As one of the most important European trade exhibitions, FachPack is seen as a pointer and helping hand in the transformation process of the packaging industry. The focus this year therefore is on the aspects of sustainability, the closed-loop economy, and efficiency gains through automation.
By placing the focus on these aspects at the exhibition, MULTIVAC is serving the current requirements of the market very directly. The highlights in the food sector include various line concepts, as well as a full wrap labeller with weigh price marking. The focus in the healthcare sector is on a carrier system, which is very gentle on the product and provides not only controlled infeed of the syringes, but also loading into the pack cavities.
Centrifuge line with the new W 500 flowpacker for vegan burgers
Among the exhibits for the meat industry and manufacturers of alternative proteins, there will be a space-saving line for the automatic arranging, infeeding, packaging and labelling of vegan burgers on a cardboard tray in a practical and very material-efficient flowpack. While a centrifuge arranges the burgers into a single line on one transport conveyor, the cardboard trays are denested onto another conveyor running in parallel. As the next process stage, a handling module loads the burgers into the cardboard trays, which are then packed on the packaging machine under modified atmosphere. An inline labeller then applies a label from above to the packs.
The universal W 500 flowpacker, which was shown for the first time at Anuga FoodTec 2022, and which features the proven MULTIVAC Hygienic Design™, is the heart of the line. Designed for a wide range of products and rapid product change, this packaging solution is characterised in particular by its attractive price-to-performance ratio. The robust W 500 at Nuremberg will be integrated into an automated line, but it can also be used as a stand-alone solution. Its main features are maximum performance, precision, reliability and user-friendliness. Offering an output of up to 120 packs per minute or a film speed of up to 30 metres/min, this new development in the MULTIVAC product range is currently among the best performing box-motion flowpacking solutions on the market.
Tray packaging line with paper pulp trays for fresh produce
Are you looking for attractive, sustainable and state-of-the-art packaging of fresh products? MULTIVAC will show you how to do this on its compact and automatic TX 710 traysealer. A tray filled with fresh berries is placed on a transport conveyor, before being sealed in the traysealer and then labelled from above. The tray made of cellulose is a biologically degradable tray, which meets all the current requirements in terms of sustainability, and which can also be run without problems on standard machines.
Thanks to its robust construction and innovative machine control featuring Flow Manager and Multi Sensor Control, the traysealer is capable of packing with maximum flexibility and consistent reliability - even at very high output in non-stop mode. A further guarantee of outstanding performance are the RFID-coded X-tools, which are the groundbreaking die concept of the MULTIVAC X-line.
A particular plus in terms of process reliability, pack quality, and above all user-friendliness: The line is completely networked, so that it can be used with the digital MULTIVAC Smart Services, as well as being conveniently controlled from one point via MULTIVAC Line Control.
Thermoforming packaging line with portioning machine for automatically processing fresh meat and packaging in retail packs
The starting point for this line is a new and compact portioning machine from TVI, which was specially developed for the entry-level sector. The multifunctional GMS 400 portioning machine stands for the best portioning quality and optimum product yield - and at FachPack it will be processing fresh meat into very even steaks.
The meat portions arrive at the new R3 thermoforming packaging machine via a transport conveyor. This highly flexible model achieves a speed of twelve cycles per minute at its peak level, and can therefore reach the output of high-end slicer lines. The R3 can run not only conventional films, but also the latest types of sustainable packaging materials, such as for example the currently favoured polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene-based mono structures, which it can run consistently and, above all else, without producing creases. In order to achieve this, the forming station of the machine has been equipped with a special type of allover heating, which heats recyclable films very evenly. In addition to this, the chain guides for the web advance can be adjusted individually, and they are also decoupled from all the forces of the machine processes. The result is that MULTIVAC achieves a constant web tension without any waves at the edge of the pack, and this ultimately gives the pack the ideal appearance.
Carrier system for the controlled transportation, loading and buffering of syringes
MULTIVAC will be showing the visitors from the medical and pharmaceutical industries a modular carrier system, which includes an integrated H 242 handling module, and which enables pre-filled glass or plastic syringes to be transported in a controlled and gentle way to the packaging machine.
The syringes are assembled in an upstream process, and then orientated and placed separately in an object carrier. When they reach the packaging machine, a robot picks up the products from the carriers, and then places these in the pack cavities either individually or in groups. Thanks to the additional integrated buffer function, any stops in the overall process, such as a breakdown in an upstream or downstream process, can be easily bridged and the processes decoupled, allowing a continuous product flow to be maintained. This is of great importance, particularly with automated solutions, since such stops often cause a significant loss of overall effectiveness throughout the line.
A high-performance vision system from MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection, which is integrated into this line, ensures that the packs are checked consistently for completeness. Even when operating at high throughput, the vision system checks, whether the individual products have been loaded correctly into the pack cavities. If this is not the case, the corresponding pack is ejected automatically.
Full wrap labelling of a wide range of packs with the L 312
MULTIVAC also expects a high level of interest from visitors in its new L 312 conveyor belt labeller. This unit enables C labelling and D labelling at up to 120 packs per minute to be performed automatically with weigh price marking in one process on the same machine. The robust labelling system, which is built to the MULTIVAC Hygienic Design, features a very precise level of calibrated weight measurement, and it can be used as a stand-alone solution or in automated lines.
The weighing unit determines the weight of the pack very precisely and transfers the calculated product price to the labeller. An integrated thermal transfer printer is then used to print all the specifically defined information onto the label, such as for example weight, price, best-before date and even barcode. The label is then dispensed onto the top of the pack, before being wrapped accurately around the pack like a banderole.
This solution meets the increasing demands of the market in terms of not only efficiency and performance but also sustainability. Full wrap labelling scores heavily, when compared with cardboard sleeves, thanks to its high level of material efficiency. Depending on the label material used, savings of up to 70 percent can be achieved on material costs.
Other highlights at the trade fair
... will be a presentation of the company's digital products, as well as its services in the areas of packaging consultancy and after-sales care.
