Pack Expo International 2000—Preshow Virtual Exhibit
A preview of what packaging equipment suppliers will have in store for healthcare packagers at Pack Expo International 2000. The event will take place November 5–9 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
A portable automatic literature outsert application machine is suited for top, side, or under label applications. The Model 305SP handles prefolded, glued outserts ranging in size from a minimum of
Booth #S-1806
Aluminum and laminate tubes for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and household products can be decorated on an ad hoc basis by means of a patented image-transfer process that reproduces digitally generated graphics on the tube. The M-Deco process enables marketers to test products and display concepts without concern for minimum quantities or the cost of plating. It can be an alternative to printing tubes in small lot sizes. The service provider also offers the M-Texture Retrometallic surface, a process by which the surface of aluminum tubes can be given a marbleized or textured look. Montebello Packaging, Oak Park, IL.
Booth #E-6318
A high-resolution ink-jet coder prints one- and two-dimensional bar codes, variable-sized text, graphics, and logos on products and cartons at speeds to 175 ft/min. The LegiJet Model ml500 produces fonts ranging in height from 0.06 to 2.8 in., with upper- and lower-case letters and bold and italic capabilities. Resolution is 180 dpi. A Windows-based controller offers flexibility in editing and storage. Weber Marking Systems Inc. , Arlington Heights, IL.
Booth #S-2452
Integrating blow molding, sterile filling, and hermetic sealing in a single continuous operation, a machine produces distinctive and reliably aseptic manufactured products. The Asep-Tech blow-fill-seal machine is available in several models that can manufacture containers 0.2 to 1000 ml in volume at speeds to 15,000 units per hour, depending on the configuration of the container. A data-acquisition package is available that can perform trend analysis, menu development, and alarm monitoring. Weiler Engineering Inc. , Elk Grove, IL.
Booth #S-1892
Operating at speeds as high as 45 cycles per minute, a two-axis robotic case loader handles products gently while maintaining high throughput. The versatile SFX-100 is designed to accommodate a wide variety of products, as well as an assortment of case and tray types, and offers quick-changeover capability for maximum production flexibility. The case loader can pack one full layer of product into several cases or trays simultaneously in each cycle. A smart index track accumulator conveyor and programmable robotic arm constitute a fast product-delivery system that provides positive control of even such difficult-to-handle items as flexible packages. Salwasser Manufacturing Company, Inc. , Reedley, CA.
Booth #S-2460
Sealed large-capacity cartridges of ink and additive are available for use with production ink-jet printers and are well suited for manufacturers who need to print large quantities of products or who have continuous production processes. Sealed cartridges ensure ink quality and purity, eliminate solvent vapors, and are easy and neat to use. The cartridges last an average of 1 week. The cartridges are supplied in the form of kits to manufacturers with smaller or sporadic production needs, each kit consisting of two ink cartridges and four additive cartridges. The large-capacity cartridges can be used without any modification on the S7 line of Sigma, Mega, and Supra printers. Imaje USA, Kennesaw, GA.
Booth #S-2440
The enhanced version of a laser coder is a two-axis beam-steered system designed to produce clear, crisp, permanent letters. The Lasetec uses a pair of galvanometers to write fully formed characters and includes an automatic verification system. Because the system is software driven, choosing different font styles and print sizes for different applications involves no change parts. Character flexibility is optimized by the capability of a single printhead to print letters ranging in height from 0.05 to 2.0 in. Industrial Dynamics, Torrance, CA.
Booth #S-2560
Humidity-indicating cards measure the relative humidity within a packaging environment with an accuracy of ±2%, thereby ensuring that freshness is maintained during shipment or storage and that mold, rust, and corrosion are prevented. Cards are available to register humidity levels of 5, 10, and 15%. They comply with JDEC-STD-033 for semiconductor packaging. The cards are suitable for use with a desiccant and a moisture-barrier bag in shipping sensitive electronic circuits and components, and also have application for pharmaceutical products and medical diagnostic kits and devices. Desiccare Inc., Santa Fe Springs, CA.
Booth #E-8150
A dual-element heat sealer featuring repeatable and verifiable temperature controls is fully validatable. The HD-12 sealer is well suited for all medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications. It has a 500°C controller, single or dual 12-in. elements, and a high-pressure seal area. Contour seals and other options are available. The heat sealer is capable of sealing a variety of high-temperature materials, including polyethylene and Kapton. Aline Heat Seal Corp. , Santa Fe Springs, CA.
Booth #S-1883
A case-forming machine sets up regular slotted corrugated (RSC) cases, folds the bottom flaps, and then closes the flaps with tape. Depending on case size, the Superformer operates at rates up to 15 cases per minute. The user-friendly machine features a stainless-steel exterior, an automatic case-squaring system, tape and case monitoring, and easy changeover to accommodate a new case size. These attributes provide the consistency required for integration into automatic production lines and maximize production efficiency and flexibility. OK International Corp., Marlboro, MA.
Booth #N-3496
A pair of high-speed tube filling machines is available. The Nordenmatic 850 can produce 85 tubes per minute with the help of a reinforced indexing and drive system that offers mechanically driven movements whenever possible. It can handle all types and sizes of tubes with minimal changeover time. The Nordenmatic 1700, providing outputs up to 170 tubes per minute, incorporates a driving device and tube discharge and tube reject functions proven in earlier systems. Both machines can be upgraded individually or made an integral part of the manufacturer's total-concept system that consists of matching feeders, cartoning machines, and tubes. Norden Inc. , Branchburg, NJ.
