Unscrambler

The Unisort Model 30 unscrambler—suitable for pharmaceutical/vitamin applications, contract packagers and food industries—offers compact size and a sorting vertical elevator, reportedly making it easy to integrate into tight production areas. According to the manufacturer, the plastic bottle unscrambler provides quick changeovers, is easy to maintain and handles a range of round, rectangular and square bottles; diameter range is between 3/4 in. and 4 in.; product height range is 5/8 in. to 7-1/2 in.
NJM/CLI, 800-432-2990.
www.njmcli.com

Conveyors

The company's Horizon horizontal-motion conveyors, Iso-Flo natural-frequency vibratory conveyors, Impulse electromagnetic-vibratory conveyors and belt conveyors offer customers a complete selection of conveying technologies from one manufacturer. The conveying site maximizes sanitation and equipment dependability. Each shaker features a stainless steel conveying bed that satisfies stringent sanitation demands in the industry, meeting HACCP requirements and EHEDG guidelines. All are backed by a five-year warranty, which ensures equipment reliability and the lowest total cost of ownership, the company claims.
Key Technology Inc., 509-529-2161.
www.key.net

Palletizer

The Z.Zag palletizer is designed for applications where production is distributed over several production lines. Putting one Z.Zag at the end of each line is less expensive than costly conveyors feeding one high-speed centrally located palletizer, says the manufacturer. The position of each case is calculated automatically according to the desired pattern and dimensions of the case. The palletizer will locate all cases on one pallet and begin filling the next pallet as the first pallet is replaced. The end effector uses vacuum to pick up cases from above. It has a suction capacity of more than 250-lbs and can lift 40-lb boxes, bags or covered totes at speeds up to 6-lifts per min.
Eagle Packaging, 305-622-4070.
www.eaglepm.com

Adaptive gripper

The bionic adaptive gripper for fruit, bulbs or pressure-sensitive food, is light and flexible. It consists of a pneumatic actuator in the form of a bellows and three gripper fingers arranged in the Fin Ray pattern of the tail fin of a fish. The basic structure is made up of two flexible bands that meet at one end to form a triangle; intermediate stays are connected to the bands at regular intervals by articulated joints. This flexible design enables the gripper fingers to adapt to the shape of a work piece when pressure is applied laterally, like a human hand, but much faster, the company states.
Festo Corp., 631-435-0800.
www.festo.com

Printer

The 53XL economical, high-performance thermal transfer printer can achieve a print area up to 2- x 3.1-in. and is available in intermittent motion for easy integration with a range of host equipment, including vertical- and horizontal- f/f/s systems, primary labelers, thermoformers and overwrapping equipment. The printer can mark a variety of substrates with fixed and variable text, including clock and calendar functions and serialization. Text and graphics, including expiration dates, product identification information, lot-batch numbers, company logos and an array of linear and composite bar codes can be printed both horizontally and vertically.
Norwood Marking Systems, 630-968-0646.
www.itwnorwood.com

Case erector

High-speed case erector sealing with a new soy-based adhesive offers a sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-based hot melt. Designed for speeds up to 50-cases/min, the model 450 case erector helps packagers increase productivity while its new Liquamelt adhesive system from H.B. Fuller reduces sealing costs. Liquamelt is liquid at ambient temperatures, eliminating the need for heated premelt tanks and heated hoses, The adhesive is pumped at room temperature from the reservoir to a TurboActivator positioned just prior to application that heats the adhesive to the required sealing temperature. Applied as foam, Liquamelt can result in a reduction of adhesive consumption by more than 50-percent, the company claims.
A-B-C Packaging Machine Corp., 800-237-5975.
www.abcpackaging.com

Scale

The Alliance/Ohaus EC Series Digital Counting Scale features a sealed keypad and three-window backlit LCD that displays weight, average piece weight (APW) and count. Fully portable for kitting, assembly and inventory control applications, it provides pre-set tare and dedicated tare and sample keys for common operations and has 10 memory locations for storing common parts weights.
Alliance Scale Inc., 800-343-6802.
www.alliancescale.com

