tomers’ shopping experience.

“Our design has many benefits includingapproval by leading UK retailers, the latest per-foration technology, and it fits on all existing

17M A C H I N E R Y U P D A T E • S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7

Retail-ready routeFive point rating for the

R E T A I L R E A D Y P A C K A G I N G

ACCELERATING INTEREST IN RETAIL–READY PACKAGING IS BEING ACCOMPANIED BY A

FRESH SET OF IGD GUIDELINES TO HELP ASSESS THE POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS.

Ready for display: Clifford Packaging’s RRP solution

for wine at Tesco allows existing manual and

automatic case-packing methods to be retained

p17-24 RRP-Sep-Oct07 9/21/07 5:04 PM Page 1

while the remaining front panel continues thelabel design of the clear PET bottles.

Cheddar brand Pilgrims Choice has devel-oped a new retail ready pack which is said to beunique to the dairy sector and likely to be takenup widely by other types of product. The retaildisplay pack is designed and manufactured by

DS Smith Packag-ing at Launceston.

Design director atLaunceston RogerWonnacott says:“The tearing mecha-nism is quite com-plex in terms ofmanufacturing, butavoids one of the pit-falls often associated with perforations.Because the new pack restricts the perforationsto the top of the box, it has totally eliminatedthe problem of unsightly tears on the front andside of the pack which worries some retailers.”

Series of seminarsSmurfit Kappa is offering a series of seminarsto encourage companies to include different dis-ciplines, from purchasing, marketing and sup-ply chain managers to packaging technologistsin the development of RRP solutions.

Eye Opener is an introduction to RRP, whileShelf Assured is all about converting shelfready into retail ready packaging – ready forthe broader retailing operation rather than justthe shelf – and finally, the company offers RetailReady in One Day. This is a fast-track develop-ment process using the facilities and resourcesof Smurfit Kappa.

It was through attending a Retail Ready inOne Day session that the Black Sheep brewery

was able to formulate an RRP solutionacclaimed by both Asda and Tesco as “Best inits Class.”

Smurfit explains that initially, manufactur-ers and suppliers were urged to convert to shelfready designs that aided the transit-to-shelfprocess to improve availability, but RRP hasnow moved into a new realm where brandimage is also a critical consideration.

Brand owners such as Black Sheep are tak-ing into account a number of practical and aes-thetic considerations when formulating RRPdesigns.

Ken Allen, Black Sheep Brewery nationalsales manager, believes that RRP is an essentialsales tool to help create differentiation.

“As a premium bottled ale brewer we sell intoa niche market, but it is a market where thecompetition is increasing,” he says. “The RRP

design we created with Smurfit Kappa hashelped us to achieve shelf stand out from ourcompetition by combining high impact graphicswith visual appeal and practical application.”

CRP Print & Packaging believes the trend forRRP means that as well as having to be struc-turally functional and economic, packs must beconsumer friendly in appearance and thereforeprint plays a crucial role in its development. “AtCRP we have both litho and pre-print availablefor our customers to choose from,” says DevBrahmachari, sales and marketing director.

“The developments in print mean that RRPcan now be a cost effective way to add value byfacilitating quick restocking of shelves andincreasing visibility, thereby contributing to anincrease in sales volumes in stores,” he adds.

Recent projects include cases for Thorntons,used directly on shelf, especially at ‘pesterpoints’ in store, as well as by the counter, andtrays for Cadbury used in convenience stores onshelves or on counters. �



packing lines, either hand or automated,” saysRowan Tinn, innovations development managerat Clifford Packaging.

“Recent transit trials with Tesco proved suc-cessful for one of its South African Finestrange, in conjunction with a wine producer inCape Town,” he adds. The design is available inwine producing countriesunder licence.

DS Smith Packaging isencouraging customers totake a different approachto RRP and asking themto take a fresh look whendesigning new formats.The company says devel-oping new RRP is anideal opportunity to drivesome cost out of the sup-ply chain and reduce thecarbon footprint.

“The first initiative wetook was to create asupermarket,” explainsdirector of DS Smith Terry Ousley. “The ImpactCentre provides customers with an opportunityto see how their current and new packs work in asimulated retail environment.”

Before introducing its new 1-litre Shapeflavoured spring water into the market, DanoneWaters consulted major retailers to understandtheir requirements for a retail ready packbefore setting up a day’s workshop with design-ers at DS Smith Packaging’s Devizes plant.

During this workshop, the Danone Watersteam was able to arrive at a design which bothsatisfied the retailers’ brief and could be run onan existing Cermex wraparound machine at theDanone bottling plant at Blaen Twyni – anessential element of the brief.

Ease of handling throughout the store hasbeen paramount in the design of the 12 x 1-litrebottle pack. Grab handles each side of the packallow easy lifting from the roll cages, while toconvert from a transit wrap to a display outer aremovable panel is torn off with a single move-ment.

To achieve a clean cut opening feature able towithstand transit conditions without punctur-ing, yet easy to open by the store staff, DSSmith’s design team introduced a series of diag-onal perforations to reveal a display outerwhich can be easily loaded onto the shelf, elimi-nating the decanting necessary with conven-tional cases. The sloping side walls provideadditional bill boarding to promote the brand,

Existing machinery used: Shape water RRP can

run on an existing wraparound case packer

Sales tool: RRP for Black Sheep lifts product differentiation



Retail-ready can use existing

Machinery options

Three operations in one: Europack shrink/tray wrappers have been installed at Twinings, Tyneside

Whatever it’s called – transit-display packag-ing, shelf-ready packaging, or the latest

buzz term retail-ready packaging (RRP) – theconcept of putting products in a corrugatedtransit pack that can go straight on shelf in astore with the minimum of fuss is well over 30years old.

What has changed is the advent of more flexi-ble machinery – particularly based on robotics –able to cope with more than one type of packstyle and to be changed over quickly between dif-ferent pack styles. Even so, there is a broadchoice of machinery to produce RRPs, which isimmediately narrowed once a decision is madeabout the style of pack that must be produced.

Typically the choices of case and tray basedRRP will be:

� Shrinkwrapped trays.� High wall trays.� Two piece packs.� Cases with perforations or tear tape.� Returnable plastic trays.Shrinkwrapped trays were the original RRP

but while in the past the manufacturer coulddecide the size of the tray, based on the mini-mum number of products it wanted to sell at atime or the best fit for a pallet, the major retail-ers now want the size of the tray to match thesize of their shelves and the number of facingproducts they want to display on that shelf.

So manufacturers are now being required toproduce some unusual shapes of shrinkwrappedtray, often with fewer products per tray, whichmay require new tray-packing equipment.

The two most common machines for produc-ing shrinkwrapped packs are a wraparound traypacker or a separate tray erector and trayloader. Wraparound tray packers lend them-selves to producing the deep but narrow packsthat major retailers are now requesting andmany designs of wraparound machine are alsoable to produce wraparound cases as well astrays, allowing different pack styles to be pro-

duced, if necessary, for different markets orretailers.

In addition, some designs of wraparound traypacker give the user the flexibility to produceboth shrinkwrapped trays and unsupportedshrinkwrapped packs on the same machine forthose retailers who are still more concernedabout packaging waste.

For example, ten Bradman Lake Europackshrink/tray wrappers capable of different packstyles started work last year in a £1 million plusmakeover of end-of-line packaging at Twinings’tea bag plant on Tyneside.

Each machine will collate cartons and pro-duce tight film shrinkwraps or erect minimumdepth trays, then load and shrinkwrap them insingle or twin face packs at speeds up to 30 aminute. There are eight possible carton colla-tions ranging from single face 1 x 4 to 2 x 6twin-facing shelf ready formats. Changeovers,including changeparts for the tray forming tool,are said to take just 15 minutes.

Limited floor space at Twinings’ plant led to afurther innovation by Europack. Three different

operations are combined to give the smallestfootprint: carton collation, tray forming andshrink-wrapping all take place in one unit.

Loading cases and plastic traysGenerally, there now appears to be increasinginterest in systems that use a separate tray erec-tor and a tray robot or pick-and-place trayloader, because the same product loadingmachine can be used to fill not only trays of dif-ferent dimensions but also returnable plastictrays or top load cases.

For example, the new Apsol RCP pick-and-place case-packing robot, available in the UKfrom Integrapak, is suitable for a variety of shelfready packaging including display boxes, trays,and open top cases, in single or multiple layers.

The RCP can be supplied with various types ofproduct infeed systems to suit products such asbottles, ready meals, bags, pouches and flow-wraps, and uses quick-change format parts. Itcan also operate with either a separate ormonobloc case erection system.

High wall trays are generally used for prod-

THERE IS A BROAD CHOICE OF MACHINERY TO PRODUCE RRPS, INCLUDING CONVENTIONAL

CASE-PACKERS AND, IN PARTICULAR, MORE FLEXIBLE EQUIPMENT BASED ON ROBOTICS.


For example, Italian manufacturer Cama hasdeleveloped the FW 749 Combi case-packerthat can produce both wraparound cases anddisplay packs, through the combination of awraparound case-packer operating at 30 cases aminute with a system that can make two-partdisplay boxes, at speeds up to 20 a minute.

Also from Cama is the Monobloc case-pack-ing machine which operates at speeds up to 50display boxes a minute, combining differentmodules for product loading, forming and clos-ing/lidding. Access can be gained to each with-out stopping the others by the use of small accu-mulations between the different work stations.Subject to the working area, manipulation speedand required payload the Cama two or three-axis robot can be integrated into the machine.

Full wraparound cases, high sided wrap-


20 M A C H I N E R Y U P D A T E • S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7

ucts such as bags or cartons that need the sup-port of the high wall to give the pack adequatecompression strength for stacking. However, thehigh wall can sometimes be a problem on thesupermarket shelf because it can restrict theview of the product, especially if the tray is verydeep.

As with shrinkwrapped trays, the two maintypes of machine for producing high wall traysare wraparound tray packers and separate trayerectors and tray loaders.

Two piece packsTwo piece packs are particularly favoured by themajor retailers and marketing departmentsbecause the base tray can be shaped and printedto give the products the optimum shelf appealand product branding, while the lid can providethe necessary protection and crush resistance toensure that the products arrive at the store ingood condition.

There are three main methods of producingtwo piece packs. The first method is with amachine designed specifically for making twopiece packs, which incorporates separate maga-zines for the base tray and lid. The secondmethod is to form the base tray in a wraparoundtray packer and then apply a lid or top tray tothis pack in a separate machine. The thirdmethod uses a wraparound tray packer with anextra lidding station which can be used whenproducing two-piece packs or turned off whenproducing packs without lids.

around trays and two-part cases with a lid canbe produced by the Combimatic 700, developedby German manufacturer MAF to allow a choiceof transit packs to be produced on a single, com-pact machine.

Recently upgraded to full servo operation, themachine is able to handle bottles, cartons andsimilar conveyor-collatable primary packs atspeeds up to 25 cases or trays a minute, depend-ing on size and style. Changeover between eachsize or pack style takes less than ten minutes,according to MAF’s UK and Eire agent Partnersin Packaging.

The Combimatic 700 consists of a wrap-around tray and case-packing station and a lid-ding station combined within a single machinemeasuring 4 metres long by 1.2 metres wide.

In its first section, the machine employs con-ventional collation and wraparound case or traypacking technology, with a choice of either cus-tom built or standard options based on existingMAF case-packing equipment.

The wraparound can be complete, for a totally

enclosed case, or partial, providing a tray withhigh sides for full product visibility from thefront for immediate on-shelf display. These highsided trays then pass immediately to the liddingstation where a blank is wrapped tightly roundthe top and secured by hot-melt adhesive.

For food and dairy industry applications, theCombimatic is available in stainless steel execu-tion and with electrical components sealed toIP65 for washdown.

German manufacturer Paal is also buildingmachinery to produce two piece, full wrap-around cases or wraparound trays on the samemachine.

