Food and Beverage Packaging September 2012 : Page 36

Machinery Technology CASE PACKING CASE PACKERS: NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND ADVICE Today’s case packers provide various takes on the concepts of ﬂ exibility, efﬁ ciency and space savings. / by RICK LINGLE , Contributing Editor W ith PACK EXPO on the horizon, it is timely to note some advances in a major machinery category for equipment found on most auto-mated packaging lines: case pack-ers. We highlight several new case packing technologies (photo gallery below with Pack Expo booth number) that will be on display at the Oc-tober 28-31 event in Chicago, along with advice (oppo-site page) from several machinery managers. The versatile Swing Machine case packing system With the ability to pack bags and cartons in stand-up and lay-down conﬁ gurations on a sin-gle machine, the Swing Machine is a horizontal case packer that packs up to 300 bags per min-ute when using the company’s Smart-Trak™ collation and up to 400 bags per minute when using the Smart-Bin™ collation system. Even higher speeds can be reached with rigid containers. BluePrint Automation (www.bpa-ﬂ exolutions.com) Booth 4314 All-in-one monobloc case packing Robotics drive the functionality and ﬂ exibility of the company’s monobloc case packing solutions (Model MX shown) which include the fol-lowing functions within one com-pact machine frame and controls package: a case magazine that can be reﬁ lled during operation; auto-matic case removal, forming and presentation for loading, automatic product collating, ﬂ ap tucking and closing and sealing. Bradman Lake Group (www.bradmanlake.com) Booth 209 Compact Mach-2 system provides carbon footprint reduction The Brenton Pro Mach-2 case packer is ideal for any industry interested in reducing their carbon footprint, creating more ﬂ oor space on the pack-aging line and improving reliability with servo technology. Built to be custom-er-speciﬁ cation compliant, the Mach-2 is applicable for industries including food and beverage and phar-maceuticals. Brenton powered by Pro Mach (www.brentonengineering.com) Booth 4013 Alphapack: Small footprint with wide-ranging capability The Alphapack® system is a top-loading, servo-operated, pick-and-place packer with one of the smallest footprints in the industry while accom-modating the widest range of case sizes and pack patterns. Key aspects include an ultra-compact framework, an integrated case erector, quick-re-lease change parts for fast changeovers, an easy-load case magazine and a multi-axis servo pick-and-place unit. Combi Packaging Systems LLC (www.combi.com) Booth 3321 Auto-Adjust Package speeds changeovers One of the essential trends in packaging has been speed of changeover. This new case packer that will be debuting at Pack Expo 2012 features a new Auto-adjustment Package (AP) to speed product changeovers. The key to the ﬁ eld adapt-ability is that the AP features its own controller with an 36 FOOD & BEVERA GE P A CKA GING SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW . FOOD ANDBEVERA GEP A CKA GING . COM

