A Delta 3000 flow wrapper with automatic infeed will be highlighted on IMA ILAPAK’s stand at PPMA Total Show 2022.
The manufacturer said the machine will demonstrate how food producers can reduce line-side labour requirements whilst ‘reliably and efficiently’ producing hermetically sealed MAP packs from latest generation films.
Tony McDonald, sales and marketing director at ILAPAK UK, said, “Two of the topics on everyone’s lips are workforce shortages and sustainable packaging; the equipment we have on show illustrates how we can help our customers to address both challenges. Automating the infeed of the flow wrapper is a relatively simple step that eliminates the need for manual loading.
“It is a starting point and we are hoping that at PPMA it will also be a talking point for discussions about how we, as part of the IMA Group and FLX HUB, can work with our customers to implement labour-saving automation technologies at every stage of the packaging workflow.”
The Delta 3000 is being utilised in the chilled sector, where it is used to pack everything from sandwiches, pies and cheese portions through to fruit & veg, meat, poultry and fish.
IMA ILAPAK revealed it is experiencing ‘particularly high demand’ from producers of sandwiches and hand-held snacks thanks to the machine’s ability to accommodate complex laminates, paper films and recyclable PE and PP mono-films with its long dwell sealing technology.
“The Delta 3000 has a long dwell sealing head which is capable of running films that a rotary sealing system simply cannot handle,” Tony McDonald added. “Paper films are notoriously difficult to run on flow wrappers because of their structure – applying heat evenly and efficiently to achieve a hermetic seal is made difficult by the thermal insulating properties of the top paper layer.
“IMA ILAPAK has overcome this by deploying special geometry surface treated sealing jaws in conjunction with consolidated long dwell technology.”
The Delta 3000 is said to meet the chilled food industry’s stringent hygiene requirements by enabling full wash down capability, even of the sealing elements. This has been achieved through full stainless steel execution, isolating the electrical cabinet from the main machine frame and ‘smooth, sloping surfaces’ without recesses.
The product is also suited to non-food applications where a hermetically sealed pack is required, such as medical and personal care products like wet wipes.
IMA ILAPAK will also demonstrate its VFFS (vertical form fill seal) applications with its Vegatronic 6400HD bagger. This is the company’s newest continuous motion VFFS system, designed to meet market expectations in terms of ‘sanitary design, accessibility, fast changeover and OEE (overall equipment effectiveness)’. IMA ILAPAK cited open frame design, IP66 rated electrical components, ‘easily’ removable forming tube and a cantilever film reel shaft as standout features.
IMA Record will show the Panda Red horizontal flow wrapping machine, which can be integrated with multiple automatic feeding systems offered by the firm. The Panda Red is available in the Bottom Seal version with rotating sealing jaws for a packaging speed up to 240ppm. The stainless steel chassis and availability of washdown infeed are described as matching the level of sanitation required by the food industry, including IQF applications.
