Formost Fuji, Woodinville, WA, offers a sanitary-design flow wrap machine that allows users to completely disassemble the wrapper, leaving it wide open for cleaning, inspection and maintenance. “Also, a quick-disconnect infeed conveyor can be easily removed and rolled away from the wrapper body to a stand-alone drive to assist in the sanitation process,” says Angela McDaniel, marketing coordinator.
More innovations
Along with improved sanitation features, the latest FFS equipment offers quick format changeovers. Effytec USA LLC, De Pere, WI, has developed a range of horizontal FFS machines that use servo technology to provide quick format changeovers. The user can save machine settings into a recipe so that changeover is 90 percent automatic by the machine. A pouch format changeover (width, height, gusset) reportedly can be performed in 15 minutes.
Effytec USA also is designing FFS machines that can run 100 percent recyclable films, zippers, and spouts. The company has a machine installed at Nova Chemicals in Calgary, Canada, in their lab for testing 100 percent PE recyclable films, according to Roger Stainton, president.
Formost Fuji recently introduced the Box Motion Sanitary Design Wrapper, which offers many of the same features as its rotary Sanitary Design model but can accommodate thicker and hard-to-seal films. “This is a great option for bakery and snack products that are sensitive to outside elements and require additional protection,” McDaniel says.
In addition, Formost Fuji recently introduced the FW3400 CX II flow wrapper in rotary or box motion. “It offers an economical solution that is energy efficient, maintenance friendly and easy to operate. Bakery and snack products that need to be run at high speeds for long periods of time are a great fit for this machine,” McDaniel adds.
The latest FFS equipment also handles a wide range of bakery and snack products. Vertek machines from Paxiom Group, Las Vegas, can package dried fruit, nuts, trail mix, and popcorn. “The Vertek series of vertical FFS machines can package stick pack, pillow, and gusseted pouches in a variety of film structures including laminate, metalized structures, and polyethylene,” says Nicholas Taraborelli, vice president. “The Vertek 800/1200 handles pouch widths up to 12 inches wide while the Vertek 2400 handles bags up to 24 inches wide.”