UK and Ireland representative CC Automa-tion reports that recent installations haveincluded margarine, shampoo and other haircare products, as well as petfood and detergents,

Wraparound or two-piece display: Cama FW 749 Combi case packer can produce both styles

Choice of pack style: MAF Combimatic shown creating a wraparound solution using a perforated blank




Cat food lineprovides choiceof RRP andmultipacks

using wraparound, two-piece cases and alsoRSC cases with a tear-off lid. Further installa-tions include machinery to handle cartons andflexible packs.

Some designs of two-piece packs call for thelid to be tucked into the base tray rather thanbeing wrapped around the base tray. This typeof pack can usually only be produced on a dedi-cated two piece pack machine, but an alterna-tive is to pack the products upside-down into thelid and then form the base around the lid in aseparate lid applicator.

A further alternative, in which a lidding sta-tion can be retrofitted to existing tray-packingmachinery to produce a two-piece pack wasdemonstrated at May’s Total exhibition for thefirst time by Smurfit Kappa Machine Systems.

Operating with flat blanks fed from a low levelmagazine, the system can work with both top-load tray packing equipment and also withwraparound case-packers when used to createtrays, providing a wraparound lid secured by acombination of adhesive and tuck-in sections.

Shown working with a typical high-sided, low-front display tray, the machine first folds andtucks the lidding board into the tray at front andback, behind the facing strips, then folds andglues the lid sides to small pre-perforated areason the sides of the tray.

In this way, with the lidding board tucked inand extending the full height of the tray, stack-ing strength is improved and there are no glue ortear lines on the facings.

Equally, as the tray is opened the small perfo-rated sections at the side come away with the lid,leaving clean edged apertures that in most caseswould, anyway, be hidden by adjacent trays.

The new lidding station operates on demand,with no control tie-in to the host machine, allow-

ing it to be readily employed with tray-packersof most makes.

Swiss manufacturer International WrappingSystem (IWS) has developed a pouch infeed sys-tem for its Invopac intermittent two-piece casepacker, allowing the machine to handle stand-uppouches as well as four-side-seal pouches andsimilar flexible packs that cannot easily be mar-shalled into the correct collation in the sameway as cans, jars or bottles. Speed is up to 36cases a minute and full wraparound cases canalso be produced, explains UK representative FJahn & Co.

The IWS system accepts the filled pouchesarriving flat in single or twin file and bringsthem into an upright position in the required col-lation, such as 12 x 1 or 12 x 2 per case. Thecomplete collation is then moved into the pack-aging machine where the case blank is wrappedaround and glued.

Wrapped around the baseIn a tray and lid display case application the lidis first wrapped around the base of the pouches,held in guides, then the base blank is appliedseparately and wrapped around the lid.

The IWS machines are built on a modularbasis and can be equipped with different pre-grouping systems to handle products such aspouches, chocolate bars, biscuits, yoghurt cupsand so forth. F Jahn says the machines are par-ticularly flexible, allowing a number of differentformats in different case sizes to be handled onone machine and a changeover time of 5-30minutes.

Case and display tray packers from J+PDresden – represented by Propack Automation– are available to load flexible packs eitherstanding up or laying flat, as well as more rigid

products such as cartons and household goods.The J+P Model KVTF forms the trays from

flat blanks and presents them for loading withproduct arriving lying flat on the machine infeedwhich, points out Propack, has the advantagethat flexible packs can be equalised, lane-divided and marshalled, before being loaded intothe trays.

Erected trays are presented to the productloading station standing almost vertically, openside facing towards the incoming products. Aseach product layer is grouped and transferred,the tray indexes downwards and a loadingtongue enters the tray, above the completedlayer. Gentle pressure from the loading tonguekeeps completed layers slightly compacted,ensuring that space is available to load theremaining layers, until the tray is filled. Run-ning speeds are generally up to 120 items aminute but can be higher, depending on the for-mat in the tray.

The KVTF display packer can also beequipped with a lidding station where the lidsare formed from flat blanks, sealed with hotmelt adhesive, and applied to the filled trays.

Butcher’s Pet Care in Northampton hasinstalled a purpose built line from Germanmanufacturer Oli – represented in the UK byAllied Pharma Machinery – to create two sizesof retail ready packs for single serve cat foodpots, measuring 20mm high and 110mm indiameter.

Able to handle up to 80 pots a minute thesystem will produce 6 x 1 multipacks – of twomixed flavours if required – loading four ofthese onto a shelf-ready tray, as well as a 12 x1 wraparound case with tear-off lid. Trays aresubsequently shrinkwrapped on a Sotemapackmachine and palletised on an Oli-Pal machine.

“The line has proved a great success, giventhe level of performance we need,” saysLawrence Dawson, project manager atButcher’s. “We particularly like the goodaccessibility of the machines, their compactdesigns and the amazingly quiet operation ofthe plant.”

In operation, pots arrive at the line lying flaton two parallel conveyors and are fed alterna-tively from each into an Oli vertical race track

Handling pouches: IWS uses this system for its Invopac two-piece case-packing machine



Other types of top closure are also available andthe systems have tool-free changeover.

However French machine manufacturer Cer-mex has come up with a new variant on the two-piece pack theme, using two separate corru-gated board blanks.

The F550 Multi-packaging erector isdesigned to handle full and half RSC cases, butalso assembles a low tray and a half case, which

can then be detached so that products can be sliddirectly onto the supermarket shelf. Speed is upto 30 cases a minute.

Side-load case packers can also be equippedto provide a shelf ready pack as German manu-facturer Focke & Co has demonstrated, with amachine delivered to a manufacturer of papertissues. The machine loads wrapped packs of tis-sues into a pre-glued standard half open case

When 12 packs are being produced, andpots are on edge, the tray loader is by-passedand the wraparound case passes into a custom-designed station where perforated lugs in thebase of the case are pushed in pneumatically,up between every third pot.

These prevent the pots falling over as prod-uct is removed from the shelf-ready tray, whichis created in store by tearing off the top sectionof the wraparound case.

All completed display packs then pass to theOli-Pal palletiser, which is equipped with alayer sheet inserting mechanism.

blank with a pre-cut aperture – for consumeraccess – and inserts a U-formed lid, one side ofwhich is deep enough to blank off the apertureduring transit. Conventional cases can be han-dled as well.

Cases with perforations or tear tapeHowever in many instances it is unnecessary topurchase new equipment to produce retail readypacks. Both conventional top load or end loadcases can be converted into shelf-ready packs ifthe cases are die cut with perforations orequipped with tear strips. This means that bothtop load and end load case-packing machinescan be used to produce retail-ready packs aswell as conventional cases.

One of the problems can, of course, be retailerresistance to ragged edges caused by tear tape,although case design can reduce the effect con-siderably, as Fords Packaging Systems, UK rep-resentative of German manufacturer Meurer,demonstrated at the Total exhibition in May.

The wraparound case-packer employed wasshown handling food trays, loading them hori-zontally for transit to retain maximum stackingstrength. For display the case is turned 90deg toplace the trays on edge and the tray section cre-ated via a tear tape.

However, case construction is such that thecut edge of the blank is maintained at the side ofthe tray and at its front facing panel, giving aclean finish and avoiding the ragged edges of atape-cut, except at the very back which canremain hidden by product.

Shelf-ready tray: The trays of 12 primary packs use push-in lugs to hold the product upright when part full

collator which turns them up on edge whileallowing a two flavour mix to be assembled ifrequired for the six-packs. The complete colla-tion is then pushed across into an Oli wrap-around case-packer, which uses cartonboard forthe six packs and corrugated for the 12 packs.

Six packs are then tipped backwards 90degrees, so that the pots inside are penny-stacked for presentation – and on view throughthe open corner of the pack. They are thenplaced in 30mm high corrugated trays in a 4 x 6format on an Oli wraparound tray loader andshrinkwrapped.

Side-loaded case: Tissue packs are loaded into this

two-piece case on a Focke machine

Banding as handlesBandAll band applicators sup-plied by Erapa UK can be usedto apply plain paper or plasticbands up to 100mm wide tosecure primary packs withindisplay trays and provide ahandle for shelf-loading. Oncethe tray is in place on shelf orin a freezer compartment, theband can be easily removedwithout knives or scissors.


Indeed cases incorporating tear strips can beemployed to produce RRPs using simple caseerectors and case tapers, provided the tape wipeup is less than the depth of the on-shelf displaytray.

Most case tapers have a wipe-up height of 50-60mm, making them unsuitable for sealingcases that will be made into RRPs, becauseforming the display using the tear tape willremove the adhesive tape that holds the bottomof the pack together.

However, the latest Loveshaw LD 3SB side-belt case taper uses a new tape cartridge whichproduces a wipe up height of as little as 25mm,front and rear, avoiding the problem of over-tap-ing the perforation or tear tape.

Loveshaw makes the point that substantialsavings can be made with a tear-off lid box com-pared with glued shelf-ready packs and that itsLD3SB machine is able to deal with cases orcartons as narrow as 85mm. The new 25mmtape cartridge can also be retrofitted to manyexisting Little David case sealers.

Endoline also is now able to offer tape headswith a wipe up of 30mm front and back, but canalso modify the wipe-up on the trailing end of thecase to bring it down to 20mm. Sales haveincreased significantly over the last year says thecompany, which sees the trend continuing.

Returnable plastic traysWith the renewed enthusiasm for corrugatedboard shelf-ready packs it seems almost impo-lite to recall that only a couple of years ago themajor retailers were calling for as many prod-ucts as possible to be delivered in returnableplastic trays. Even so, returnable plastic traysremain the preferred RRP for many types offruit and vegetables as well as bread.



For full details of all PPMA members able tosupply case and tray packing equipment, con-sult the PPMA machinery finder service, tel:020 8773 8111, or visit www.ppma.co.uk

Allied Pharma MachineryT: 01252 356789E: [email protected]

Bradman LakeT: 01603 441000E: [email protected]

Cama3T: 01793 831111E: [email protected]

CC AutomationT: 01892 544789 E: [email protected]

Cermex UKT: 01480 455919 E: [email protected]

Endoline MachineryT: 01767 316422E: [email protected]

Erapa UKT: 01582 722462E: [email protected]

Focke & CoT: 01483 756094E: [email protected]

Fords Packaging SystemsT: 01234 846600 E: [email protected]

IntegrapakT: 01420 593680 E: [email protected]

F Jahn & CoT: 020 8977 8822E: [email protected]

Krones UKT: 01942 845000E: [email protected]

Loveshaw EuropeT: 01264 357511E: [email protected]

MultipondT: 01494 816644E: [email protected]

Partners in PackagingT: 01706 369000 E: [email protected]

Propack Automation MachineryT: 02476 470074E: [email protected]

Smurfit Kappa Machine SystemsT: 01454 328660 E: [email protected]

For further information:

Inevitably, plastic trays need to be loadedfrom the top using either drop packing tech-niques or pick-and-place and this makes plastictrays quite compatible with other packages thatneed to be loaded from the top, like high walltrays and conventional cases.

For example, Dutch manufacturer CPS CasePacking Systems, represented in the UK by Mul-tipond, has developed a new case-packer to packtrays of produce, meat or ready meals in corru-gated cases or crates ready for on-shelf display.

Variety of patternsThe machine is able to rotate individual trays,which provides the opportunity for a wide vari-ety of packing patterns and uses a pick-up headthat places a complete layer of product into thecrate, case or tray at a time. The CLP versionhandles rigid and semi-rigid products while theCL64 is for flexible packs. Speed is up to 120primary packs and 20 cases or trays a minute.

Finally, Krones has launched a new X-rayinspection system to run a contents check oncompleted cases or trays at speeds up to 75 aminute.

The Checkmat VKX inspects open or closedpacks made of board or plastic, verifying thatthe correct number of containers is present and,in the case of PET bottles, makes a rough checkon the fill levels. A fill check can also be madethrough the width of four returnable glass con-tainers or six non-returnables.

Inspection is performed through the side ofthe pack at right angles to the conveyor’s direc-tion of travel and the machine can be optionallyequipped also to detect open flaps, pack coloursand pack length. Up to six camera systems canbe included to check logos, labels, barcodes, andoverprinted dates. �

Tray loading: CPS machine handles fresh produce, meat and ready meals


When X-ray systems first entered the com-mercial marketplace, discussions centred

on the technology’s contamination detectioncapabilities, and whether X-rays would ulti-mately usurp metal detectors in production andpacking lines.

