Imagine having to produce a multitude of high-quality snacks on minimum production space. Furthermore, you require very fast changeover times, small-batch manufacturing – and a way to quickly deliver your product to new customers.
Naturally, this calls for equipment that is highly flexible and neither compromises on quality nor safety. This is the path of an Asian biscuit company chose to walk with a knowledgeable companion. Syntegon Technology, formerly Bosch Packaging Technology, helped the cracker experts to boost production flexibility with the latest generation of its compact two-in-one system solution.
Small footprints matter
Given its confined production space, an Asian biscuit and cracker company was looking to boost its manufacturing flexibility. Reaching this goal, however, is not about simply adding a new production hall. Following a meticulous analysis of the company’s production conditions, Syntegon Technology presented a versatile solution that would meet the manufacturers needs in full. Syntegon’s approach combines existing handling equipment like vibratory channels with new equipment for increased flexibility, small footprint, gentle and high-quality production of delicate snacks. The company recommended a compact cracker packaging line consisting of a patented feeding system with a Sigpack ZZKT turbo magazine, a flexible dual infeed system with smart slug/pile grouping capabilities, a Sigpack Two-in-One horizontal slug and pile machine and a TTM 100 integrated topload cartoner.
Syntegon’s solution combines flow-wrapping and handling technology.
Reproduction for press purposes free of charge with credit “Picture: Syntegon”
More than a magazine
The patented Sigpack ZZKT turbo magazine with the dual line linear motor infeed system is the heart of the versatile packaging line. Crackers are brittle and shock-sensitive, so they require gentle handling at every process stage. The freshly baked goods enter the magazine’s four fully motorized lanes on edge from the vibratory channels. Each lane dispatches up to 1,500 products per minute on the dual lane belt feeder below. Thanks to a patented rotary star mechanism, each magazine counts and places the crackers in shingled rather than straight lines to save precious space on the lanes. Unlike other industry solutions, the patented system ensures a much slower and therefore gentler placement of the baked goods. This results in higher product quality to satisfy a demanding clientele.
The motorized magazines quickly dispatch crackers on a dual lane belt feeder.
Reproduction for press purposes free of charge with credit “Picture: Syntegon”
Slug or pile at the push of a button – the Two-in-One principle
Once counted and placed, the cracker’s journey has only just begun. On their rapid way to the Two-in-One flow wrapper, they pass the Sigpack FIFD. The special product infeed groups two product lanes for either slug or pile packs into one lane. Flexibility is a major asset of the two-in-one FIFD: Depending on the product, operators can change between pile or slug at the push of a button. If, for example, a slug of nine crackers is needed, the ZZKT magazine places nine crackers in a shingled manner and then the FIFD module group a slug by pushing the crackers to stand on edge to form a slug of nine. For a pile pack, the ZZKT places four crackers in the same manner, but this time the FIFD module pushes the crackers to form a pile of four. Thanks to its small footprint, the FIFD mirrors the space-saving design of the ZZKT magazine while surpassing the latter’s output: the FIFD can process up to 2,400 products per minute.
Product presentation on shelve – thanks to flexible toploading
In a final step, the flow wraps move on to the highly flexible TTM 100 topload cartoner, which gently loads between 30 and 150 packs into a carton per minute. A broad variety of carton styles, including tri-seal closure, open tray, tray and hood or tuck-in lid is possible, granting the biscuit company extra flexibility regarding the final product presentation on-shelf. The changeover times between the various secondary pack styles are fast, adding to the overall flexibility of the Syntegon packaging line from start to finish. Since service and modernisation are key for any biscuit producer, the Asian company can turn to Syntegon for help. The company’s service experts are based in the country to guarantee support during the full life cycle of the system. With this kind of partnership, the prospects for cracker production look promising – which is great news for those ever-curious customers looking for their next snack.
