Products today are developed, manufactured and introduced to the market faster than ever before. Elisabeth Skoda explores what lies behind the impressive acceleration in production speed in the diverse areas of case packers, VFFS machines, carton filling machines and metallised film.
Effective processes
Shayne De la Force, CMO at tna solutions highlights the importance of integrated systems to achieve faster production speeds.
“The speed at which the packaging system can operate is influenced by the speed of the other components in the line. A bagger may be able to pack bags at a rate of 150 bags per minute, but if the scale can only handle 80 weighs per minute, then the overall productivity will be significantly reduced. By specifying complete turnkey systems from a single source supplier with controls and integration capabilities, they can be sure that each component works in perfect synergy with the other.”
In addition, the more flexible the system, the less time is required to change production runs to accommodate different pack sizes or formats, resulting in minimum interruption to the production flow.
“For VFFS technology, for example, this means that there are no mechanical adjustments needed when changing product or film. Quick format changes and a wide variety of jaw size configurations enable full flexibility of bag size and format, film type and application on a single packaging system. That way, manufacturers can respond to consumer trends quickly and efficiently,” Mr De La Force explains.
Integration and innovation
The recently launched tna performance 5.0 offers a revolutionary new approach to high-speed production line performance. By combining expertise in equipment integration and innovation, tna was able to develop a new range of ultra-high-speed solutions, comprising a new high performance vertical packaging system, high-speed multi-head scale and the world’s fastest case packer for flexible bags, as Mr De La Force points out.
“The first part of performance 5.0 was introduced at interpack last year, where we launched the tna ropac 5, our new ultra-high-speed case packer. Capable of industry-leading speeds of up to 300 bags per minute, the new tna ropac 5 broke new grounds in engineering excellence and innovation by more than doubling the industry’s maximum case packing speeds. The second part of performance 5.0 will be equally as revolutionary and will be presented at Snaxpo in the US in March when we’ll be releasing the new tna robag 5, the latest generation of our flagship VFFS packaging system.”
Speed with flexibility
Marco Marchetti, Tetra Pak's director of Packaging Equipment, highlights the fact that growing consumption results in the need for increased speed of production if the same output capacity is to be maintained.
In order to achieve this, line flexibility is key. He highlights Tetra Pak’s Refit your Lines, Reshape your Future™ packages, which offer customers the opportunity to refit their lines quickly and easily to work with various Tetra Brik Aseptic cartons.
"The flexibility to be able to change from one pack shape and size to another quickly has become increasingly important in todays' market and helps to speed up production."
Mr Marchetti points out the innovative Tetra Pak® E3 platform, a series of filling machines that use eBeam, a technology that has been developed by Tetra Pak in collaboration with partner COMET.
“The eBeam technology sterilises packaging material using electron beams and replaces the traditional hydrogen peroxide sterilisation process for packaging material while guaranteeing the same sterilisation performance.”
It offers higher production capacity with no increase in machine dimensions. The Tetra Pak® E3/Speed Hyper filling machine is able to reach 40,000 portion packs per hour, a more than 60 per cent improvement compared with the existing Tetra Pak® A3 platform, resulting in a saving of up to 20 per cent in operational costs.
There's no need to halt production in order to refill with packaging material or strips since both are replaced automatically. Automation ensures that splices between packaging material reels and strip applications are of consistent, repeatable quality. The servo driven jaw system adds flexibility and reduces waste.
Increased productivity
“Productivity and production cost reduction are key elements to remain competitive in the commodity metallised film market which is extremely price sensitive,” says Juan Cano, sales director, Vacuum Metallizing and Coating, at Bobst Manchester.
The main market driver for innovations on high speed metallisation are the need to become more efficient in a production environment and to significantly increase output.
“This goes in line with the acceleration in the technology developed by film line manufacturers with wider and faster machines. The market also requires vacuum metallisers that can absorb that increase in the film production output with ever faster(1,200m/min) and wider (up to 5000mm) vacuum metallisers,” Mr Cano adds.
Bobst has developed its K5 EXPERT to be the fastest metalliser in the world at 1,200 m/min and at the same time reducing the production cycle to produce more rolls of metallised film per day. A robustly designed and engineered K5 EXPERT vacuum metalliser is fitted with innovations like the largest coating drum in the industry at 700mm and the most powerful and efficient evaporation source, the engine of the metalliser.
“In the K5 EXPERT, Bobst has reduced the production cycle to squeeze at least one more roll of metallised film per 24-hour day than conventional metallisers in the market,” concludes Mr Cano.