Several years on, the spotlight has shiftedonto X-rays as checkweighers, with some of themajor players in inspection technology introduc-ing X-ray machines that run checkweighing soft-ware. This means X-ray systems can be used notonly to guard against foreign body contamina-tion but also to verify pack weight.

The way in which the two systems carry outthis function is, of course, very different. AlanJohnson, group product marketing manager atSpectrum Inspection (Loma-Cintex), explainsthe basics:

“Checkweighers rely on the force of gravityexerted by an object on a weighing platform.Checkweighers weigh dynamically and the scaleis in the form of a conveyor that transports theproduct from one end of the machine to theother. This conveyor is typically mounted on aloadcell; the loadcell deflects or moves in pro-portion to the ‘weight’ of the object. Heavierweights cause more of a deflection than lighterweights and this deflection is converted into anelectrical signal which an on-board computerprocesses. The weight is then displayed.

“X-ray weighing is achieved by inspecting thedensity of the product – a by-product of contam-inant inspection. The simple equation of densityequals mass over volume becomes the startingpoint for evaluating the mass (weight) of theobject. Sophisticated software algorithms arethen applied to the product being inspected toproduce a weight reading as well as productionstatistics.”

So does this mean that one day in the not toodistant future, X-rays will render the check-weigher-metal detection combo obsolete?

According to Loma-Cintex, which launchedthe X-weigh – an X-ray system with checkweigh-ing software – at the Total exhibition earlier thisyear, there are some compelling arguments fortrading in a checkweigher-metal detector for anX-ray machine.

“Most checkweigher-metal detector applica-tions can be replaced by X-ray machines with acheckweighing function,” says Alan Johnson. “Amajor advantage is that they occupy no addi-tional space in the production line and can per-form the checkweighing function to a highdegree of accuracy – comparable to that of tra-ditional checkweighers.”

However, not everyone in the industry neces-sarily agrees with this.

Far from the two technologies being compa-rable in accuracy, Bob Ries, Thermo Fisher Sci-entific’s contaminant inspection product man-ager, says that generally a checkweigher is in theorder of ten times more accurate than an X-raymachine.

Inherent accuracyIndeed, Mettler Toledo’s X-ray marketing man-ager Nicola Vosloo believes the checkweigher’sinherent accuracy is one selling point that willassure its long term survival.

“We don’t believe checkweighers will becomeobsolete because there is still a need in the mar-ket for accurate weighing measurements – you

can get much greater accuracy on a check-weigher than you can on an X-ray,” she says.

Ishida Europe claims that its IX-GA X-raycan achieve more accurate results than some ofits competitors because of the way it calculatesthe weight parameters.

“After passing a product ten times throughthe X-ray unit, the IX-GA creates a referencetable from which each gray scale of the image isconverted into weight parameters. The systemthen optimises the formulae depending on thelevel of gray scale, whereas many of our com-petitors only use one fixed formula to get weightparameters from the gray scale,” explainsIshida marketing manager Torsten Giese.

Of course, the degree of accuracy that can beachieved by an X-ray or a checkweigher depends

C H E C K W E I G H I N G


One stop quality control: Loma X4 X-ray machine now has checkweighing software

X-weigh orcheckweigh?

X-RAY INSPECTION MACHINES CAN NOW ALSO PERFORM

CHECKWEIGHING FUNCTIONS, PROVIDING A COMPLETE QUALITY

CONTROL SYSTEM IN A SINGLE UNIT. EVEN SO, FEW OBSERVERS

PREDICT THE DEMISE OF THE CONVENTIONAL CHECKWEIGHER.



on the product in question, as Nicola Voslooexplains.

“X-ray will only really be accurate if the prod-uct is uniform and homogenous throughoutbecause the mass measurement is taken off thegray scale image. If you’ve got loose powder in apouch that can move around, for example, itwon’t be ideal for taking a mass measurement –you’d be better off with a checkweigher. A cakebar or cereal bar would work well with X-ray.”

This theory is being put into practice at a fac-tory in Germany where cake bars individuallywrapped in aluminium foil are passed throughan X-ray system supplied by Mettler Toledo. TheX-ray not only checks for contaminants, such asmetal and stones in the raisins, but also mea-sures the mass of each product.

Weighing in zonesWhere X-ray does offer a major advantage over agravimetric checkweigher is in ‘zonal weighing’.If a pack contains several compartments or com-ponents, the mass of each part as well as thewhole pack can be calculated by the X-ray. In con-trast, users of gravimetric checkweighers have toassume that if the gross weight is correct the indi-vidual contents are also present and correct.

“Imagine a TV dinner with various differentcompartments,” says Thermo Fisher’s Bob Ries.“A checkweigher can tell you very accuratelywhether the weight is correct, but it can’t tellyou whether you’re light on peas or heavy onpotatoes. That’s where X-ray offers a clearadvantage; it can look at each zone and even ifthe total weight is correct, it will be able to tellyou whether there are too few potatoes or toomany peas. That’s an example of where X-ray,although less accurate, delivers greater value.”

Ishida has found this principle to be particu-larly beneficial when applied to ‘chain bags’.

“Products packed in a series, such as chainbagged powdered soups and liquid soups forinstant noodles, cannot be weighed individuallyon a checkweigher,” points out Torsten Giese.“However, our X-ray technology uses a weightestimation function which estimates productweight from the X-ray image. Specifically, thesystem calculates the volume of the productfrom the brightness of the image. This makes itpossible to check the weights of such products.”

According to Mettler Toledo, beverages areanother product that may benefit from X-ray.

“Conventional checkweighers can do a goodjob of weighing beverage containers, however, tosome companies it’s just as important to ensurethe fill line of the container is always at the same

height. Consumers looking at the product on-shelf will have a natural reaction to buy the bot-tle with the highest fill line. X-ray, while check-ing for mass, can also check for fill height,” saysNicola Vosloo.

Companies packing pharmaceuticals intoblister packs may also get value from an X-ray,as the weight variability of the packaging mate-rials is often greater than the accept-reject tol-erances of the package contents.

“Take a 12-pack of tablets, for example,”says Ms Vosloo. “Each tablet only weighs100mg, however the variability of the packagingmaterials is greater than 100mg. A traditionalgravimetric checkweigher could not guaranteethat all packages would contain 12 tabletsalthough, using X-ray, the position of each tabletcan be verified, plus a check performed for bro-ken, deformed or partial tablets.”

X-ray also allows for multi-line checkweigh-ing, so one X-ray machine can replace severalcheckweighers, with considerable cost savings.

For example, Loma-Cintex says that with itsX-weigh system a number of lines can be runthrough one machine, with each pack inspectedaccording to its own target weight parameters.

Another plus point with the X-weigh, addsAlan Johnson, is that unlike a traditional check-weigher, it is unaffected by pack rate, speed,vibration, air turbulence, pack orientation orstability and requires little maintenance.

Price tag justifiedHowever, for individual lines it is questionablewhether an X-ray’s premium price tag can bejustified. True, X-rays are coming down in cost,but as Bob Ries points out: “I suspect a lot of thelower price X-ray systems don’t necessarily sup-port the more sophisticated functions like check-weighing.”

There is also the question of whether X-raysatisfies weights and measures legislation,which is still a grey area.

Checkweigher installations may require certi-fication as a legal trade device by local Weightsand Measures officials. According to MettlerToledo, in most jurisdictions only gravimetriccheckweighers comply with this requirement.

“A core element to this certification is the cal-ibration and performance verification of thecheckweigher using a traceable certified stan-dard, also known as a test weight. Since X-raymeasures item density and converts that valueinto a calculated pseudo weight, there is no abil-ity to trace the derived value to the certified testweight standard,” explains Nicola Vosloo.

At present, though, the jury seems to be out onwhether or not X-rays satisfy these standards.

On the one hand, Bob Ries says: “Standardsfor calibration of weight measurement by X-rayhave not been approved or accepted by any gov-erning weights and measures legislative body.”

On the other hand, Loma-Cintex claims its X-weigh incorporates software that complies withnational weights and measures legislation andautomatically calculates the correct reject setpoints for European and Canadian AverageWeight legislation and American Minimum orMAV weight control.

It is also important to keep in perspective thenumber of X-ray systems that are actually beingbought for weighing applications, as at present,it is lower than some X-ray companies wouldperhaps like to think.

Bob Ries at Thermo Fisher says: “Only in avery limited number of applications is this actu-ally happening. In general, because traditionalcheckweighing is so accurate, easy and widelyaccepted, it continues to be the first solution.

“What we are seeing is that customers aremaking the decision to buy X-ray because of thecontaminant detection capabilities, and then asan afterthought they will look at the check-

Chinese enterEuropean marketwith full range ofcheckweighersChinese manufacturer Saimo Technology hasopened a sales and distribution outlet in the UKas part of the pan-European launch of a seriesof low cost checkweighers developed by thecompany to meet European needs.

The range includes machines to weigh from2g to 50kg as well as combined check-weigher/metal detectors, while control displaysextend from 5in LCD through to 12in full func-tion touch screens.

Memory for a minimum of 100 products isstandard.

The Saimo machines are fully integrated,since the company manufactures both the load-cell and the electronic controller. All versionscan be set for multiple weight classificationzones while advanced digital filtering is said toensure weighing accuracy.

All traditional checkweigher features such asfeedback control to a filling machine, auto-matic zero and product tracking are includedtogether with the benefits that come from pho-tocell-independent operation. Multi-product


Chinese machines for Europe: Saimo Technology has launched a range of low cost checkweighers

High speed: Bizerba’s new CWE checkweigher can

run at 120 metres a minute

weighing option as an add-on. It isn’t the otherway round – checkweighing isn’t driving the pur-chase of X-ray.”

This view is backed up by Chris Keenan ofSelo, UK distributor of Anritsu’s KD74 X-raysystem, who says: “Customers are definitelymore interested in X-ray as it is easier for themto justify the expense when the system offersthem more solutions. But although a number ofcompanies want to use X-rays as checkweighers,they will only achieve accurate results with uni-form products.”

Investing in checkweighersTypical proof that major manufacturers in theprocessing industries are still investing in check-weighers, comes from United Biscuits UK whichhas recently added a further checkweigher fromLock Inspection Systems to its inspectionarmoury for products such as Jacob’s CreamCrackers, Jacob’s Club and Jacob’s Twiglets.

United Biscuits bought the Lock CK1500checkweigher to replace an old unit and wasparticularly impressed by the machine’s touch-screen display panel, which shows average,actual, over and underweight data and is said tobe easy to read and interpret.

Installed at the end of UB’s packing line, thesystem provides the final check before goods aredelivered to customers. A pusher reject devicetransfers under- and overweight products fromthe line onto a table, where they can be manuallyinspected.

Equally, Yamato has recently sold ten G seriescheckweighers to a large UK packing house.

The G series is said to be capable of weighingvirtually any product from 10g up to 6000g atrates up to 330 packs a minute in most environ-ments. Accuracy is usually ± 0.2g and this alsoapplies when detecting a missing item in a pack,such as one biscuit in a pack of five, according toYamato.

Yamato says remote communications, and theability to download and monitor data, is increas-ingly a requirement of checkweigher customerswho are offered a Data Acquisition Suite pack-age capable of processing data from up to 20checkweighers and outputting to a remote PC.

Data acquisitionYamato recently installed and commissioned afull Data Acquisition Suite to take informationfrom five checkweighers using a multiplexerwhich then transmits the information to a localPC in real time. Data produced includes give-aways, line efficiencies and costed giveaways.This data can also be used for satisfying Weightsand Measures legislation as well as yielding costsavings via improved production efficiencies.

Avery Weigh-Tronix, meanwhile, has savedover a metre of floor space at Crepe Cuisine – asupplier of bakery products to UK supermar-kets – by installing a combination checkweigherand metal detector unit to weigh packs of pan-cakes.

Packs weighing up to 1500g are weighed atspeeds of 60 a minute to ±-0.2g accuracy,which is a massive improvement on the previousrandom checks carried out on some 5 per cent ofthe output.

