The hottest integrated labeling and sealing machin

Integrated labeling and sealing machine sweets packaging treasure

ever wonder why there is a hole in the center of the bagel? For Sara Lee pastry group (slbg), the real problem in the face of these breakfast foods is not a hole at all, but how to find innovative ways to more effectively package desserts containing powdered sugar and chocolate. Now, slbg's Mini bagel can be placed in a spacious container made of crystal clear polyester ethylene with a capacity of two pounds, replacing slbg's traditional packaging method with advanced labeling and sealing technology. This attractive container is very attractive to customers and consumers. It ensures the quality and safety of products and effectively seals the fresh-keeping bagels without shortening the shelf life of products. However, like any gem, the packaging of this dessert also needs polishing and polishing to meet the challenges of the market

meet new challenges

slbg, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, was founded by the Gardner family in 1926. In addition to mini bagels, this commercial baking manufacturer also produces desserts, bread and cakes. "A major retailer came to us and asked to develop a large container to pack doughnuts according to their specifications and needs." Factory manager Steve vial explained, "before this kind of packaging was developed, there was really no such large container for mini bagels in the market. We modified our packaging, we modified our packaging process, and arranged an internal demonstration shift to deal with the container sealing process using disposable tape."

slgb contacted the Fastrak Department of custom label source, which is the only distributor of loveshaw, a manufacturer specializing in automated labeling equipment and packaging molding, sealing and printing systems. Vial said that the goals of using the new transparent box packaging container include improving the promotion ability of products, producing aesthetic visual effects, enhancing the visibility of products and enhancing the protection of fragile doughnuts. It should be easy to display and keep the bagels fresh (shelf life is 14 days). For slbg, improving production efficiency is also a major factor. Vial pointed out that in today's fierce competition and high-tech business environment, more and more business models and internal operations - including commercial baking environment - are market driven. When a customer who affects product sales puts forward a different packaging requirement, the baking manufacturer should listen carefully

he went on to say, "this is the same as other products that customers and retailers need, just like low calorie food. We caught up with the first wave, so we are now in the lead among similar products in the market."

a new 2-pound doughnut box, thermoplastic by stone plastics, is 4 inches deep, 5 inches wide, and about 10.5 inches long. A more noteworthy place on the container is the pre printed pressure-sensitive label with a diameter of 5 inches pasted on the snap closure concave cover made of transparent PET material

however, there is still a challenge in slbg's doughnut packaging project. "The real challenge is not only to stick labels, but also how to seal the big box with tape without damaging the bagel inside, but also to be consistent with our internal production system." Vial said, "meeting the needs of the market and customers is the core of our business, so we meet the difficulties. But we need some help from outside."

at first, the company labeled and sealed each package of products manually to ensure that the products can be handled normally, so that the packaging can maintain a good appearance in transportation and market. But this has become labor-intensive slow production. Because the production time is very critical in the baking industry, and the baked products are not durable, slow production or increasing manual labor is not a good way for the production of doughnuts

soon, slbg contacted norm ringer of Fastrak. Ringler explained, "we have worked with slbg before, so we are familiar with their operation." Then slbg and Fastrak discussed their needs from the perspective of operation and customers. The solution is to transform loveshaw's little David ls600 P-S labeling machine and integrate it with little David ld3sb's tape sealing machine. Now loveshaw calls it sp3/fa

ringler recalled, "we contacted loveshaw immediately after we identified all Sara Lee's goals." A cooperative team consisting of loveshaw and Fastrak staff was formed, and slbg provided the details and logistics of the operation. Within eight weeks, the team connected ls600's labeling machine and ldsb's tape sealing machine one by one, and installed them as a device in the drying plant in Wisconsin

we once faced difficulties, but finally found a perfect one-stop solution

when the doughnuts roll along the conveyor belt, the operators on the packaging line put them into plastic PET containers and then put the lid on them. Next, the container enters the modular label machine and pastes a circular label, which is torn from the automatic feeder. The pressure-sensitive label must be pasted in the center of the big cover at the speed of 20 per minute. Considering that the soft packaging box cannot be affected by the pasting pressure, and the bagel cannot be damaged, this is not an easy thing. This poses some challenges. Pat mcgra, a regional representative of loveshaw, "admitted in some cases:" it's not easy to gently stick the pressure-sensitive label on such a thin cover and avoid damaging the product or packaging. " The stamp method proved to work well. The pneumatic belt conveyor of the sealing machine is activated by sensors to ensure that the system can stick the tape on the container accurately without much support, and will not damage or pollute the container and the bagels inside

sp3/fa makes production dangerous

like any automatic system, some accidents occurred in the commissioning after installation. In the baking and manufacturing process of the sugar powder doughnut production line, sugar powder sometimes turns into dust, which disperses in the air of the production line area or accumulates on the packaging equipment. A few weeks after the new PET container was put into production, the sugar powder of the bagel reacted with the tape box of the sealing machine and began to stick to the tape and often broke it

powdered sugar also enters the supply roll supporting the tape and the shaft and sleeve of the belt conveyor that cuts the tape into appropriate lengths

fastrak and loveshaw immediately take action to replace the adhesive tape within the warranty period, and check the damage of the machine shaft and shaft sleeve and the degree of being affected by sugar powder. Loveshaw modified the shaft sleeve and sealing parts and delivered the newly modified belt conveyor to slbg within a few working days. With the help of slbg maintenance department, the renovated system is closely monitored

soon after, the baking factory doubled the output of doughnut products, reduced labor and improved efficiency. "Always observe the whole process, especially considering the soft pet container and the daily production of doughnuts," vial pointed out. "The construction delay caused by manual labeling and sealing has completely disappeared."

in production, the packaging products are sent to the labeling/sealing machine of sp3/fa by the power conveyor belt of the drying plant, and separated one by one at appropriate intervals. The side conveyor belt conveys the container through a pneumatic C-shaped belt conveyor, and stick the tape on the cover to ensure that it is bonded with the 2.25 to 2.5 inch long tape vertically along the front and rear ends of the container. The tightly sealed lid keeps the high container stable during transportation and storage

since the beginning of the project, slbg has installed three sp3/fa labeling/sealing machines that are specially manufactured and modified by loveshaw without water conversion for its plant in Wisconsin. Casters are also installed in the system, so that they can be pulled out for maintenance at any time on the production line

"our maintenance team designed a system that allows us to use wheels to move loveshaw's machine in and out of the production line on demand," vial concluded. "We came out of the dilemma, began to look for solutions, and finally found a turnkey system that worked flawlessly."

up to now, the machine has been working well, and only routine maintenance is required. Vial said, "we are very satisfied with this packaging equipment. On average, we use about 60 working hours a week to produce more than 30000 two pound products. The system operates perfectly. In the eyes of the majority of users, our experimental machine has good quality."

with customized packaging equipment in place and working almost perfectly, slbg can now focus on what it is best at - baking doughnuts, desserts, bread and cakes. In addition to specific membership based mass merchandising stores, new two pound doughnuts are also available in direct sales stores in many places in the Midwest. The collaborative efforts of loveshaw, Fastrak and slbg have proved to be a successful combination to meet the needs of retailers and consumers. ■ Author: Senior: Lauren R. Hartman (packaging Digest China)