Bag/pouch fill/seal (pre-made bags)

Luciano Packaging: Vf/f/s machine

Luciano Packaging Technologies introduces its V-Series flat-bottom bag vf/f/s systems, including a machine designed for dependable high-speed operation called the cantilevered V-Series.

December 31, 2002

Confection/Candy: Page 30

Confection/Candy

Swiss chocolates meet high-speed automation

New materials and new equipment are helping this Swiss chocolate manufacturer send a better product to market while keeping labor costs in check.

December 31, 2002

Confection/Candy

Gray & Company: Robotic case forming of candy boxes

Blanks are opened without vacuum cups using a pin-style erecting system. The case bottom is also glue sealed in this operation.

November 30, 2002

Secondary Packaging

Gray & Company: Case loading for candy producer

Two cases are indexed into position and are pneumatically tilted away from the robot to facilitate loading. After the cases are half filled by the Wexxar machine, with 16-oz cartons, a corrugated divider is inserted before additional rows are loaded to complete the cases. The robot picks and places these cartons at a rate of 60/min.

November 30, 2002

Conveying & accumulation

Gray & Company: Case sealing at candy manufacturer

Cases are discharged from the loader to the Wexxar Model WSH-06 case sealer. The filled cases discharge from the robot and round a short conveyor section to the sealer.

November 30, 2002

Flexibles

UFOs land in holo cartons

Innovative Candy Concepts, Atlanta, GA, is taking candy packaging to a higher level with the introduction of UFOs.

November 30, 2002

Flexibles

Pez juice launched in pouch

In the candy business, Pez in its refillable dispenser is a classic. Now Leading Brands, Inc., is marketing a Pez shelf-stable juice, in a 8.54-oz (250-mL) “no-spill” stand-up pouch topped with a collectible Pez character.

November 30, 2002

Confection/Candy

Robots sweeten case packing efficiency

On two lines, Gray & Co. uses a robotic case loader positioned between an automatic case former and an automatic sealer to pack cartons into cases at rates up to 90 cartons/min.See in-plant video

November 30, 2002

Closures

Super-sized cookie can

Buffalo, New York-based KK Baking decided to stack its super-sized Keith’s Kookies-brand cookies in a new composite can that emulates a cookie jar topped with a polyethylene overcap to lock in freshness after opening.

November 30, 2002

Confection/Candy

Gray & Company: Robots hit savings sweet spot for cherry cordial packaging

Gray & Co., Hart, MI, operates 24 robotic arms on two ‘counterflow’ production lines. Each of the arms picks and places Queen Anne brand chocolate-covered cordials at an amazing rate of 1.5 cordials/sec into six-count plastic trays. Robotic system includes infrared scanners, PLCs, and proprietary software.

October 31, 2002

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

'Cordial' robots hit savings sweet spot

Twenty-four robotic arms place Queen Anne brand cordials at rate of 90/min/arm into six-count plastic trays.See in-plant video

October 31, 2002

Confection/Candy

Supply chain experts see change a comin' (sidebar)

In the warehouse

October 31, 2002

Flexibles

Low-temp shrink film

Syfan USA (Cooper City, FL) has introduced Sytec® MVP, a cross-linked polyolefin shrink film engineered to shrink quickly and gently at low temperatures.

September 30, 2002