A lockable bin receives contaminated packsoff the conveyor for quarantine and a pusherreject mechanism sends under or overweightpacks to a table.

An integral tally roll printer prints data at theend of each production period, including thenumber of packs, average pack weight and num-ber of rejects, to assist with due diligence.

Selo says one of the key selling points of theAnritsu equipment is that Anritsu manufacturesboth the weighcell and the metal detector head,which benefits customers buying combi systemsas the equipment is more compact than other

inspection, classification and recording of sev-eral products running simultaneously is alsopossible.

Saimo says that data logging capabilities areparticularly comprehensive with the softwareprotected by multi-level passwords to ensuredata integrity.

Specific features include the facility to store

data and alarm records to complement qualitycontrol procedures in the factory and a com-prehensive statistical analysis of the saveddata. Support for industry standard network-ing protocols is available as is the ability toidentify and correct fault conditions remotely.T: 01942 677956E: [email protected]



For full details of all PPMA members able tosupply checkweighing systems, consult thePPMA machinery finder service, tel: 0208773 8111, or visit www.ppma.co.uk


available systems and can be operated via thesame control panel.

The Anritsu range of checkweighers startswith the economically priced SVf, which ismainly supplied to the produce industry. The SVirange has a high protection rating for harshoperating environments, while the SVh systemsare high speed/high accuracy mainly used in thepharmaceutical industry.

Bizerba’s newly introduced CWE check-weigher has been designed to ‘help optimise thequality assurance of pre-packaged goods’, andits modular design promises maximum flexibil-ity, according to Bizerba.

Depending on the pack and the productionenvironment, it can weigh packs ranging from25 to 6000g at line speeds up to 120 metres aminute. IP65 protection and a quick-action con-veyor body and belt changing system are said toenable fast, simple cleaning.

The operator can quickly view data via amonochrome display or a 12.1in colour touch-screen. From a visual display of operating speed,pack weights and production trends, pack give-away can be monitored and the productionprocess controlled.

The CWE multi display concept permits sev-eral operating units to be set up at differentpoints in the production line, for example, asremote displays. Short and long-term statisticscan be viewed, saved and memorised.

AEW Delford Systems offers a choice ofcheckweighing systems for the food industry.

The G1000 is said to be a versatile, cost-effec-tive system for general applications. Operating

at speeds of up to 180 packs per minute, it isideal for packaged products such as readymeals.

The G2200 is a top-of-range system fordemanding food processing applications, sealedto IP66. The unit operates at speeds up to 180packs a minute with modular software for easeof operation and programmability and a choiceof average and minimum weight programmes asstandard.

High throughput modelThe G2300 Checkweigher is a high throughputsystem designed for integration into high speedslicing lines. Ideal for cooked meats and bacon,or fresh meats, poultry and fish, the G2300 hasa similar specification as the G2200. Up to 200pre-programmed memories can be accessed viathe keyboard, with multi-line networking andRS232/422/485 links for production control.

Ixapack UK supplies a wide range of high-speed single and multi-lane check-weighing sys-tems incorporating touch screen controls thatallow up to 200 different programs to be storedand recalled.

For ease of cleaning the machines employ aquick release belt roller system and are avail-able with a particularly broad range of optionsincluding reject systems and receptacles,extended infeed and outfeed conveyors, modemsfor instant trouble shooting diagnostics andoptional metal detection combination units.

One popular feature says Ixapack is the on-screen drawings, which can be expanded to showall replacement part numbers. Data retrieval

can be via a simple ticket printer or transfer to aPC using a data storage card or network.

The Dynamic CWS checkweigher/metal detec-tor made by Iman Pack of Italy is now availablefrom UK representative Friedheim Internationalin three versions: HR-600, SR-1600 and HL-3000, all supplied in either plain stainless steelor painted and left or right handed.

Respective weighing ranges are 10-600g, 20-1600g and 50-3000g with speeds up to 350items a minute depending on model. �

AEW Delford SystemsT: 01255 241000 E: [email protected]

Avery Weigh-TronixT: 0870 903 4343 E: [email protected]

Bizerba (UK)T: 01442 240751 E: [email protected]

Friedheim InternationalT: 01442 206100E: [email protected]

Ishida EuropeT: 0121 607 7700E: [email protected]

Ixapack UKT: 01922 721102E: [email protected]

Lock Inspection SystemsT: 0161 624 0333 E: [email protected]

Mettler ToledoT: 0116 235 7070E: [email protected]

Selo UKT: 0151 644 9393E: [email protected]. uk

Spectrum Inspection (Loma-Cintex)T: 01252 893300 E: [email protected]

Thermo Fisher ScientificT: 01788 820300 E: [email protected]

Yamato Scale DataweighT: 0113 271 7999E: [email protected]

Monitoring biscuits: United Biscuits has installed a CK1500 checkweigher from Lock Inspection

Well before anyone thought of putting arobot inside a packaging machine, manu-

facturers had devised a whole universe of sys-tems to place packs in rows, one on another, toform a collation for loading cases, trays andeven cartons.

Primary packs can be lowered, raised onlatches, placed one on top of another by luffingconveyors, brought together in the now com-mon racetrack collator and then pushed,dropped or picked and placed by a robot, tomention just a few. Which is best is a matterfor each application or, increasingly today, fora group of applications.

Robots score well for flexibility, but as Ital-ian cartoning and case-packing machineryspecialist Cama demonstrated at its open daysthis summer, the proven mechanisms of manyyears can be equally versatile.

“To reach the best solution for a customeryou need a range of packaging machinery androbotics,” says Cama managing directorDaniele Bellante. “You may end up with threedifferent solutions, each with slightly differentbenefits, but the important thing is not to startoff with the idea that one route is necessarilybetter than another.”

For example, when Cama was recently giventhe job of designing a line to load a variety ofcarton sizes with flow-wraps at the rate of 600products a minute it chose to suggest amachine that relied on traditional collationand end-loading mechanisms.

“To use robotics on that installation wouldhave added considerably to the price,”explains Daniele Bellante. “In fact, themachine cost around 30 per cent less than arobotic solution.”

However, it is now nearly 20 years sinceCama built its first robot-based packagingline. This was delivered in 1988 to a French

food processor and followed the now tradi-tional format of conventional case or trayforming station, robotic top loading, and aseparate conventional case closing station.

Its significance to Cama was twofold, asDaniele Bellante explains.

Developing complete linesFirst, it marked a shift in emphasis from build-ing single machines to developing competepackaging systems although, today, the threestations of a traditional top load cartoning orcase-packing line are often combined in a sin-gle monobloc machine, the first of which wasbuilt in 1998. Second, the top-loading robotemployed was of Cama’s own design andmanufacture.

In 1993 Cama developed the first multi-beltpocket system for creating and carrying colla-tions of products to the point of case or carton

loading and now spends 5 per cent of turnoveron research and development, one recent devel-opment being a new high speed four-axis pick-ing robot based on carbon-fibre limbs.

In addition, the company supports a projectmanagement department with specific teamsdedicated to each installation, as well as apackaging design department able to createprototype structural designs for cartons andcases of every type.

“It is very expensive to provide this sort ofservice,” notes Daniele Bellante,” but it meanswe can keep ahead in each machinery segment– robotics and packaging machinery – andoffer a variety of solutions.

“It also means that probably around 90 percent of our competitors are German, ratherthan Italian manufacturers!”

Now with the company on track to a €30million turnover next year – up from €13.5


C A R T O N I N G A N D C A S E - P A C K I N G

The role of robots Applications will help define

ROBOTS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE COMPLETE ANSWER TO HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY AND FLEXIBILITY

IN CARTONING AND CASE-PACKING, AS ITALIAN MANUFACTURER CAMA SHOWED DURING OPEN

DAYS AT ITS FACTORY THIS SUMMER. THE KEY IS ESTABLISHING THE MOST APPROPRIATE

MECHANISM FOR BOTH CURRENT AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS. REPORT BY MICHAEL MADDOX.

Summer demonstrations: Cama put a variety of cartoners and case-packers through their paces

million five years back – Cama is in sight of itsambition to be one of the three largest Euro-pean manufacturers of secondary packagingmachinery in the food and non-food markets.

Over the early summer, the company staged

a series of open days, demonstrating a varietyof machines for both shelf ready case-packingand cartoning, in some examples with the flexi-bility to handle both.

Equipment to produce shelf ready display

packs included a line to handle block bottombags from two vertical form-fill-seal machinesand load the base trays with 18 bags at speedsup to 25 trays a minute.

Trays arrive from a conventional erectingstation and are tipped 40 deg from vertical toaccept the bags, which are loaded by a pick-and-place robot. This picks alternatively fromtwo vertical race track collators set one behindthe other and each fed by a bagging machine.

One lid for two traysCompleted trays then pass to the liddingmachine where a wraparound lid is created andglued in place. It is also possible to equip themachine to place a single lid over two trays,speeding the in-store shelf-loading process.

Daniele Bellante makes the point that therobotic solution provides flexibility for the

future, allowing thecustomer to upgradethe gripper arrange-ment and allow dif-ferent shaped bagsto be overlapped asnecessary within thecase or for productsto be rotated toachieve the correctorientation.

“A robot mightnot be necessary if the degree of flexibility isdifferent,” he says. “For example, the samemachine has been built for another customerwith a wraparound case-packer and conven-tional pushers in place of the robot, reducingthe cost of that particular installation.”

However, the machine is still able to producea two part lid and base pack, as well as a com-plete wraparound.

A second robotic machine on show combinedthe duties of a horizontal cartoner, and acounter display tray packer in a 10 metre longline able to handle the output of two 200-a-minute flow-wrappers.

A dual vertical race-track infeed is employedto load the cartoning section’s adjustable widthinfeed buckets with three, four, six or eightflow-wraps for end-loading in the conventionalfashion.

However, vertical side extension plates forthe buckets allow the robot also to assemble a24 product collation in 4 x 6 format for end-loading into a display carton, which is pre-glued and perforated to allow the lid to be tornaway at the point of sale.


Loading block-bottom bags: Above: Robotic pick-and-place section. Below: The complete line

Barrel loader alternative: Cama has developed an overhead unit that saves space on cartoners


C A R T O N I N G A N D C A S E - P A C K I N G

In place of the more usual barrel loaderemployed on end-load machines to push theproduct from the infeed bucket to the carton,Cama has developed an overhead unit, sittingabove the carton chain. This keeps the machinenarrow in format, allowing operation fromeither side with all points at which jams couldoccur falling within reach of the operator fromfront or back.

The entire line is electronically controlledand synchronised and so speed in the cartoningsection adjusts automatically to the work rateof the robot.

However, for a machine to handle 600 flow-wraps a minute, end-loading a range of displaypacks with up to 36 products, Cama hasavoided robots altogether. Instead, to build thecollation within a vertical race track collatorthe multi-belt infeed from the flow wrapper isequipped with a luffing device that rises andfalls to stack up to four flow-wraps in eachpocket. A conventional pusher system thenloads the cartons.

A further dual-purpose cartoning/case-pack-ing machine demonstrated how different colla-tions can be obtained by changing the point atwhich primary packs enter a vertical racetrackcollator and how the use of a suitable side load

carton, with perforations for creating a displaypack, can sometimes be a more economicapproach than top-loading.

The machine has been designed to handleflow-wraps of two or three penny-stacked bis-cuits. These are fed from two lanes into theends of two parallel racetrack collators, wherethe flights are horizontal, so creating collationson edge as the flights advance and become ver-tical or, alternatively, fed in between the flightsonce they have become vertical, retaining apenny stack format.

Cartons and casesThe robot is then able to load the infeed buck-ets of a 170-a-minute continuous motion end-load cartoning machine while also being ableto handle display trays or an RSC case.

The alternative was a top load carton, but asDaniele Bellante points out, another robotwould have been required to turn the packs forthe required range of collations, creating a“monster” of a machine.

Rather, the Cama solution offers a line withreduced footprint that can be run by a singleoperator.