Booth #N-4836
Form-fill-seal blister packaging equipment designed for pharmaceutical and medical device applications is available in 10 models that can cold-form and thermoform rigid packaging materials and also form flexible materials. The Ministar line comes in web widths of 200–400 mm. The Model P250 blister packager is a high-speed, intermittent-motion machine that features simple touch-screen changeover from cold forming to thermoforming. All of the machines can be equipped with on-line printing capability. Digital imaging and inspection systems are also offered to support automated quality control. Key International, Englishtown, NJ.
Booth #E-6142
A continuous-motion rotary crimper runs at speeds up to 400 vials per minute. The Road Runner Pharma is designed to tolerate heavy-duty demands yet remain accurate enough to fulfill pharmaceutical industry requirements. Its mechanical crimping system features independently adjustable crimping heads. The system is mounted on a mechanical turret that controls turret height and the horizontal distance of the crimping knives from the bottleneck. Independent adjustment of the crimping knife facilitates quick setups; it is effected from a touch-screen control panel. Capmatic Ltd. , Montreal-Nord, QC, Canada.
Booth #S-3072
A servo-driven in-line printer featuring a patented geared S-wrap drive is capable of printing up to 35 cycles per minute without placing stress on package seals. The FlexPrint is designed for in-line printing on all makers' horizontal form-fill-seal machines. The system is able to sense and capture the web speed, thus providing constant trouble-free printing. It includes an enclosed doctor blade ink system to support high-quality printing of fine text and bar codes with no loss of ink viscosity. A single cylinder can be used to print messages of various sizes. Bell-Mark Sales Co. , Pine Brook, NJ.
Booth #S-1616
A company offers a wide range of downstream packaging machines. The Pester PEWO-Fold allows for quick changeovers and fully overwraps collations, single cartons, and trays with such heat-sealable materials as cellophane, PVC, PP, or paper. The PEWO-Pack 250 compact stretchbander stretchwraps (with or without a shrinktunnel) single or multipacks with PE film. The PEWO-Form EVP case packer provides a state-of-the-art compact solution for case erecting, packing, and pelletizing, using a six-axis robot. The UVP side-loaded casepacker offers a GMP-influenced design with improved access and small footprint for cartons or bottles individually packaged or bundled. Pester USA, Allendale, NJ.
Booth #N-5053
Systems for medical sealing are available in tabletop, standalone, and conveyorized versions. The MPS 6300 series utilizes air-pressurized heating and cooling bars for the sealing process. Sealing parameters are maintained by digital temperature, pressure, and tachometer controls on the front panel, and validation is further ensured by audio alarms, an external thermocouple jacket, and reverse-feed on motor. Optional upgraded control packages and data-acquisition systems are also offered for quality assurance and analysis. Designed to increase production efficiency, the series is equipped with an internal safety interlock switch, a gas-spring floor stand for infinite head-height adjustment, and quick routine maintenance. Emplex Systems Inc. , Scarborough, ON, Canada.
Booth #S-1486
A manufacturer of comprehensive integrated wet- and dry-end packaging and bottling systems has facilities located strategically worldwide. The company's products include PET bottle stretch-blow molders; palletizers and depalletizers; packers and unpackers; bottle handling, conveying, and inspection systems; bottle washers and rinsers; blenders; fillers; labelers; sleevers; and tamper-evident banders. The firm's air conveyors are engineered with specialized radial blowers that float bottles on an air cushion and minimize friction and wear. The Stretchmatic labeler provides ±1 mm label placement accuracy and is capable of outputs at speeds of 50 to 800 bottles per minute. Krones Inc., Franklin, WI.
Booth #S-2474
A deblistering machine is a jam-free, 100%-yield unit for the recovery of tablets and capsules from all types of reject blister pack. The Press-Out Universal handles blisters of all shapes and designs, including circular, diagonal, and irregular layouts, and curled blisters. The unit is also capable of handling such problem blisters as those containing fragile tablets with break lines, and very small or unusually shaped tablets. The machine's design uses minimum pressure to empty delicate products intact. An emptying mechanism completely inverts each pocket, leaving no product stuck in the blisterpack. With operating speeds up to 50 packs per minute, the unit offers fast, toolless changeover between size parts in two to four minutes. Sepha Products, Newtownards, N. Ireland.
Booth #S-2274
Among the machines available from a manufacturer of pharmaceutical blister packaging machinery are thermoformers, vision inspection systems, case packers, and cartoners. The 1070 thermoformer is designed to automatically monitor and make adjustments during operation. Eliminating startup waste, the unit also maintains a product-specific database that can be reintroduced to the line at any time. The VisioNIR inspection system performs contact-free identification of tablets, capsules, and gels with organic compounds. The machine ensures all blister-packaged items have the correct ingredients and composition, even in high-speed applications. The E4040 casepacker provides virtually seamless production line processing, from feeding of the bulk product to the multiunit carton. The C2404 cartoner is capable of producing 450 cartons per minute with instantly reproducible machine settings, allowing instant startup following a tool changeover. Uhlmann Packaging Systems Inc., Towaco, NJ.
Booth #N-4641
A platen printer is designed for integration in intermittent motion thermoforming lines and pouch and blister machines. The units are capable of providing quality imprints, scannable bar codes, and graphics on Tyvek, laminates, and all types of film, foil, and paper. Print size is
Booth #S-430
A high-speed, continuous motion machine can form, fill, and seal pouches with multiple tablets, capsules, and softgels. Operating at 150 cycles per minute and at a maximum web width of 420 mm, the MAB Model M120 can fill up to 800 pouches per minute. The unit also offers such features as automatic verification that the correct number of tablets have been inserted into each pouch, as well as automatic rejection of pouches that do not meet fill parameters. In addition to pouching equipment, the company offers a complete line of collators, cartoners, tray formers, casepackers, and overwrappers. MG America, Fairfield, NJ.
Booth #E-6327
