Originally Published PMPN September 2001
PRODUCT UPDATE: Form-Fill-Seal Equipment
Form-Fill-Seal Equipment Has Sophisticated CapabilitiesVersatile machines offer high speeds and programmability.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine fills sachets or pouches with powders and granular material at speeds of 70 strokes per minute on a web as wide as 400 mm. The intermittent-motion MS235 is also able to transfer and count pouches into predefined stacks and cartons. The fully enclosed machine comes with easy splicing features and a double-shaft-driven feeding system designed to minimize reel replacement time, and the balcony construction and compact design of the sealing units keep maintenance low. Automatic jaw opening eliminates the chance of foil or product damage. The sealer uses pneumatic system assistance to achieve optimal pressure and a tight seal. Marchesini Packaging, West Caldwell, NJ.
A horizontal form-fill-seal machine designed for medical and pharmaceutical manufacturers of such products as catheters and sutures produces packages with tight and sterile seals. The Integri-Seal features a seal-validation system that includes a touch screen display that monitors speed, single-point temperature, and single-point pressure during normal operation and at process setup. The machine has all Allen-Bradley electrical components. It is available in single- and dual-lane configurations and offers quick changeover, a long-dwell traveling cross-seal with temperature control, and the ability to print out date- and time-identified operational parameters. Circle Packaging Machinery Inc., Green Bay, WI.
A box and tray form-fill-seal machine is capable of production speeds of 50 units per minute. The MAB B11 automatically forms squared boxes or trays and then fills them precisely. It can be equipped to verify the presence of individual packaged components, to verify bar codes, and to affix tamper-evident closures, and can be fitted with an overwrapping module. The versatile, reliable machine is part of a packaging-equipment line that includes collators, cartoners, tray formers, case packers, and overwrappers. MG America, Fairfield, NJ.
A form-fill-seal machine is available with platen sealing. Producing up to 400 blister packages per minute, the CP-400 offers changeover in less than three minutes, versatility, ease of use, and clean GMP design. The compact machine, which has a 17.0 x 3.6-ft footprint, runs vinyl and alternative materials such as polypropylene. The machine's three modular sections (preheating and forming; filling; and embossing, perforating, and punching) have their own servo drives. Klöckner Medipak, Clearwater, FL.
A multilane vertical form-fill-seal pouching machine for liquid or dry products offers a wide range of pouch sizes, types, and fill volumes. The space-conserving Exact-a-Pack is designed for economy, typically matching the output of four single-tube vertical machines or in-line pouch machines. The machine can produce as many as 1000 four-side-seal pouches per minute, forming up to 12 pouches per cycle, including profile pouches, pouches with peelable seals, pouches with front and rear registration, and traditional and burst multicompartment pouches. Its servo drives and push-button recipe selection facilitate product and pouch-size changeover, which takes less than an hour. Automated tracking of film handling minimizes material waste during changeover. Mateer Burt, Exton, PA.
A four-side-seal packaging machine offers rotary horizontal form-fill-seal capabilities in two lanes and can attain heat-seal production speeds of 25 m/min. The Twin Lane is a high-speed version of the manufacturer's basic four-side-seal machine. It can store in memory 50 different package and printing routines, with changeover, and it can produce skip-one-touch product recall and seal packs with or without a chevron, or run products sideways to produce easy-open pouches from offset webs. The two-lane configuration retains the flexibility of the simpler machine because one of the side-seal modules is mounted at the datum, along the centerline, allowing a full size change to be completed in minutes without corrupting validated settings. Independent computer control of the infeed, side-seal, cross-seal, and cutting drive modules is a principal contributing factor in the machine's accuracy, repeatability, and validatable operation. Doyen Medipharm Ltd., Barton, Cambs, UK.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine is capable of handling a variety of package styles, from flat-bottom to pillow and gussetted. The Eagle Infinity Model 1524 offers features such as toolless size changeover, temperature control, and factory-set vacuum belts. A standard pneumatic film-roll shaft helps keep the film centered and allows the film to unwind concentrically off the core. The film-roll disc brakes improve film tracking and eliminate film-roll jumping. An analog proximity switch controls the speed of the film-advance rollers. The machine's space-saving design and open architecture offer easy access and ample room for code daters, a print registration eye, labelers, and other add-ons. SIG Pack Eagle Corp., Oakland, CA.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine for packing individual swab pads features servo-driven and -controlled rotary heat-sealing dies in an intermittent- or continuous-motion format. The Model RV 205 is designed to produce four-side-sealed pouches in multiples of two to ten across the die face. Production rates of 100–1000 pouches per minute are possible, and pouch sizes can range from 1.25 to 8.0 in. in width and from 1.5 to 12.0 in. in length. A wide variety of thermoplastic, laminate, and coextruded films can be used with the machine. Registered printing on a single side or the front and back panels is available. The Model RV 205 is PLC controlled with an optional operator-interface touch screen display that can provide the user with production statistics, machine settings, and troubleshooting information. The machine is available in stainless-steel construction to meet wash-down and Class 100 regulations. Prodo-Pak Corp., Garfield, NJ.
Copyright ©2001 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
