Italian-based Benco Pack, which is a division of Sacmi Filling, developed the Miniasepack/32/20 in response to market demand for highly-automated machines that offer increased efficiency and easier operability.
Marketing
Benco Pack, which developed the machine in cooperation with its customer Nestle China, is targeting booming markets like China, India, and Latin America. The company claims that the Miniasepack/32/20 is the best value-for-money aseptic machine available on the global market, thanks to an affordable purchase price and high efficiency (> 95 per cent).
The new aseptic horizontal packaging machine thermoforms, fills, and seals UHT milk cream miniportions of 10 ml to be drunk with tea and coffee. The machine is fully automated thanks to the introduction servo-motors and is capable of an output of 36,000 cups an hour.
Thanks to its aseptic packaging technology the cups do not need to be distributed via a cold chain. The machine is pre-sterilized and maintained in sterile conditions by steam and hydrogen peroxide sprays. The packaging materials are sterilized by hydrogen peroxide baths and the packaging process occurs inside a tunnel with overpressure of sterile air.
Technical benefits
Davide Pancini, chief automation engineer of the Benco Pack Division, explained the benefits of the Miniasepack/32/20, compared to its standard version.
“First of all getting rid of the hydraulic circuits, an increased flexibility in setting the drive parameters and station movement profiles - resulting in a better control of the forming, filling and sealing parameters - noise reduction and improved working efficiency.
“Last, but not least, thanks to the regenerative concept, the current from slowed down motors is returned to the system and resistors for braking energy conversion are no longer necessary. This is a relevant advantage in intermittent machines, whose functioning is characterized by sudden accelerations and decelerations of big size motors.”
Speaking more generally, Vezio Bernardi, who was appointed chairman of the board at Sacmi Filling in January, said “We have simply complied with increasing market requests for highly-automated machines, which combine easy operation and increased efficiency, production speed and noise-reduction.”
The Miniasepack/32/20 uses Form-Fill-Seal technology, a three step packaging and filling process. Containers are thermoformed starting from a roll of multi-layer plastic film (PS/EVOH/PE or similar), filled with product, closed by a thermo-sealed pealable lids supplied in rolls, and cut in the desired configuration (single cups or multipacks).