Further cartoners exhibited by Camaincluded an end-load machine equipped with a

lubricant-free “bomb door” collator in whichboth halves of the door retract simultaneouslyto ensure that the large sachets being handleddrop squarely on those below.

The machine has been designed to handlecollations of three bags up to 190mm wide atspeeds up to 350 sachets a minute.

On top of building cartoning and end-of-linemachinery Cama set up a collaboration agree-ment in 2005 with the PFM Group companySPS Italian Pack Systems to provide completeproduct handling, primary packaging and finalpackaging on a turnkey basis for the biscuitand confectionery industry.

Typical of the equipment supplied so far is acomplete system for a European confectioneryproducer, capable of accepting, spacing andflow-wrapping the product and then loadingcartons of various types and product count atthe rate of 120 cartons a minute.

Most recently Cama has announced plans toenlarge its manufacturing facilities and plansto start work next year on a new factory exten-sion that will raise available floor space some40 per cent, from 7000sq metres to over10,000sq metres. �

T: 01793 831111E: [email protected]

the Brand New PPMA MachineryDirectory for 2007-08

One reason for the complexity of mixing tech-nology is that it embraces substances in all

physical states and in all combinations of them.There are also a number of objectives.

For example, do you want to blend, disperse,emulsify, suspend solids or assist mass and heattransfer? Then there is the large number ofvariables, such as vessel size and shape andimpeller type, size and speed, which can affectthe results of the process.

Fortunately, the past decade has seen muchdevelopment work on the computation of flowpatterns in mixing vessels. As a corollary ofthis, mixer manufacturers have increasinglytaken to computer aided design and manufac-ture (CAD/CAM) and introduced the principlesof fluid dynamics into the design stage, soreducing the risk associated with building work-ing models.

This has taken much of the ‘black art’ out ofthe process and replaced it with science, sincecomputer modelling can also be used in match-ing the right mixer to a given process. Manufac-turers can now be much more sure of theirground when discussing needs with the end user.

The result is more rapid progress in the deci-sion making process and an increased likeli-hood of scale-up success. Unfortunately, it doesnot mean the need for trials is eliminated: the-ory aids choice and design, practice proves it.For this reason, suppliers with test facilities orloan machines are recommended for all butsimple mixing tasks and especially for newapplications.

Increased demand for bespoke processors isalso driving developments. Fierce competitionon supermarket, sweet shop and drug store

shelves means constant product innovation,often with new and sophisticated formulaewhich may have properties requiring cus-tomised solutions. Many a mixer manufacturerwill be prepared, at a cost, to help out, andeventually the lessons learnt from the exercisewill filter through to that company’s propri-etary equipment.

Payback for updatingAs such, there is steady flow of new productsand technologies being introduced to the mar-ket and the payback for updating the mixingprocess can be considerable – in terms of bothefficiency and quality – if a more appropriateproduct or technology is introduced.

A new mixing processor is not, therefore,

only to be considered when a new line is to beinstalled or an existing machine has come to theend of its useful life. Perhaps more than anyother part of the processing function, mixingshould be subjected to a cost-benefit ratioanalysis at regular intervals to determinewhether the pay-back time for updating theprocess would justify the capital spend.

However, there are a number of criteria whichmust be considered when determining the rightproduct for the job, the complexity of which willvary depending on whether the machine is areplacement or for a new product line.

Indeed, given the array of different mixingsystems available – agitators, saw tooth blade,closed rotor, rotor-stator – and the number ofvariables that can affect the process, how does

M I X I N G


Continuous processing: Romaco FrymaKoruma’s new plant for semi-solids such as toothpaste

Creating the perfect

b l e n dMIXING IS THE MOST COMMON PROCESS IN THE FOOD, PHARMACEUTICAL AND

CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES AND ALSO THE ONE THAT CAN HAVE THE MOST DRAMATIC

EFFECT ON PRODUCTIVITY, PRODUCT QUALITY AND ENERGY USE.

M I X I N G


one ensure the best solution for the job in hand?Assuming there is no professor of fluid dynam-ics readily available, or that the job is merely arepeat of an already successful application, thefirst stop has to be with the suppliers.

There are a number of established playerswhich, as mentioned above, fund R&D depart-ments and, given that an order could be in theoffing, will offer access to them for tricky appli-cations. Loan machines may also be availableto test applications before making a purchasecommitment.

The first consideration is configuration: doyou need a batch or in-line mixer? Batch mix-ing is most common in the higher added valueprocess industries where limited volumes arebeing produced, whereas in high volume chemi-cal applications, for example, an in-line solu-tion may be more appropriate.

An in-line answer may also be recommendedif improvements to an existing process arebeing sought.

Mixing action requiredThe next major question is what type of mixingaction is required? In general, for liquids ofsimilar viscosities, low shear operations are themost appropriate, while for liquids of differingviscosities, high shear mixing may be necessary.Similarly, when particles are in suspension, it islikely that shear will provide a more uniform,stable product.

In the food, pharmaceutical and cosmeticsindustries, a common task is the creation ofemulsions and for these a degree of shear isdesirable in order to promote stability. How-ever, forming a stable emulsion from a numberof immiscible liquids, which may be of widelydiffering viscosities, while successfully dispers-ing and activating functional ingredients suchas stabilising agents, can be a daunting task.

If solids are involved, will they dissolve fullyand are any of the components heat sensitive?There is also a possibility that the shear force-generated could damage the components or theresulting emulsion.

According to Silverson Machines, conven-tional agitators can give satisfactory resultsacross a broad range of viscosities in manyapplications, but their effectiveness tends to belimited to simple duties such as blending liquidsof similar viscosities, maintaining in-tank uni-formity and promoting heat transfer .

For more demanding duties, says Silverson,an agitator is, at best, only effective as a‘process aid’, supplementing the action of

equipment with a more positive action. So foractivities such as forming an emulsion or sus-pension, dispersion and hydration of powders –such as thickeners or stabilisers – and blendingliquids with widely differing viscosities, anotherapproach must be considered.

The company suggests that in the food, phar-maceutical and cosmetics industries, thechances are that a high shear rotor-stator mixeris the most efficient option for the moredemanding applications. It argues that theadvantages of the rotor-stator over conven-tional agitators stem from the multi-stage mix-ing/shearing action.

As materials are drawn into the workhead bythe high speed rotation of the rotor blades, theyare subjected to intense hydraulic and mechani-cal shear, then forced out through the stator athigh speed and projected radially back into themix.

Indeed, Silverson has developed a range ofmulti-stage in-line mixers to provide highershear than its standard models, so giving lowerparticle sizes, finer emulsions, single pass pro-cessing and faster processing times. The mixersemploy two concentric sets of blades and teethrunning against two separate stators, anarrangement which Silverson says allows usersto optimise mixer configurations to suit individ-ual processes. Five models with power ratingsfrom 2 to 60hp are available for capacitiesfrom 1000 to 100,000 litres an hour, based onproduct of water viscosity.

As material passes through the workhead it issubjected to increasing rates of shear. The innerrotor subjects the product to an initial mixingaction, reducing the size of large particles andproducing a uniform pre-mix.

The inner rotor also acts as the prime moverfor the product, forcing it into the outer multi-bladed rotor-stator assembly where the greatlyincreased tip speeds and shear rates completethe mixing cycle by producing a completelyhomogeneous product.

The design of the multi-stage mixer is said toquadruple the number of shearing actions perrevolution of the rotor, resulting in substantiallyfaster mixing times by reducing the number ofrecirculation passes required. This alsoincreases the number of products that can beprocessed in a single pass.

Ultra-hygienic mixersSilverson has also just announced a series ofultra-hygienic in-line mixers, said to be the firstof their type to gain certification from EHEDG

(the European Hygienic Engineering andDesign Group) for hygienic construction andenhanced performance. Like other Silversonrotor/stator mixers, each machine can carryout a wide range of work including emulsifying,homogenising, disintegrating, suspending, dis-solving, dispersing, blending, particle sizereduction, de-agglomerating and reactionacceleration.

Features include interchangeable single ormultistage rotor/stator arrangements as stan-dard, resulting in substantially faster mixingtimes and finer particle size, says Silverson. Themixer’s outlet can be configured to tangentialself-draining or vertical self-venting positionsas required, and the units also feature ultrahygienic single or double mechanical shaftseals.

Ytron-Quadro is now the UK supplier of vac-uum mixing units from French manufacturerVMI Rayneri. Equipment includes the Trimix,which is said to allow the handling of complexrheologies in a single vessel, and can be sup-plied in versions suitable for vacuum or pres-sure. It is fitted with side-scraping mixingarms, a contra-rotating central mixing systemand a bottom-entry high-shear homogeniser.

According to Ytron-Quadro managing direc-tor Dudley Bradley, the intensive movement inthe vessel ensures a homogeneous mix and effi-cient heat transfer. Vessel sizes range from a 5litre laboratory unit to 20,000 litres.

But the core Ytron-Quadro mixing rangeremains the Ytron Y directed jet mixer, the

Maximisingeffectivenessin powder mixingplantSince overall efficiency in powder mixingoperations may well depend more on the timetaken to fill, empty and clean the machinethan actual processing time, a particularlyflexible solution is to use an IBC as a detach-able mixing vessel.

In this way, explains powder handling spe-cialist Matcon, the tumble blending equip-ment is fully utilised, handling one IBC afteranother, with no dead time for formulation orcleaning. It also allows small volumes to behandled more economically.

However, mixing capability can be a limitingfactor although, as Matcon points out, recentdevelopments in IBC tumble blending – intro-duction of high shear, liquid injection and so

Instantaneous shear: Tools for the Ytron ZC

powder incorporation unit

Ytron ZC powder incorporation unit and theYtron Z in-line emulsifier. The latter can beused to process those creams and lotions whichare either a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emul-sion. The inline process, says Mr Bradley, pro-duces a more consistent, superior quality emul-sion in less time than conventional in-tank highshear mixers.

The single-pass processing also creates amore consistent emulsion, he claims, withlonger shelf life and stability, since there is lesslikelihood of phase separation.

Dudley Bradley points out that when car-bomer and polymer powders are dispersed asrheology modifiers or structure-building agentsin personal care products, in-tank technologieswill often produce insufficient shear to reliablyreduce particle size and so-called “fish-eyes” orclumps of powder. Alternatively, processingtimes may have to be extended to ensure uni-form dispersion. Quite apart from the cost andoperating implications of this, he argues, over-processing may also reduce the effective viscos-ity of the product.

Powders drawn downYtron-Quadro says that its Ytron ZC unitaddresses these issues. A significant vacuum inthe reactor housing, created by the interactionbetween rotor and stator, ensures that powdersare drawn down into the reactor head. Here,particles are subjected to intense mechanicalshearing prior to hydration into the liquidstream.

The Ytron Y is typically used in the batchdilution of “high active” surfactants. In arecent installation, two side-entry units weresupplied to dilute 70 per cent sodium laurylether sulphate (SLES) in batches of 30,000litres. Other applications can include the thor-ough mixing of colour into viscous creams, gelsand lotions.

Meanwhile Romaco FrymaKoruma hasturned its attention to continuous processing ofsemi-solids such as toothpaste, hair care prod-ucts and mayonnaise and built a number of

Minimising dead time: IBC tumble blending for powders avoids cleaning and formulation on the mixer

forth – are broadening the scope of the process.While there is no single answer for all

processes, using multiple blending technologiesand applying the 80/20 rule can produce ahighly efficient and flexible process, the com-pany explains:

“This would suggest using an IBC blendingapproach where it can be used and using an

alternative mixing technology – such as a highshear vertical mixer– where IBC blending maybe less effective.”

Since fewer products would be used with thehigh shear vertical mixer, there would be lessfilling, less emptying and less cleaning requiredfor both processes, giving the equipment muchhigher utilisation and effectiveness.

The

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M I X I N G


different rigs, from pilot plants of 100-200kg/hour capacity to production plants of1000-4000kg/hour.

In general, says FrymaKoruma, a continuousplant needs to have a production capacity above1000kg/h to be efficient and cost effective.However, smaller production systems could beneeded by the pharmaceutical industry, thecompany suggests, because of steadily increas-ing regulatory requirements.

