Food & Drink Process & Packaging Issue 23 2019 | Page 40

GEA premieres its PowerPak PLUS thermoforming packaging machine Greater process reliability and reduced resource consumption during the packaging of fresh products – both are guaranteed with the latest generation of GEA thermoforming packaging technology, the GEA PowerPak PLUS. The machine was presented for the first time during the GEA Packaging Days customer event at the production site in Wallau, Germany, at the end of last year. In May, the technology group will use the international trade fair IFFA in Frankfurt (Hall 8/Stand D06) to showcase the system on a larger scale. Groundbreaking advances in film handling and hygiene “Before developing the machine further, we undertook a customer survey. By doing so, we were able to incorporate our customers’ wishes to further improve process reliability and packaging quality as well as machine running times of our already proven thermoforming machines in the PowerPak product range,” explains Volker Sassmannshausen, Product Controlled unwinding in the bottom film infeed module prevents the bottom film from curling. Typical tolerances of the film reels like mis-alignment or curvature can be automatically adjusted. As a result of the innovations in film unwinding and film run, the sealing station design has also Customer convinced by test results The PowerPak PLUS thermoforming packaging machine has been in use at Handl Tyrol GmbH since the summer of 2018 for packaging bacon products. “It has proven itself from day one,” confirms Dieter Roos, Head of Production at Manager Thermoforming. Based on been updated. their feedback, we chose to focus on The entire top film unwinding system is primarily with printed films, packing film unwinding and feeding, hygiene located in the area of the sealing station weights and sizes are constantly and overall handling. Consequently, the and easily accessed. In addition, the changing at Handl Tyrol. sealing station and bottom film infeed sealing station structure has also been of the PowerPak PLUS thermoformer fundamentally improved and is now were completely redesigned to facilitate protected by vertically adjustable and process transparency and traceability – transparent safety doors, which can be contributing to the greater sustainability lowered quickly and easily when required, of packaging processes in the food eliminating the need for loose, protective industry. hoods. Optimized film handling reduces film Other significant innovations in the PLUS: Handl Tyrol has seen real economic consumption sealing station include the motor-driven benefits as a result of shorter set-up The unwinding systems for both evacuation and gasification valves in times, which are now70 percent quicker combination with pressure sensors. They and has also halved its film changeover enable individual, reproducible as well times, with 75 percent less film being as product- and packaging- dependent lost during changeovers and virtually zero processes. And, for example, under-, packaging errors. the top and bottom films have been optimized and are now motor-driven and synchronized with the machine’s advancing cycle. In combination with the innovative web tension system, they facilitate a controlled unwinding and a simplified and secure film path. 40 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk upper- and product vacuum are able to be controlled and monitored, ensuring the necessary process transparency. the Schönwies site in Austria. Working “The new machine model sets a benchmark in terms of film unwinding,” reports Roos. “The top and bottom film are threaded quickly and easily. No more adjustments are required, and film is no longer wasted.” As a result of the technical innovations in the PowerPak www.gea.com