Palletizer

For lightweight disposable hygiene products, the RTP25 palletizer model's vertically moving storage frame is particularly suitable, as it firmly holds the compact and stable stack formations in place. The pre-stretched film used for securing the stack is wrapped by a system that continuously measures applied forces. All product patterns per layer, wrapping methods and other specific procedures are defined and stored in the HMI, and any input can be performed during operation. The simple operation greatly reduces the risk of downtime and product damage as a result of incorrect programming, the company states.
Optima Packaging Group, 920-339-2222.
www.optima-ger.com

Capper

The company's new articulating jaw capper has been designed to handle non-conventional caps. The capper is lubrication-free to reduce the possibility for product contamination and keep maintenance to a minimum. Machine spindles can be quickly and easily removed and the service life of the machine is approximately 8,000- to 10,000-hrs between overhauls.
Fogg Filler, 616-786-3644.
www.foggfiller.com

Machine control

The new Machine Automation Controller (MAC), supported by Sysmac Studio machine automation software, was created to integrate multiple, specialized controllers-motion, logic, sequence, vision, operator safety and RFID tracking-with exacting system synchronization to deliver high performance throughput on a single controller. The controller was designed to meet the challenge from machine builders for a fully scalable, high-speed motion and I/O controller with the ability to change servo parameters on the fly, integrate vision data and keep all the servo motor shafts accurately synchronized.
Omron Industrial Automation, 847-843-7900.
www.omron.com

Blister sealer

The 1518BSP blister sealing press is available in both rotary and inline conveyor variants. The rotary heat sealers can be 2-, 4-, 5-, or 6-station, depending on the packing requirements of the user, and the inline conveyor blister sealers version is fitted with 24 sealing trays with the option of sealing alternate stations to reduce the number of jigs. The indexing of all automatic blister-sealing models uses a geared motor and electronic inverter controlled by microprocessor. The contact heat system provides consistent blister seal onto adhesive-coated card or film media.
Ridat, +44 20 8458 6485.
www.ridat.com

Camera

The new BOA Pro smart camera features advanced Sherlock inspection software for a compact industrial vision solution with diverse applicability. The camera's applications are configured through a web browser via a standard Ethernet interface. During development, images from the camera are fed directly to the Sherlock GUI and commands from the program are executed directly on the camera. This methodology optimizes the user design experience while providing an accurate representation of runtime performance, the company states. Camera features include an advanced interface for maximum design flexibility, a field-proven tool set that suits most applications, support for custom operator interfaces and an IP67 enclosure that can withstand harsh environments.
Teledyne Dalsa Inc., 978-670-2000.
www.teledynedalsa.com

Centrifugal screener

The new YOB-SS Centri-Sifter high-capacity centrifugal screener features a cantilevered shaft with two externally-mounted bearings between the screening chamber and motor drive. This allows all components to slide freely from the shaft end for cleaning, screen changes or inspection. The combination of a large diameter shaft with wide spacing between the bearings and a flexible shaft coupling prevents vibration even at high speeds under heavy, imbalanced loads, according to the manufacturer. Available to USDA, FDA, BISSC, 3-A, and other U.S. and European sanitary standards, the centrifugal screener is suitable for food, dairy and pharmaceutical applications requiring quick, thorough washdown, as well as industrial applications requiring frequent screen changes or material changeovers where cross-contamination must be prevented.
Kason Corp., 973-467-8140.
www.kason.com

Shrink wrapper

The company introduced its VS Series line of standard- and custom-design shrink wrapping equipment in a compact footprint. The series of shrink wrappers offer an economical shrink wrap solution designed to interface with existing tray packers, including the company's Invex and Axiom models at speeds up to 40-trays/min. By using single film roll technology, the system eliminates maintenance problems associated with conventional cutting and sealing technologies. The optional print-registered film control gives users the ability to enhance their package appearance on the store shelf, the company states.
Douglas Machine Inc., 320-763-6587.
www.douglas-machine.com

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