“Once the process has been developed andcritical parameters identified, the equipmentcan be monitored automatically, with lab test-ing reduced to a minimum. Residence timeswithin the plant and correct sizing ensure thatthe required product quality and quantity isachieved, even when operating at less than 50per cent capacity,” the company points out.

“Realising that the potential to further raiseproductivity in batch processing is limited, weturned to the development of continuous pro-cessing as a logical alternative. The challengewe faced was in manufacturing equipmentwhich would also guarantee process safety, dos-ing accuracy and consistent quality standards,”explains Patrick Weisser, engineering managerfor FrymaKoruma.

He says that to guarantee process safety, dos-ing accuracy and consistent quality standards,all important parameters are under online con-trol throughout the process, with fully auto-mated dosing and monitoring.

“After each step factors such as temperature,viscosity, flow rate, pressure, density and evenpH value can be checked, with information con-tinuously available on the operator panel,” heexplains. “If any parameter drifts outside thepre-set tolerances, the system will immediatelyand automatically stop for readjustment.Finally, data about the entire process is retainedfor the record or for analysis.”

The new plant is said to offer users a highdegree of flexibility in feeding active ingredientsand additives, with the capability to introducethese at every phase of the process. It allowseither one or two wetting steps and heating orcooling of the product, if required, while anyentrained air is eliminated by a de-aerationprocess. Coriolis flow meters, accurate to ± 0.5per cent, are employed for liquids while loss-in-weight feeders, also accurate to ± 0.5 per cent,are used for dry ingredients.

Mixed product is pumped to an inlinehomogeniser for final processing and fed intothe finisher-skid where flavours or colours areadded. It is then ready to be transferred to a

buffer tank, or sent directly to a filling line.German manufacturer IKA has taken a mod-

ular approach which means that its series 2000mixers are available in a range of sizes to suitmost batch and continuous applications, includ-ing laboratory units. These use the same shear

zones found in all sizes of themachine, providing the opportunityfor accurate scale up to productionequipment.

The modules operate in a verti-cal position thus allowing completeemptying, are available with CIPand SIP capability and have FDAcertification.

Represented in the UK byBramigk & Co, IKA has also intro-duced its Master Plant, for emulsi-fying, homogenising, powder incor-poration, dispersing and melting.Process times are reduced by theheatable/coolable spiral contra-rotating agitator, as well as by ajacketed vessel. High viscosityproducts, up to 100,000 mPas, canbe processed without additionalpumps and the working volume of

the vessel can be reduced by an optimised circu-lation loop, effectively reducing the vessel vol-ume to 15 per cent of its total capacity.

Powders can also be incorporated without theneed for a vacuum in the vessel, says Bramigk,while sizes range from 10 litres to 4000 litres

High shear mixerhandles fruitjuice batchesIndependent fruit juice blender David Berry-man, Dunstable, has bought a Ytron-Quadroall-stainless high shear mixer, with stainlesssteel motor, to handle batches of fruit juicebases up to 1200kg with ingredients such aspectin, ascorbic and citric acids and preserva-tives.

The Ytron-Y ByPass machine is able to dealeffectively with ingredients that include drypowders by the use of an integral feed chutethat delivers ingredients directly to the mixinghead below the liquid level.

This ensures ingredients are instantly wet-ted, suspended or dissolved to achieve anhomogeneous mix. It is equally effective forboth dry ingredients and liquids, even those ofhigh viscosity, with the negative pressure cre-ated by the rotating mixer head helping todraw the ingredients into the mix.

Features of this Ytron-Y ByPass mixer are aspecial mixer head to help the high shear mix-ing action and a stainless steel motor fromMarlin Stainless.

According to Ytron-Quadro managing direc-tor Dudley Bradley the Marlin stainless motor

is a ‘natural’ partner for his mixers. “Withtotal corrosion resistance and no paint to flakethe risk of batch contamination is completelyeliminated. Being smooth bodied there are nocrevices to harbour material, facilitating easyhosedown cleaning – which is no problem withthe motor being IP66 rated.”

Nick Eckert, managing director at DavidBerryman adds: “With everything we dohygiene is paramount. So this totally stainlessmixer-motor package is an ideal solution. Itperforms really well, achieving effective mix-ing of all ingredients quickly and quietly and iseasy to clean with a high pressure hose.”

Stainless motor: Ytron-Y ByPass all-stainless

high shear mixer at David Berryman

Mobile mixer: Custom unit built for E2V by Adelphi Coldstream

and indeed beyond for bespoke designs. Adelphi Coldstream, which specialises in

bespoke mixing vessels, has recently built aplant for E2V Technologies to manufacture aco-precipitate of triple carbonate in an inor-ganic mix, achieving a certain particle size andshape for a specialised device. The mobile dou-ble heated vessel and mixer assembly consists ofa 20 litre and 50 litre water jacketed vesselwith lid mounted stirrers and a control panel forindependently controlling the speed of bothmixers and heating for each vessel.

Stainless vessel rangeA standard range of 316L stainless vessels areheld in stock at Adelphi in volumes from 1 to240 litres while bespoke mixing and storagevessels up to 1000 litres can be made.

CC Automation, which has recently become aPPMA member, is now supplying mixing sys-tems from two German specialists, Miromaticand Novapac.

Miromatic builds MRA mix-ing and dosing systems forproducts such as yoghurts, pro-biotic drinks, fruit and savouryflavoured curds, mayonnaiseand fresh fruit salad and hassupplied most of the leadingdairies including Müller UK,Danone, Campina, and Onken.The process avoids any shearingaction, so maintaining theintegrity of delicate particu-lates while the equipment is fit-ted with a sterilised duct foraseptic applications.

Novapac, which makesrotary cup fillers and horizontalform-fill-seal machines, alsoproduces the Niromix range of homogenisersfor milk, meat and vegetable products, pharma-ceutical and personal care products.

A rotating blade cuts, mixes and emulsifiesthe products while a scraper rotates in theopposite direction and clears dead zones.Options include mixing performed under vac-uum and preset temperatures, double walledwith steam or hot water heating, formula man-agement, weighing control and full CIP.

New from Grunwald UK is a stainless mag-netic mixer and motor package that eliminatesseals – and any risk of leakage – with the drivetaken through the vessel wall to the mixingassembly by a magnetic coupling.

Introduced by Advanced Engineering (Mid-

dleton), Rochdale, the Magnamix is suitable forvessels from 10 to 20,000 litres and employs anIP66 rated variable speed motor to allow clean-ing via steam and high pressure hoses. The mix-ing head is self-cleaning and allows access forcleaning devices such as static sprayballs androtary spray heads.

Tumble mixing for foodTumble mixing for powders is an establishedprocess within the pharmaceutical industry butSyspal has extended its use to food processing.

The company’s Euro-bin Tumbler uses a stan-dard 200 litre stainless steel tote bin as a mix-ing bowl and allows delicate products such assalads, pastas, cereals and vegetables, to be

handled with little or no breakage. The productto be mixed simply stays in the tote bin itself,reducing downtime for loading, discharging andcleaning.

Syspal says that feedback from several foodprocessors has shown that the machine canreduce mixing time dramatically. In one test,with different coloured cooked rice, a singleoperator was able to mix a batch in less than aminute, compared with 10 minutes taken bytwo operators to complete the process by hand.

Pharmaceutical powder handling equipmentfrom Italian manufacturer Vima Impianti isnow distributed by IMA UK and includes dis-pensing systems, powder and tablet IBCs, binblenders, column lifters, bin docking stations,transfer systems and various types of washingsystems for bins and other components.

The Cyclops bin blender from Vima isdescribed as a simple, flexible, compact, andefficient bin blending system that can beinstalled ‘through the wall’ with minimumintrusion in the processing room, so reducingthe area to be cleaned and any risk of cross-con-tamination.

Mixing efficiency is said to be increased by atwo-step reversible rotation, and by an optionaldual blending inclination. A typical Cyclopsinstallation is capable of handling batch sizesup to 1500kg including the IBC itself.

An alternative is the Vima Canguri binblender, which retains the same through-the-

M I X I N G


In-bin mixing: Above: IMA Vima Cyclops system.

Below: Syspal Euro-bin Tumbler

wall approach, but will operate with a cus-tomer’s existing IBC designs. Batch sizes up to2000kg can be handled.

For a slightly different approach, Vima alsodesigns and manufactures the Hercules range ofcolumn bin blenders. There are two generalmodels within this system: the Midi, which iscapable of handling IBCs up to 600kg with topsupport anchor and 300kg as a floor anchoredonly installation, and the Maxi, which can han-dle IBCs up to 1000kg.

Mixing via screw conveyorHowever, vessels may not always be necessaryfor some mixing duties according to Spiroflow,which says its flexible screw conveyors – stain-less steel spirals rotating within food gradeplastic tubes – can be used to mix ingredientscontinuously and eliminate the need for conven-tional mixers.

Several components can be homogeneouslymixed and conveyed at the same time says thecompany, both functions being achieved by therotating spiral, at rates up to 40 tonnes an hour.

Individual conveyors can be provided for thecomponents of a mix and may be arranged radi-ally to feed to the main conveyor in which themixing takes place. Alternatively, it is possibleto install one conveyor within the rotating spiralof another, so that the material from the firstconveyor is delivered into the centre of thestream of material in the second and the mixingaction is enhanced. In either case material canbe fed by weight or volume.

Spiroflow has a test centre where the relative

rates of spiral rotation for the different feederconveyors can be established for different mate-rials. These ratios can then be maintainedthrough motor speed control inverters whilememory in the control system enables changesfrom one mix formula to another to be madequickly. It is also possible to add a liquid ingre-dient to powder or granular components.

Spiral screw conveyors are typically accurateto ±0.5 per cent, says Spiroflow.

Product transfer in mixing and blendingprocesses often needs to avoid additional shearand so many equipment manufacturers haveopted for the Maso Sine Pump which, apartfrom avoiding shear, is said also to offer smoothlaminar flow, easier flow control through lackof pulsation during pumping, and accurate con-trol of product flow,

Also, by changing speed, the pump can han-dle products that increase in viscosity duringthe mixing and blending process. Applicationsinclude food, pharmaceuticals, healthcare andcosmetics industries.

Finally, Watson-Marlow Bredel is launchingits new 720 series of IP66 cased peristalticpumps for general industrial metering or trans-fer duties. Said to offer a smaller footprint thanother pumps with a similar flow rate, the new720 series includes single channel flows up to2000 litres an hour, or a maximum of 4000litres an hour through two individual tubes.

The 720 pumps feature Watson-Marlow Bre-del’s LoadSure pumping elements which useindustry standard cam and groove connectorsto provide long tube life. �

M I X I N G


For full details of all PPMA members able tosupply mixing equipment, consult the PPMAmachinery finder service, tel: 020 87738111, or visit www.ppma.co.uk


Adelphi ManufacturingT: 01444 472300 E: [email protected]

Bramigk & CoT: 01245 477616E: [email protected]

CC AutomationT: 01892 544789E: [email protected]

Grunwald UKT: 01529 414999 E: [email protected]

IMA UKT: 01789 767338E: [email protected]

JBS Process EngineeringT: 01778 346168 E: [email protected]

Marlin StainlessT: 01270 270022E: [email protected]

Maso Process PumpenT: 07799 665533E: [email protected]

MatconT: 01608 651666E: [email protected]

Romaco UKT: 01733 367300 E: [email protected]

Silverson MachinesT: 01494 786331E: [email protected]

SpiroflowT: 01200 422525E: [email protected]

SyspalT: 01952 883188E: [email protected]

Watson-MarlowT: 01326 370370 E: [email protected]

Ytron-Quadro (UK)T: 01494 792898 E: [email protected]

JBS Master Baker is now in partnership withHollmec to market the Taiwanese Chanmagrange of spiral and planetary bakery doughmixers throughout the UK.

A typical installation is at North ElmhamBakery near Dereham in Norfolk, whereowner Norman Olley recently chose an 80kgcapacity Chanmag spiral mixer to replace anold machine for rolls, bloomers and coburgs.

