MPMN: May 1997
Spotlight on Packaging Equipment
Automatic pouching systems
Open-fill-seal systems are designed for use with premade pouches and bags with or without zipper closures. The Pouchmaster automatic bar-seal system is a miniature robotic, PLC system that is compact (4 x 5 ft) and of modular design. It has four robotic work stations that easily open and process a variety of barrier-packaging materials. The system is cleanroom-compatible and can easily integrate to automatic fillers. It satisfies FDA process validation guidelines. About Packaging Robotics Inc., 6661 Arapahoe Ave., Ste. 2, Boulder, CO 80303.
Impulse heat sealers
A line of impulse heat sealers can achieve high levels of accuracy and performance due to the incorporation of a proprietary temperature-control system. Available as an option on the Medical H400 heat sealers, the Accu-Temp system provides 100% temperature accuracy from cycle to cycle. It continually monitors the heat seal temperature without the use of a thermocouple or RTD sensor. Instead, the system takes a direct reading of the heat seal band to measure temperature, thus eliminating any lag in the reading. An optional compact data logger provides a printed record of critical seal parameters such as seal temperature, seal duration, and cooling temperature. The printed record of each cycle provides an additional means of qualifying a given lot. Packworld USA, 299 Industrial Dr., Nazareth, PA 18064.
Automatic heat sealer
Built on the band-sealing principle and designed to control temperature instead of voltage, a heat sealing machine consistently provides strong seals. The BD-II sealer handles lightweight bags and sachets of polyethylene, vinyls, coated papers, and other materials. It has a capacity of up to 70 bags per minute and a sealing speed of up to 9.3 m/min. The sealer comes with a height-adjustable conveyor and with casters for easy moving. The conveyor can be tilted from the horizontal position to about 45°. Optical equipment includes a continuous coder, hot printer, emboss coder, dust cleaner, wider conveyor, and special-pattern compression sealing rollers and gusset rollers for gusseted bags. American-Newlong Inc., 5310 S. Harding St., Indianapolis, IN 46217.
Medical pouch machine
A medical pouch machine offers single-key access to a number of parameters, allowing the operator to make changes with minimal downtime. Functions such as sealing time, cycle-rate display, acceleration, tension, cooling time, and draw length can be controlled via a PLC and screen interface. An ac servo-driven sealing press features closed-loop control, adjustable pressure control, and smooth high-speed actuation at reduced noise levels. At the turn of a switch, thermal couplers are extracted and the T-bars drop to release the mother plate, thus allowing five-minute changeovers. GN Packaging Equipment, 855 Britannia Rd. E., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4W 4T2.
Continuous band sealing
A continuous dual-heat band sealer is designed to seal Tyvek/polymylar, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, laminates, kraft/PE, and foil. The VBS-DH-10 is designed with two 5-in. heating sections and two 5-in. cooling sections for greater flexibility in handling difficult-to-seal materials. Temperatures up to 500°F, ± 2°, are possible. The extra sealing capacity allows speeds up to 45 ft/min with constant secure seals of 1Ž8, 1Ž4, or 3Ž8 in. wide without bag top trimmer. Seals are achieved through the use of heavy-duty wear-resistant laminated Teflon bands. All Packaging Machinery Corp., 90 13th Ave., P.O. Box 1176, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779.
Hot-air sealer
A fixed-speed, continuous hot-air sealer is designed to meet the requirements of FDA process validation guidelines. The sealing temperature of the Saxon 5 MS is fully PID controlled, and the seal pressure is air regulated, thereby allowing for complete system calibration of the dynamic parameters that affect seal integrity. Consistent sealing performance is further enhanced by the autoreverse function that allows bag sealing only when the conditions are within established limits. O/K International Corp., 73 Bartlett St., Marlborough, MA 01752.
Hot-bar heat sealers
A line of precision hot-bar heat sealers provides seal quality for medical pouchmanufacturing applications. The Series AS/2 units feature individual digital control and display of temperature, pressure, and dwell time in order to provide control, accuracy, and repeatability. Each of the sealing parameters is tied into an alarm with a lockout feature to prevent cycling of the machine if any parameter exceeds the set limits. The Series AS/3 units feature a PLC to control temperature, pressure, and dwell time with password protection, data acquisition, and communications capabilities. They also offer full process alarms with lockout features. Sencorp Systems Inc., 400 Kidds Hill Rd., P.O. Box 6001, Hyannis, MA 02601.