Case Packers: New Technologies And Advice

Rick Lingle

Today’s case packers provide various takes on the concepts of flexibility, efficiency and space savings. With PACK EXPO on the horizon, it is timely to note some advances in a major machinery category for equipment found on most automated packaging lines: case packers. We highlight several new case packing technologies (photo gallery below with Pack Expo booth number) that will be on display at the October 28-31 event in Chicago, along with advice (opposite page) from several machinery managers. The versatile Swing Machine case packing system With the ability to pack bags and cartons in stand-up and lay-down configurations on a single machine, the Swing Machine is a horizontal case packer that packs up to 300 bags per minute when using the company's Smart-Trak™ collation and up to 400 bags per minute when using the Smart- Bin™ collation system. Even higher speeds can be reached with rigid containers. BluePrint Automation (www.bpa-flexolutions.com) Booth 4314 All-in-one monobloc case packing Robotics drive the functionality and flexibility of the company's monobloc case packing solutions (Model MX shown) which include the following functions within one compact machine frame and controls package: a case magazine that can be refilled during operation; automatic case removal, forming and presentation for loading, automatic product collating, flap tucking and closing and sealing. Bradman Lake Group (www.bradmanlake.com) Booth 209 Compact Mach-2 system provides carbon footprint reduction The Brenton Pro Mach- 2 case packer is ideal for any industry interested in reducing their carbon footprint, creating more floor space on the packaging line and improving reliability with servo technology. Built to be customer- specification compliant, the Mach-2 is applicable for industries including food and beverage and pharmaceuticals. Brenton powered by Pro Mach (www.brentonengineering.com) Booth 4013 Alphapack: Small footprint with wide-ranging capability The Alphapack® system is a top-loading, servo-operated, pick-and-place packer with one of the smallest footprints in the industry while accommodating the widest range of case sizes and pack patterns. Key aspects include an ultra compact framework, an integrated case erector, quick-release change parts for fast changeovers, an easy-load case magazine and a multi-axis servo pick-and-place unit. Combi Packaging Systems LLC (www.combi.com) Booth 3321 Auto-Adjust Package speeds changeovers One of the essential trends in packaging has been speed of changeover. This new case packer that will be debuting at Pack Expo 2012 features a new Auto adjustment Package (AP) to speed product changeovers. The key to the field adaptability is that the AP features its own controller with an easy-to-use interface that makes installation, setup, and operation a snap. Schneider Packaging Equipment (www.schneiderequip.com) Booth 1228 Fast and gentle case packing One of several case packers from Standard-Knapp to be shown at Pack Expo is the Versatron "Soft Catch" case packer. A two-axis servo system allows the Versatron to actually "catch" the product while it descends into the case as the lift table moves the case to the "up" position and waits for a full grid. The recent installation of the 939 Versatron ™ "Soft Catch" case packer (shown) at distilled spirits manufacturer Luxco, St Louis, brought a new level of sound to the bottler's production floor: Silence. In installing a new bottling line to replace a 17- year old system, Luxco sought a packer that would increase speed and offer better and more consistent control of bottles. In addition to increasing speed, the packer significantly reduces bottle breakage. Other benefits include reduced changeover time and easier and more efficient preventative maintenance. Standard-Knapp (www.standard-knapp.com) Booth 4106 NEW CASE PACKER ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS "When specifying a case packer, be sure to consider the future for your line. Don’t specify the packer for what you want to produce today, be sure to add in capacity for size and throughput. At the same time don’t overdo it. That way a well-specified and well-built packer will be there for you for decades.” Terry Zarnowski, director of sales and marketing, Schneider Packaging Equipment “Think about your future needs. If you think your product(s) will reduce or increase in size, or be offered in multipacks, consider a machine that can easily be changed-over and can accommodate different pack patterns. Choose a supplier that can provide flexibility.” Sue Lewis, marketing manager, Combi Packaging Systems LLC “Things to look for in a case packer include: 1. Use of servo motion for repeatable and controlled movements in both the infeed system and case packer systems. 2. Control of the case at all times throughout the entire case packer using proven flight-chain design. 3. Use of few change parts with repeatable manual adjustments to avoid operator set up errors. 4. Custom engineered infeed systems that contain the product at all times to ensure the product is delivered into the case consistently.” Jason Enninga, regional sales manager, Brenton Engineering “Two pieces of advice – both important: • Use it as an opportunity to review your range of packages and existing case packing SKUs and challenge whether every combination and size is fundamentally important to the marketing of your products. Rationalize the size range and reduce the number of case sizes, thereby reducing the costs. • When selecting the cases that will be accommodated, convert all case formats to retail/shelf-ready designs to anticipate demand from the large national supermarket groups for those lower-maintenance and reduced-board scrap versions.” Nick Bishop, VP sales and marketing, Bradman Lake “Before taking the major step toward packaging automation, consider your situation carefully. First, perform a needs analysis. Does secondary (case) packaging automation make financial sense? Does the equipment or solution offer the flexibility to case pack my current and future products? Will the company I select meet or exceed my operational expectations? Then determine if you want a turnkey solution. The extra up-front capital cost will save you a lot of time and effort during the start-up process. Do not let anyone sub-contract this critical step to third parties. There is no substitute for experience. Even if a turnkey solution isn’t desired, always give the machine supplier responsibility for its case packing system. You will experience faster start ups, higher efficiencies and extremely satisfied plant personnel." Robbie Quinlin, marketing manager, BluePrint Automation

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