For high-output operations, JBS ProcessEngineering is the UK agent for Shaffer, theUSA manufacturer of standalone mixers andfully automated, integrated mixing systems.Shaffer mixers are available with high-speedroller bar, and single or double sigma armagitators.

Shaffer’s latest product is the dough reclaim

slurry system, a process used to return nor-mally discarded scrap back into the mixer,eliminating the costs of scrap and those ofrelated handling.

Bakery mixers for all applications

Dough mixer: An example of the Chanmag range

An example of the change is that electronicsis now an integral part of practically all pneu-matic systems, so that the once humble ‘bang-bang’ pneumatic cylinder has developed into asophisticated actuator with positioning capabil-ity, speed control and so forth driven by a PLC,PC or fieldbus network. Many actuators nowhave either on-board controllers or plug-ininterfaces so that they can be integrated intothe machine control system in moments.

Similar developments are seen with on-boardsensors that can detect many different types of

operating and process variables. This informa-tion can be communicated back through thecontrol system so that the actuator becomes anintelligent element within the machine, perhapsmonitoring production processes or protectingitself from excessive loads and temperatures.

Integrated with guidesMechanically, actuators are now often inte-grated with the load bearing guides, which werepreviously separate items needing to be engi-neered into the machine. This is an area whereHoerbiger-Origa set the lead 20 years ago, asRay Barnes explains:

“It was we who invented the rodless pneu-matic cylinder and it is this sort of actuator thatreally benefits from integral guides. Early on

To paraphrase John Donne: ‘No technology isan island.’ This is becoming more and more

clear with pneumatics, which are integratingwith complementary technologies to formmechatronic machine elements that are easilyinstalled yet carry out sophisticated multi-faceted functions.

Previously, pneumatic actuators weredesigned to provide linear motion or thrust. Forthis to be converted into useful work, such asoperating a flow diverter on a conveyor belt,opening a gate or driving a hammer, one ormore further mechanisms had to beadded. This usually entailed theend-user – or a contract engineer –designing and making a bespokeelement.

Increasingly, pneumatics manu-facturers are relieving their cus-tomers of either some or all of thisburden by providing actuators thatincorporate guides, sensors, con-trols, cranks, levers, rack and pin-ions or other elements in plug-and-play units.

It also means that there is anincreasing emphasis on product quality: amachine component or subsystem that breaksdown in the field can quickly become a veryexpensive liability.

“This adds tremendous value for the suppli-ers, but that is not the real reason for goingdown this path,” says Ray Barnes, managingdirector of Hoerbiger-Origa.

“Most manufacturing companies had nochoice but to steadily reduce their in-house engi-neering capabilities through the 1990s and intothis decade. So now they rely more and more onbought-in expertise. This allows them to concen-trate on their core business and reduce theiroverheads. Where previously a pneumatics com-pany could be just a product supplier, now thereis a far greater need for technical support.”

C O M P O N E N T M A T T E R S : P N E U M A T I C S


Boost to pneumatics Integrated technologies give

PNEUMATICS TECHNOLOGY IS CONTINUING TO DEVELOP ON SEVERAL FRONTS, SOME

FOLLOWING WIDER INDUSTRY TRENDS, OTHERS MORE SPECIFIC TO COMPRESSED AIR

ACTUATION AND INTEGRATION WITH OTHER TECHNOLOGIES. BOB DOBSON REPORTS.

our designers decided to make the actuators sostrong that they could be used as structural ele-ments with machine designs. This was reallyradical thinking and as a young sales engineer Ioften felt like a magician, solving two or threeproblems for a machine designer with a singleproduct.”

Another trail that Hoerbiger has blazed is inthe development of electric actuators, asopposed to pneumatic ones. While the companycan probably not claim to have invented thetechnology, its major contribution has been tomake them completely interchangeable withtheir pneumatic equivalents.

It is unlikely, though not unheard of, that amachine requires such a changeover. The gain isthat machine designers can develop a range of

near identical machines offering different pow-ers, speeds and accuracy by fitting pneumatic,electric belt or electric ballscrew actuators asnecessary.

“This reduces the initial design effort, but thereal saving comes in spares and stock holding,”explains Ray Barnes.

The interchanageability is achieved by usingthe same extruded aluminium profile for themain housing of the actuator, the same mount-ing and same options for both pneumatic andelectric variants. This can be particularlyadvantageous to machine builders who supplyto customers around the world, where localstockholding can become a significant costunless carefully managed.

While most of Hoerbiger-Origa’s products

Above: Fetso’s new DGSL mini

slide features an integrated design

and is easier to install.

Right: Hoerbiger-Origa rodless

cylinder can now be supplied with

integral guides, bearings, sensors

and other subsystems


C O M P O N E N T M A T T E R S : P N E U M A T I C S


are of industrial scale, Festo is applying manyof the same principles to miniature components.It has just launched a new generation of pneu-matic mini slides that it feels are set to redefinethe market for guided actuators.

The DGSL unit is based on a design in whichthe guide unit forms the actual body of the actu-ator and incorporates a high performancepneumatic drive. This fully integrated approachoffers numerous advantages over conventionalmini slides, including greater smoothness,higher end-position accuracy and inherentrobustness, says Festo.

“A completely new body profile simplifiesinstallation and commissioning by enabling allsensors to be mounted, adjusted and seen fromjust one position,” explains the company’sSteve Sands. “Thinking through how a productis installed and used, ratherthan just how it operates, isquite a discipline for thedesigners but the dividendsin the field are enormous.

“They are suitable for awide range of precisionmoving, pick-up, insertionand placement tasks, andintegrate easily with otherFesto automation compo-nents.”

DGSL mini slides areavailable with strokelengths up to 200mm. Eachunit offers a wide range ofstroke adjustment which, combined with itsexceptional rigidity and linearity, means thatmultiple slides can simply be ‘piggy-backed’ tocreate the desired motion characteristics. Thereis also a choice of eight actuator piston diame-ters – from 4 mm to 25 mm – and three types ofdamping option.

In all, the DGSL series offers 145 differentmodels, making it very easy for system design-ers and machine builders to select an exactmatch for their application.

All DGSL series mini slides feature anextruded aluminium body, which mounts theguide unit and houses the bore of the pneumaticactuator cylinder. A precision stainless steelguide is coupled to the housing via ball cagebearings running along the guide rails, and ispre-tensioned to ensure smooth and reliableoperation. The guide and the slide are pre-mounted and then ground in-situ, obviating anydimensional errors caused by the aluminiumextrusion.

Thanks to the rigidity of the slide and yokeplate the new slide is said to realise a repetitionaccuracy of 0.01mm and offers linearity andparallelism within the 0.01mm range – even atmaximum stroke. Furthermore, cage control isimplemented using a patented rack-and-pinionarrangement which prevents any slip due tofriction.

Air preparationWhile actuation is the more immediately excit-ing end of pneumatics, air preparation has notbeen forgotten either. Many manufacturershave introduced improvements to their filtering,regulating and lubricating technologies inrecent months.

For example, Hoerbiger-Origa has announ-ced a major expansion of its Airfit Tecno range

of intelligent proportional press control valves.Airfit Tecno combines piezoelectric technol-

ogy and precision miniature component engi-neering which is said to completely redefineuser expectations for speed and precision of airpressure control.

The piezoelectric control means the range isable to offer high dynamic performance, withsuch small power consumption that sparkinggeneration is physically impossible allowing itto be used in Zone 1 rated explosive environ-ments. Similarly there is no heat generation.

Full range pressure regulation is achievablefor 0 bar to full flow, which coupled with itsquiet operation makes it ideal for medicalapplications. Rapid cycling, ease of installationand compact size are further characteristics ofAirfit Tecno.

At the other end of the scale the latest addi-tion to Parker Hannifin’s innovative Moduflexmodular air preparation system is the newModuflex 80 range. This extends the versatility

FestoT: 0800 626422E: [email protected]

Hoerbiger-OrigaT: 0870 060 0655E: [email protected]

Parker HannifinT: 01543 456000E: [email protected]

and convenience of the FRL system to applica-tions that involve large air volumes.

Well suited for use in factory pneumatic ring-main installations, the Moduflex 80 rangeincludes filters, lubricators and regulators, aswell as a comprehensive series of accessories.Individual components can be quickly assem-bled in almost any combination, which is said toproduce efficient, economical and easy-to-maintain air preparation systems, exactlymatched to their users’ needs.

A key feature of the Moduflex 80 range, incommon with other products which make up theFRL system, is the use of Parker’s novel Cliplokfasteners. These allow combinations of compo-nents to be assembled without the use of tools,in less than half the time needed with conven-tional systems.

The Cliplok system also eliminates the needfor extra items such as pipe connectors and,since the individual components mount directlyface-to-face without intermediate blocks, itproduces exceptionally compact assemblies.Further, the Cliplok system allows individualcomponents to be easily removed or exchanged,greatly facilitating maintenance.

These technical developments are oftenreflections of greater trends in wider industry.For instance pneumatics is doing its bit toreduce carbon generation and energy consump-tion, with simplification and ergonomic designsdriven by users needs for greater productivityand flexibility.

Ray Barnes at Hoerbiger-Origa, has one finalthought for the future of pneumatics users:

“For ten years or more we have seen machinebuilding moving to the new low wage economiesof the East. But their wages are now catchingup, while we are developing automation andmachine systems that reduce labour content.Also consumers are increasingly concerned tobuy locally produced goods, thus reducingtransport miles and increasing the need for pro-duction machinery.” �

Air preparation: Parker is evolving the design of the once humble FRL –

filter/regulator/lubricator – with the Modulflex 80 range


L A B E L L I N G , C O D I N G , M A R K I N G

Laser for PET: Imaje 7031S uses a shorter wavelength than usual

IMAJE UK

Laser coder wavelength istuned specifically for PETImaje has extended its range ofthird generation CO2 laser coderswith the 7031S vector model,specifically designed for coding ontoPET using a specific wavelength.

“Standard lasers usewavelengths of 10.6 microns, whichactually engrave the bottle,” Imajeexplains. “The 7031S has awavelength of 9.3 microns, whichenables the beam to stay on thesurface therebykeeping the PET intactand preserving themechanicalcharacteristics of thebottles.”

The lower wave-length also uses lessenergy, creates lessdust and is said to create greatercontrast on the marked material.

Imaje points out that the codecreated by standard lasers is onlyvisible as a result of lightinteracting with the engraved mark.However, the 7031S beam stays on

the surface and results ina change of colour, toslightly off-white, makingcodes easier to read,irrespective of whether

the bottles contain light or darkliquid.

The 7031S laser is able to codeup to 1333 bottles a minute and,with a tolerance of ± 10mmbetween the printhead and thebottles, different sizes of bottles –

LOGOPAK INTERNATIONAL

Print-apply unitsidentify tote bincontents forBoots’ storesBoots’ new warehouse inNottingham has installed sevenLogopak 515T print-applylabellers to identify the contents oftote bins carryingpharmaceuticals, cosmetics and soforth to its retail outlets.

The machines are using colouredpolypropylene labels to identify theday of despatch or, in the case oflines running at relatively lowoutput, labels with lines of sixblocks of colour – one for each day.Five of these are overprinted asappropriate as the rest of the labelis printed, depending on theparticular day of the week.

This simple “harlequin”approach – devised initially byLogopak for other industries suchas brewing in which simple dayidentification is required –eliminates the need for daily reelchanges.

At the warehouse goods arepicked and placed into plastic totescarrying their own permanent barcode which is identified to thewarehouse management system byscanning at the time of loading.

As the totes approach thelabelling station, the permanentbar code on the tote is scanned, thedata sent to the warehousemanagement system and details ofthe label data to be printed sentback to the Logopak 515T real-time print-apply labellers.T: 01904 692333E: [email protected]

330, 500 and 1000ml – can all bemarked on the same line.

