Global packaging equipment supplier, Focke & Co, unveiled its new packaging technology, the Focke HFP, at the Anuga FoodTec show in Cologne last week.
Speaking to FoodProductionDaily.com at the event, Michael Przytulla, director of sales and marketing at the company, said that the machine can pack products in poly-bags or foil packaging such as potato chips, pretzels, and pasta into boxes, and it ensures that the product stays in the required packaging position.
Packing procedure
He explained that the product is directed through the packing process in a gentle manner, with robot arms guiding the case to the product, and depending on the packing layout, the product is slid non-destructively in any given orientation into the case which is open at the top and turned on its side.
“The case is raised, turned and lowered - not the product. Thus, bags are not exposed to any pressure and as a result they do not burst and can be packaged purged or inflated,” said Przytulla.
He said that the HFP can achieve filling layouts whereby the first layer is aligned vertically and the second one horizontally, with the additional possibility of case space at the sides or top being filled to enable effective retail shelf presentation.
Cost efficiency
The equipment is capable of speeds of up to 15 cases or 120 bags per minute, continued Przytulla.
“The HFP enables cost savings in that it can be run 24/7 and allows for rapid format changeovers. Moreover, it is less labour intensive as it automates work traditionally done by hand in the majority of facilities involved in the packaging of these kind of products,” he added.
According to Przytulla, the HFP, as an individual module, can replace existing side or top-loaders, while he said that combinations with existing case erectors and sealers are also possible.
Cermex machinery
Another packaging equipment manufacturer, Cermex, recently launched a new wraparound case packer which it claims provides continuous motion to ensure greater longevity of equipment in addition to quicker, more uniform and secure packaging.
Jean Marc Passemard, sales promotion manager for the France-based machinery manufacturer, said that the new VersaWrap surpasses the speed of the intermittent stop and go style of case packing equipment.
He told this publication that the machine can handle 65 cycles per minute, while it ensures that size changeover only takes 15 minutes, with no change parts being required.
“To illustrate further, on a 12 bottle case, the VersaWrap enables the wrapping of 46,800 bottles per hour, and in terms of a 24 bottle case, the continuous motion means 93,600 bottles can be wrapped in an hour,” claims Passemard.
He claims the continuous motion enables a fluid production process and less wear and tear on the equipment’s component parts in comparison to stop and go case wrapping, while full-length transparent doors allows easy access to all areas of the machine.