A sustainable competitive advantage for food manufacturers

This is based on a machine concept that integrates the entire packaging process seamlessly, efficiently and in an exceptionally flexible manner into one TLM line. Firstly, in the Flowpacker, the products are fed to the flow-wrapping unit by pick & place robots which can be adapted to the customer’s desired output range and types of products. Secondly, the combination of state-of-the-art sealing technologies and the unique flying cross-sealing unit makes it possible to gently and reliably process both conventional composite films in cold- and heat-sealing processes, as well as mono films and paper-based films. And thirdly, the formats in the Flowpacker can be changed very easily and quickly thanks to the format parts which are customised by Schubert. The integrated concept therefore offers companies in the food industry outstanding flexibility on several levels – namely unrestricted choice of product, packaging material and sealing technology.

To keep all options open when choosing films, a flow-wrapping machine’s sealing system is also of particular importance for food manufacturers. This is because ecological films require exceptionally gentle sealing technologies due to the sensitive nature of the material. Thanks to its state-of-the-art sealing systems, the Flowpacker processes laminated films as well as the new sustainable variants – right through to paper-based films. The TLM machine can switch between different types of film without requiring much effort. This is due in part to the flying cross-sealing unit: It is the only cross-sealing system on the market which allows complete control over the entire duration of the sealing process. The sealing time can be selected to the millisecond and always remains constant due to the design of the sealing robot. The unit compensates for fluctuating production speeds by moving with or against each flowpack on the conveyor as required. This means that mono films and paper-based films can be sealed perfectly and without damage in the packaging machine.

Schubert also uses specially developed heating elements as its latest sealing system for longitudinal sealing. The five-by-five-millimetre ceramic elements can be controlled individually, heat up very quickly and, above all, cool down again in the shortest possible time. This means that the heat supply at the sealing seam can be precisely controlled at every point – in terms of temperature and time. Both are decisive for a consistently high and process-reliable sealing quality. Furthermore, every Flowpacker with heat-sealing technology and a flying cross-sealing unit can process both classic composite films and cold-seal films. This is because the sealing systems can be converted to cold-sealing in a very short time. Older cold-sealing films can also be processed well in the Flowpacker, as the glue joints in the longitudinal sealing unit can be easily preheated if necessary due to the available heating elements.