Pneumatically operated heat sealer
A semiautomatic, pneumatically operated heat sealer features an easy-to-read analog pressure gage, digital push-button timer, and microprocessor-based digital temperature controller. These three parameters of the Model 111A are easily adjusted, thereby allowing consistent seals with the ability to change peelability as required. Container nest tooling is custom made to each sample provided by the customer. Depending on container size, multiple containers may be sealed on each cycle, thus increasing production rates. Servpak Corp., 105 Norflock St., Walpole, MA 02081.
Air-pressured heat sealers
Two series of medical heat sealers provide a hermetic seal that is created using economic fiberglass-coated Teflon bands. To allow for the validation of the sealing parameters, the V- and M-series units use air-pressurized heating and cooling bars, digital tachometers, and digital PID autotune controllers and alarms. The V-series sealers are suitable for moderate runs of light- to medium-weight pouches and have a simple switch that turns off the front heater bars, thus allowing for the improved sealing of Tyvek pouches. The stainless-steel M-series sealers are designed for large production runs and feature modular air-pressurized sealing heads for easier maintenance. Emplex Systems Inc., 2045 Midland Ave., Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, M1P 3E2.
Tabletop packaging system
Specifically designed for in-house packaging of small medical products, a tabletop machine is easy to operate and maintain. In addition to heat sealing packages, the Smallpak system offers computerized label-printing capabilities. The unit is suitable for packaging dental bits, pregnancy test kits, sutures, ophthalmological tools, bone screws, capsules, and pills. Stock packaging materials are available for quick delivery. Odessa Packaging, 202 N. Bassett St., P.O. Box 487, Clayton, DE 19938.
Four-side seal machine
A four-side seal machine for high-speed sterile pouching of medical devices is combined with an on-line flexographic package-printing system. The machine can package a variety of medical products into sterile pouches with dimensions up to 14 x 50 x 1 in. and print a 12 x 12-in. area on-line at speeds exceeding 250 units per minute. The flexographic printing system virtually eliminates the need to purchase preprinted material. The machine can print complete package artwork on foils, film, paper, and Tyvek during the packaging process. The system uses nontoxic UV-curable inks that come in sealed cartridges. Doyen Medipharm Inc., 520 Speedwell Ave., Morris Plains, NJ 07950.
Pouching equipment
Fully automated pouching equipment is available for medical applications. Packaging materials that can be processed include laminated films, Tyvek, and LDPE. Features include a label applicator, air evacuation system, date/lot coder, and desiccant feeder. Also available are standard and custom infeeds for difficult-to-load items. Hermetic seals ensure product integrity. Validation assistance is offered. Action Packaging Automation Inc., Oscar Dr., P.O. Box 190, Roosevelt, NJ 08555.
Medical pouch sealers
Two series of rugged medical pouch sealers use a 10-mm-wide heating element for secure sealing. The MS-350 and OPL systems are controlled by a microprocessor that monitors and controls sealing temperature. An autosealing/cooling cycle provides seal-to-seal consistency. Both sealers offer an enhanced heat-sink system, which provides increased element life, thereby minimizing downtime and lowering operating costs. Fuji Impulse America, P.O. Box 2423, Wrightwood, CA 92397.
Pouch sealers
Continuous sealers for processing medical pouches are available in two versions. The horizontal version has an integral conveyor, and the vertical version seals longer pouches. Both machines have controls for seal temperature, jaw pressure, and conveyor speed. The controls can be calibrated to permit machine validation. An alarm function prevents pouches from entering the machine if the established seal parameters are not met. Standard seal width is 7Ž16 in., but other widths can be specified. Machines can be furnished with painted or stainless-steel finishes. Additional options include a hot-stamp printer or embossing unit for pouch coding and a cutter for trimming the excess pouch material above the seal. Packaging Aids Corp., 24 Tiburon St., P.O. Box 9144, San Rafael, CA 94912.
