KHS has introduced a pouching machine which offers FMCG manufacturers a high degree of flexibility.
As part of the Innopouch Bartelt K series, the pouching machine offers a full range of servo equipment, and can be combined with the KHS Innopack Bartel CMC cartoner for a pouch packaging line from a single source.
With an ever increasing variety of products to be processed, this system offers the food and beverage market many advantages, with its short set-up times and high level of productivity.
Demand for 'the practical pack' started in the US, and is now on the increase in Europe and parts of Asia as such products as smoothies or lollies requiring this kind of packaging.
KHS offers customers its Innopouch K series poucher in two versions: an FS (fill and seal) machine for pouch filling and an FFS (form, fill and seal) variant for pouch production and filling.
“The production stage can be flexibly retrofitted from the FS to the FFS version at a later stage as the machine is modular,” Thomas Brooker, senior product manager at KHS USA, says.
A large variety of pouches
The horizontal, cyclic packaging system makes stand-up, flat and bottom gusset pouches from film laminate.
It can run in both simplex (one pouch per machine cycle) and duplex (two pouches per machine cycle) operation.
The Innopouch K-400 changes formats at the press of a button using linear servotechnology.
“This takes less than 15 minutes,” Brooker says.
“We’ve simplified and automated the time-consuming simplex and duplex conversions common to mechanical machines.”
For example, the grippers in the filler area can be adjusted to new pouch widths as quickly as they can be switched between simplex and duplex operation.
The machine produces up to 150 pouches per minute in duplex operation, measuring between 100 and 380 millimeters in height and 100 and 400 millimeters in width.
The maximum weight is 2.5 kilograms.
“We thus give our customers the best possible flexibility during production,” Brooker says.
With the Innopouch K series not only can large pouches be produced, such as for pet food, but also small bags for salty snacks or dried fruit.
“Pouches which can be reclosed with a zipper are becoming more and more popular with consumers,” he says.
“Anything can be packaged – from ground coffee to mini salami rolls.”
The standard version of the machine has four filling stations connected in series which can be added to as required. The dosing systems are selected according to the product to be filled, with volumetric systems, such as auger fillers, table feeders and sliding gate fillers, and gravimetric systems like multihead weighers all possible.
