Packaging specialist Theegarten-Pactec enables high-speed packaging with tubular paper bags

2022-12-24

The medium-sized company Theegarten-Pactec from Dresden presents in June 2021 a new development of its proven FPC5 high-performance modular packaging machine for the packaging of chocolate products. With this machine it is possible to process tubular paper bags by the heat sealing process in the high-performance range of 90 m/min.

“Sustainable packaging” is currently the fashionable expression in the packaging industry. Not without reason: For example, a recent and representative online survey conducted by management consultants Simon, Kucher & Partners in March 2021 (‘Sustainable Product packaging’, Simon, Kucher & Partners, March 2021) revealed that sustainable packaging is highly valued by almost three quarters of the consumers surveyed. Paper was rated by consumers as a particularly sustainable material, as it represents an alternative to 70% of the usual materials. This not only increases the pressure on brand manufacturers to offer appropriate solutions. The packaging industry is also in demand: It must respond to the wishes of consumers, retailers and, not least, to the requirements of the legislator with resource-saving materials and processes and use sustainable packaging wherever possible. This is a trend that, of course, is also being adopted by packaging machine manufacturers.

Theegarten-Pactec has perfected the FPC5, a high-performance modular machine for packaging bar- and tablet-shaped products in tubular bags, so that it can now process paper-based packaging materials.

The Dresden-based specialist in the packaging of small confectionery pieces, Theegarten-Pactec, has long been aware of this trend towards sustainability and, for example, has developed material-saving wrapping methods or optimized its machines for processing especially thin films. Now Theegarten-Pactec is following suit: the FPC5 – a high-performance modular machine for packaging stick- or tablet-shaped products in tubular bags – has been perfected so that it can now process paper-based packaging materials: On the one hand, by the common cold sealing process and, on the other, by the much more complex heat sealing process.

Theegarten-Pactec has developed the ideal solution for the heat sealing of paper containers, in the high performance range. While speeds of 80 to 120 m/min are possible for conventional films in this range, an impressive 90 m/min is achieved for paper-based packaging material in the FPC5. This corresponds to 600 chocolate tablets larger than 40 g per minute.

Theegarten-Pactec has developed the ideal solution for the heat sealing of paper containers, in the high performance range. This makes it possible to achieve an impressive performance of 90 m/min on the FPC5. This corresponds to 600 larger chocolate tablets of 40 g per minute.

Thanks to this solution, the machine can now produce a barrier paper package with integrated heat sealing capability and a pure paper content of at least 95%. Due to the low content of sealing material and the barrier layer against the penetration of grease, moisture or other environmental influences, the produced packaging can be completely recycled into the paper waste stream and reused for new applications.

In particular, the optimal processing of paper packages in the FPC5 is achieved by precisely preheating the longitudinal sealing and transverse sealing zones of the paper: For this, the sealing zone is already preheated during the unwinding process. Thanks to a technically sophisticated pre-stretching section, the paper does not deform during this step. In this way, the paper selectively receives a higher initial temperature before the chocolate bars are packaged and heat-sealed. Therefore, during the sealing process itself, heat must be applied to the paper through the sealing tools for a much shorter time to reach the optimal sealing temperature.

Thanks to this shorter sealing time, the high speed of 90 m/min can be reached. To protect the sensitive packaging material, Theegarten-Pactec has also thought about this point and has optimized the profile of the sealing jaws for handling paper material. The adjustable heating temperatures allow the process to be optimally adapted both to the requirements of the packaging material and to the load capacity of the product to be packaged. This prevents the packaging material and the product from being damaged and ensures that both are processed with special care by the machine.

With the BLM capping machine, Theegarten-Pactec also supplies the machine suitable for secondary packaging in cardboard boxes. It is specially designed for optimal adaptation to a primary packaging machine of the high performance range.

And elsewhere, the special nature of the sustainable packaging material was taken into account: Theegarten-Pactec has also modified the forming shoulder for the production of paper tubular bags in the FPC5. Thanks to the material used and the geometry adapted to the packaging material, there is no risk that the paper will wrinkle or even break during the formation of the tubular bag.
Theegarten-Pactec has even taken the packaging process with the sustainable material a step further. For example, the FPC5 is equipped in such a way that the so-called “gusseting”, that is, the folding of the packaging material on the transverse flap, is possible with paper packaging without any problems and the paper does not break at this point either. This makes it possible to form a straight packaging end with the paper. In this way, a wide transverse flap is effectively avoided, which would hinder the subsequent packaging of the chocolate tablets in a secondary container and occupy unnecessary space. With the BLM capping machine, Theegarten-Pactec also supplies the machine suitable for secondary packaging in cardboard boxes. The cartoning machine is designed to be optimally adapted to a primary packaging machine of the high performance range. The combination of the tubular bag packaging machine and the cartoning machine thus enables efficient primary and secondary packaging using paper-based packaging materials.

Thanks to the patent-pending Theegarten-Pactec solution, confectionery manufacturers can now optimally respond to consumer and trade demand and earn points with sustainable packaging alternatives.

Side sea experimenter the new solution as well as the thought of the FPC 5 packaging machine, you can see for yourself on the YouTube channel of Theegarten-Pactec: