Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News
Magazine
PMPN Article Index
Originally Published September 1999
PRODUCT UPDATE
Form-Fill-Seal Equipment Changes over Quickly
Form-fill-seal machines are designed for flexibility and ease of use.
Bags, pouches, and blisters can be filled and sealed quickly and cost-effectively with the right form-fill-seal machine. Different models provide low to high output. Machines are easy to use whether they are mostly mechanical or operated with a touch screen.
The emphasis is on flexibility, with one machine running several types and sizes of packages. Many machines offer changeovers of 30 minutes or less. And, as always, manufacturers aim for maximum return on investment and minimum waste when creating form-fill-seal models.
A line of form-fill-seal equipment is designed for pharmaceutical and medical device packaging. The Ministar series has 10 different models that can handle cold forming and thermoforming for rigid packaging materials as well as forming technologies for flexible materials. The Ministar N5 is a high-speed, intermittent-motion blister packaging machine with simple touch screen changeover from cold forming to thermoforming. The Ministar A-400 is designed for flexible materials with deep draw for medical devices. All Ministar machines can be equipped with on-line printing capabilities such as thermographic, flexographic, platen, and laser printing. Key International Inc., Englishtown, NJ.
A horizontal intermittent-motion machine is designed to form, fill, and seal three- or four-sided seal pouches. The Model H-170, which is a variable speed machine, can handle pouch sizes from a minimum of 3.125 x 5 in. to a maximum of 6.75 x 10.625 in. The rated output of this model is 100 pouches per minute in a single or one-up configuration. The Model H-170 can be equipped with a variety of product feed systems including positive-displacement piston pumps, time pressure, volumetric adjustable cup, or powered auger fillers. Prodo-Pak Corp., Garfield, NJ.
An auger filler is used for filling dry powders and granular products. The Digitronic can achieve speeds of 120 units per minute with an accuracy of 1.0% or better, according to the manufacturer. Its most common application is integration with form-fill-seal equipment, both vertical and horizontal machines. The filler is designed to provide cost savings through product fill accuracy and reductions in downtime and spare parts. Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery Inc., Sturtevant, WI.
A family of horizontal form-fill-seal machines offers high-speed flexibility and low cost. The PK3000 features a production rate of 1000 pouches per minute, a 30-minute product changeover, pouch cutoff convertibility, a quick-clean filler wheel, and a servo-controlled adjustable knife. Optional features include an automatic web slicer, pouch printing and coding, three- or four-sided sealing, customer choice of PLC, and complete systems for collating, transfer, and cartoning. R. A. Jones & Company, Inc., Cincinnati, OH.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine features a PLC with a 20-setup memory and a single point of control for auger and bagger. The Phaser vertical form-fill-seal machine is designed to be affordable but still offer high performance. The Phaser will produce both pillow pouches and gussetted pillow packs at a normal rate of 60 bags per minute. Available options include gas flushing and hole punch jaws. SIG Pack Eagle Corp., Oakland, CA.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine has an improved continuous-motion operation that yields product output at rated speeds of up to 180 bags per minute. The VPK-260 vertical form-fill-seal machine offers a system in which the jaw motion is synchronized with the film movement through the machine. This provides a long product fill and seal time and optimizes the total productivity cycle. Sealing time and pressure can be adjusted for greater flexibility in packaging materials. Rovema Packaging Machines, Lawrenceville, GA.
Flow-wrapping machines handle basic to complex needs. The Merlin machine produces up to 100 packs per minute. The Minerva PC uses multiaxes servo drives and full electronic controls to provide flexibility and speeds of up to 400 wraps per minute. The Integra PC is a high-output wrapper fitted with "no product, no bag" and misplaced-product detection features. The machines produce high-integrity seals. Rose Forgrove Ltd., Wakefield, W Yorks, England.
High-speed sterile pouching of medical devices can be accomplished with a fully automated electronic four-sided seal machine. The machine can package a range of medical products into sterile pouches with dimensions of up to 14 x 50 x 1 in. The four-sided seal machine is also available in a dual lane configuration with up to a 24-in. web width capability. A slanted sealing head may also be installed for liquid filling and packaging. Doyen Medipharm Inc., Lakeland, FL.
Forming tubes for vertical form-fill-seal machines are customized and low in cost. Available in a variety of materials, these tubes are designed for higher-speed packaging requirements. The tubes have a rigid design and are made of heavy gauge material. The company does not charge rush fees. TPS, Owings, MD.
Form-fill-seal lines are designed to produce and fill non-PVC flexible bags with various bag and port designs. The fully automatic FFS 773 can produce bag sizes from 50 to 5000 ml with outputs of 750 to 6000 bags per hour. Multichamber bags are also possible. The FFS 773 is manufactured in accordance with GMP regulations. Plümat North America, Naperville, IL.
Two user-friendly lines of form-fill-seal machines deliver high packaging rates. The 800 and the 8000 series packaging machines feature programmable controllers and modular construction with removable panels. Mahaffy & Harder Engineering Co., Fairfield, NJ.
Cap feed elevators are suitable for pharmaceutical packaging applications. Standard features include a polished stainless-steel inclined elevator bed and chute with polycarbonate covers, a compact 9-cu-ft stainless-steel bin, and an FDA-approved cleated Intralox white polypropylene belt. The Cap-L elevators have a polished stainless-steel tubular frame, illuminated on-off push button, and fully automatic operation. A complete line of elevators is available in several model sizes. Cap-L Company, Inc., Ramsey, NJ.
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