Bosch Packaging Technology has launched the first machine of its next generation of flow wrappers on the European and Asian markets – the Pack 403. As the successor of the Pack 401, the Pack 403 is a fully-automated horizontal flow wrapper for medium to high speed wrapping.
The narrow machine can be used for wrapping bars and biscuits, as well as chocolate, cookies and crackers. It features a removable discharge belt, upgrades to the cross-seal and fin seal units, and a highly intuitive, user-centred design.
“Our new Pack 403 offers mid- to large-sized manufacturers a fully-automated packaging solution that is exceptionally easy to operate, clean and maintain. This minimises downtime and increases Overall Equipment Effectiveness,” says Fransien de Ruijter, product manager at Bosch Packaging Technology in Schiedam, Netherlands. The Pack 403 is designed to produce up to 800 packages per minute at a film speed of 90 metres. Supported pack styles include pillow, gusseted and easy-to-open packs.
User-friendly design for easy handling
Bosch designed the Pack 403 with an eye to user-friendliness and ease of operation. It says the clear signage, instructive decals and setting scales on each component facilitate changeovers between products and minimise waste and downtime caused by 'trial-and-error' adjustments. The cantilevered discharge belt is one of the Pack 403’s key features: being removable, it is easy to clean and its detection function rejects faulty packages and automatically ejects them using compressed air. Furthermore, the film tower has an easy-to-adjust pivot arm and sequentially numbered film rollers for easy film threading have been added. The Pack 403 also comprises an automatic film splicer with clear instructions to secure fast and smooth film changes without having to stop the machine.
Improved film control and sealing units
Compared to the previous machine series, several updates were made to improve process efficiency and film control, including as standard the servo-driven power feed roller to optimise film tension and tracking. The new fin seal unit consists of pressure-controlled fin wheels to easily adjust the machine when running a variety of products with different films. Due to the cut-out deckplates each package now passes over the fin wheels more closely, which results in tighter packages.
“Operators are now able to remove the fin fold-over unit without tools and have full access to the cutting head area for cleaning and maintenance, which increases OEE,” says de Ruijter. The cross-seal unit has a narrow cutting head, which operators can manually open up for cleaning and clearing using a hand wheel. Air and fork gusseting is available for gusseted packages. In a final step, the mechanically driven overhead roller tightens the package seals on the discharge belt station.
Bosch is exhibiting at the Pack 403 at ProPak Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, June 12 to 15, 2019 and at FachPack in Nuremberg, Germany, September 24 to 26, 2019.