“This focal distance tolerancealso compensates for problemsresulting from product vibrationsand movements while on theconveyor and ensures consistentlyhigh quality, high-contrast marking,even where condensation is presenton the bottles,” says Imaje.T: 01928 599420E: [email protected]

Applicator duogive sushibranding andtamper evidence Two pressure-sensitive applicators,purpose built by Atwell, areallowing Gunstones Bakery,Sheffield, to label three differentsizes of sushi packs with a singlecomposite label that runs acrossthe base and up two sides, securingthe lid to the base and providingtamper evidence.

Each system incorporates abespoke conveyor built fromstainless steel and other food gradematerials, along with a basemounted 250mm wide AL250-S

programmablestepper-drivenlabelling head fittedwith a Markemthermal transferprinter.

This particularlywide head allows thelabels to be carriedlong edge leading onthe reel, forapplication to thebase of the packsfollowed by wipe-up either side. Amotorised head gripper ensures theproduct is held positively duringthe labelling process.

Due to the stiff nature of thecomposite labels used, the labelpath has been altered and

additional idler rollers employed toavoid risk of delamination beforeapplication, while additional labelhead supports were added to makesure the systems did not flex in use.T: 01342 844146E: sales@atwell-labellers. co. uk

ATWELL SELF-ADHESIVE LABELLERS

Wipe-up labelling: Branding and security for sushi

Day at a glance: Pre-printed colour

blocks are used on the labels


TOTALSHOWREPORT 2CONCLUDING OUR REPORT ON NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT THE TOTAL PROCESSING & PACKAGING EXHIBITION IN MAY.

ENDOLINE MACHINERY

Total saw the first publicdemonstration of the Versapackcompact robotic case-packingmachine produced as a result ofco-operation between case-handling specialist Endoline androbot manufacturer Quin Systems.

Applications include flow androll-wrapped biscuits, wet wipes,ready meals and cartons.

The machine consists of anEndoline 220 case erector onwhich the Quin Rtheta pickinghead and a product infeedconveyor are mounted to give aparticularly compact footprint of1800 x 1750mm.

tighter fit within the case.In addition, the use of existing

technology also saves space, pointsout Mike Webb, managing directorof Quin Systems. “For example,the reliability of the dual opposingvacuum case opening system onthe 220 erector means there is noneed for a buffer, which means asmaller footprint.”

Endoline managing directorTony Hacker says: “Unliketraditional combined machinesdesigned by specialists in eithercase-erecting or case-loading, webelieve the new system is unique asit is designed jointly by two of the

This is because of the speed ofthe picking head – up to 100 aminute depending on productweight and case size – whichallows output to be maintained bypicking columns rather than theentire case layers required formany pick-and-place units toachieve a reasonable speed.

The result is that a simpler andsmaller product collating area canbe used, with no need for multi-lane collation.

A further advantage in pickingcolumn by column is that productssuch as sachets can be easilyoverlapped to achieve a much

Compact robot case-packercombines proven machines

Bagging systemsuits IQF andother washdownapplicationsThe FAS SPrint pre-made baggingsystem launched in the UK byAutomated Packaging Systems isaimed particularly at the foodindustry and other packingenvironments that require fastchangeover and daily washdownprocedures.

This includes IQF products andthose that are delicate or needorientation, such as lettuce.

Built in stainless steel andsealed to IP65, the systemoperates with bags supplied on aweb, automatically separating,pitching, and opening the bagsready for loading by hand orautomatic equipment such asweighers or fillers.

Speed is up to 120 bags a

minute and loading areas 1500mmwide can be supplied for up to twooperatives on both sides of themachine.

The flexibility provided by themachine – which is readilyrelocatable – makes it well suitedto operations that demanddifferent bag sizes and frequentproduct changeover and that have

varying weights of produce in thesame bag, says Paul Hayden,marketing and commercialmanager at Automated Packaging.

Set up for a new bag size takesabout 2 minutes while the entirebag transport system can be tilted90 deg for cleaning.T: 01684 891400E: [email protected]

Designed for washdown: FAS SPrint pre-made bagging system

AUTOMATED PACKAGING SYSTEMS

LOCK INSPECTION SYSTEMS

High frequencymetal detectorsets itself tothe product The MET 30+ 3f/hf automatictriple frequency metal detectorintroduced by Lock is said to becapable of high accurateinspection of goods packed in bothfilm and metallised materials.

It has an in-built automaticfrequency selection facility, whichchooses the optimum frequencywhatever the product orpackaging. High frequency isselected to inspect dry foods suchas cookies or snackfoods at875kHz - four times higher thanstandard food industry detectors.

The MET 30+ 3f’s in-builtautomatic product set-up facilityeliminates time spent configuringthe detector and ensuresconsistently high performance,says Lock. It has settings for up to100 products.

High frequency electronics arealso now incorporated in Lock’sMET 30+hf Atex approvedvertical fall system, offering dryingredient manufacturers up to 30per cent higher sensitivity thanstandard detectors, says thecompany.T: 0161 624 0333E: [email protected]

Multi-frequency: Conveyor mounted

Lock MET 30+ 3f/hf metal detector


Minimum footprint: Versapack requires no accumulation space

leading companies in both fields.”Speed of the Versapack is up to

20 cases a minute.The Rtheta pick-and-place

system has just two axes offreedom which, points out QuinSystems, means that the armitself, free of joints, is lighter, morerigid than other picking robots and

able to operate at higher speed. Drive is direct from two servo

motors which not only eliminatesany risk of positional errors due tobacklash, but also greatly reducesmaintenance. Repeatable accuracyis said to be better than 0.1mm.T: 01767 316422E: [email protected]

Stickpacks withperforations to challengeteabagsA stickpack alternative totraditional teabags – whichdoubles up as a spoon for stirring– was launched on the UK marketby Integrapak, recently appointedBritish representative for thecomplete machine and materialssystem.

Called Tstix the packs are madeon multi-lane stick-packingmachines supplied by Germanmanufacturer Schwarze-Automation using a three-layerlaminate with a pattern of micro-perforations.

This allows the sticks to be usedfor leaf tea or instant coffee –preferably freeze dried – as well asherbal infusions and instant tea.

After use the sticks can be lifted

from the cup without dripping,since the grains of tea or herbsswell and close off theperforations.

Schwarze-Automation iscurrently developing a newmetering unit for its stick-packingmachines, allowing them to handleproducts that are not free-flowing,or are particularly light.T: 01420 593680E: [email protected]

LOGIC TPS

Bottle unscramblerrequires no size partsAn unscrambler that requires nosize parts to handle bottles, tubesand tubs up to 100mm diameterat speeds up to 120 a minute wasdemonstrated by Logic TPS,which also showed a new ultraclean design of modular conveyordeveloped particularly forcontract packersserving thepharmaceuticalindustry.

The ExtremeSortstation bottleunscrambler issaid to be aparticularly costeffective systemand consists of aseries of channelsonto whichbottles are fed bythe elevator,aligning themimmediately inone axis.

A revolvingwheel then liftsthe bottles up onpins towards thetop of themachine. The pinsenter the necks of those bottles inthe correct orientation, carryingthem up and over centre to theadjustable V-plates of the outfeed.

Those containers in theopposite orientation, and sopropelled from their base, tumbleback under gravity into thechannels at the bottom of themachine and the process isrepeated.

The new ultra clean ExtremeJig-Saw conveyor was developedinitially by Logic TPS for acontract packer to provide amodular system with zero

opportunity for tablets to becometrapped and become rogueproducts after changeover.

Construction is modular, inFDA approved materials, withconveyor support lengths of500mm, 1 and 2 metres linkedvia a male and female 'jigsaw'

joint. The conveyor belt runs in acrevice-free trough at the top andwithin a sealed returnunderneath.

Removal of the conveyor beltrequires no tools and is achievedvia a simple pin-locking system.

Drive is by inverter motorswhile integral service trunking isbuilt into the body of the conveyorfor electrical and air supplies.Each section has an outlet portthrough which services can beaccessed.T: 01344 750101E: [email protected]

No size parts: Extreme Sortstation unscrambler

operates at speeds up to 120 bottles a minutes

Perforations: Tstix provides a

stirring alternative to teabags

INTEGRAPAK

Total Report 2 continues on page 66

T O T A L S H O W R E P O R T 2


the magazine as an aid to ensuringclean separation of sheets forpresentation to the rollers.

IWKA PacSystems alsodemonstrated the new CompactCoF, a budget priced friction feedercapable of speeds up to 100 metresa minute. Both feeders areequipped with a quick tensiondevice, which ensures the rollerswear uniformly, reducingmaintenance to a minimum.

Further feeders from RonTechinclude suction drum and pick-and-place models for handlingfilled bags and sachets, CDs andcompleted mailing envelopes,rotary feeders for newspapers,magazines and single sheets up toA3 and sliding feeders for productsover 5mm thick such as smallcartons.T: 0870 011 3794E: [email protected]

FJ PISTOL MACHINE SERVICES

Standaloneblister packinspector runsat 300 a minuteA standalone off-line inspectionstation for sealed blisters, able tocheck both sides of the pack atspeeds up to 300 blisters a minutewas introduced by FJ Pistol, UKrepresentative of the Germanmanufacturer ScanwareElectronic.

It is aimed in particular atsituations where, for a variety ofreasons, an entire batch may needto be re-inspected.

Fed from a vertical magazine,the machine can be equipped withthe Scanware Lynx-Spectra colourvision system to inspect thecontents of the blister for productpresence, shape, colour, area,surface defects and incorrectlocation in multiproduct packs.

On the lidding side, print qualityand code accuracy issimultaneously checked via OCVand a greyscale camera, includinglot dates, expiry dates, and allkinds of single and 2D codes. Some24 different reading areas aredefinable.

The machine also includes areject counter and verificationsystem.T: 01727 823461E: [email protected]

IWKA PACSYSTEMS

High speed feeder can linkto multi-station magazineRecently appointed UKrepresentative for RonTech, theSwiss manufacturer of feeders forflat products such as cards, sachetsand credit cards, IWKAPacSystems demonstrated a highspeed friction system coupled to amulti-station turret magazine anda new budget friction model.

The Revolver automaticmagazine extends substantially theinterval between replenishment bycarrying 16 trays of items to be fedaround an indexing turret. As onetray is exhausted, so feed from thenext is taken up to maintain aconstant stream of product to thefeeder.

At Total the machine was shownlinked to a RonTech MF-Servofriction feeder. This is able to runat speeds up to 160 metres aminute and incorporates a systemof gentle vibration at the back of

Automatic magazine: Revolver

carries 16 trays of items for feeding

SELO UK

Filled bread rollline and reclosesystem forpillow packsAn automatic line for producingfilled bread rolls at the rate of 60-100 a minute was shown operatingby Selo, demonstrating thecompany’s experience in creatinglines of this type for the foodindustry.

There was also a new reclosableseal system operating on an Omoriflow-wrapper.

The bread roll filling andpacking line consisted of fourmachines linked by conveyor, eachoperating on an on-demand basis.

Rolls are first fed through a Seloslicing machine that makes athree-quarter depth vertical cut

allowing a sausage to be placedand mustard or mayonnaise to beadded via a Depo K3 depositor.

Rolls then progress to an OmoriPa-2605 compact inverted flow-wrapper and finally pass throughan Anritsu X-ray machine.

Selo has recently also completeda fully automatic line for preparingham and cheese rolls at the rate ofaround 60 a minute.

It consists of an infeed andpositioning conveyor, cuttingstation, top removal andmanipulation section, slicer withautomatic feed for the blocks,cheese-ham depositing conveyor,and top replacing unit.

As an option, lines of this typecan also be equipped with a butterspreading unit.

In addition, Selo used Total todemonstrate a new reclosable

pillow pouch system on the OmoriS-5000A flow-wrapper, capable ofspeeds up to 300 packs a minute.

As the film unwinds the systemdie-cuts a crescent-shaped slit andcovers it with a peelable pressuresensitive label. To open the packsconsumers simply peel back thelabel – also used for reclosure.

The machine was shown set upfor unsupported meat or cheeseslices with a polycord conveyorthat runs into the forming box anddelivers the product securely ontothe film.T: 0151 644 9393E: [email protected]

Inspecting the lidding: One of the

cameras on the Scanware machine

machinery update - september

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