Horizontal Flow Wrapper Packages Single Blow-Fill-Seal Vials

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Equipment and Processing Report

Equipment and Processing Report, Equipment and Processing Report-01-21-2015, Issue 1

A horizontal flow wrapper separates vials and individually packs them at high speed using a long-dwell sealing system with ultrasonic or heat-sealing technology.


Bosch Packaging Technology's Sigpack HCUL horizontal flow wrapper packages up to 300 single blow-fill-seal (BFS) vials per minute. The machine ensures hermetic packages even at high speed using long-dwell, cross-sealing technology.

Primary packaging units, delivered as BFS cards, are fed into the Sigpack HCUL with the aid of a Sigpack LDF Delta robot or other intelligent loading solution. Before being packaged in the flow wrapper, the vials are separated by the feeding system's separation unit.

The long-dwell sealing system has a cross-sealing unit that allows the sealing jaws to close more gently and in a more controlled manner than other flow wrappers currently available, even at high speeds. This long-dwell sealing ensures longer sealing times to produce hermetic packages. The balcony design of the cross-sealing unit with individually mounted heating elements allows fast changeovers. Depending on application requirements, the station has the flexibility to be equipped with either ultrasonic or heat-sealing technology. Also available are hybrid machines that use ultrasonic sealing technology on the longitudinal sealing unit and heat sealing on the cross seam. Because thermo-sensitive products can be damaged when exposed to heat, usually occurring when transported over the longitudinal sealing unit, this hybrid configuration provides a high-speed solution for these products.

The machine's control system monitors the alignment of the products as well as the information printed on the packaging, such as the barcode. By making sure that packages which do not meet the specifications are automatically rejected, only hermetically sealed packages leave the machine.

The Sigpack HCUL is expandable to accommodate modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). In the Real Time (RT) MAP system, the gas supply for the RT-MAP and the sensor for measuring residual oxygen content are integrated in the longitudinal sealing unit. As a result, this provides real-time measurement of residual oxygen content in the package, rejecting those that have excessive residual oxygen. The amount of gas supplied or extracted is precisely controlled so that only the necessary amount is released. The RT MAP system has improved measuring accuracy and reduces production costs.

Source: Bosch