UK-based Bradman Lake Group has already announced that it plans to launch its largest-ever presentation of working machinery at the packaging show with no fewer than three new machines. Manufacturers and suppliers are more concerned than ever to cut costs and maintain contracts with demanding retailers, and the show gives equipment providers the opportunity of addressing these concerns.
Bradman Lake's centrepiece will be a complete, fully automated packaging line for a confectionery bar product. Already sold to an overseas confectionery manufacturer, it will introduce two of the three new machines to the world's packaging machinery users.
First is the latest in Bradman Lake's series of robotic top load equipment, the high speed LJ/TRT triple race track collator/loader. Incorporating ABB Flexpicker robotics, the company claims that it is capable of collating and loading flow wrapped bar products at speeds in excess of 700 units per minute.
Supplying formed open top cartons ready for loading will be another of the new machines from Bradman Lake Group, designed and built in Germany by Bradman Lake GmbH. The all-servo AMI Erector operates at speeds up to 100 strokes per minute and can erect cartons and compartment trays in solid and corrugated board using lock forming, hot melt or hot air sealing.
Single, double and triple forming head models are available.
On the Interpack line demonstration, an automatic row distribution system by Autowrappers will supply bar-type products into a Flowtronic FT120 flow wrapper, which will feed wrapped bars into the LJ/TRT collator/loader. The filled cartons will flow into a Compact 3 lugless 3-flap Carton Closer from which sealed cartons will be transferred into a Europack shrinkwrapper which will collate multipack units ready for retail distribution.
Although it will be capable of speeds up to 700 ppm on an installed line, the Interpack demonstration will operate at 400ppm with frequent demonstration runs at intervals during each day of the show.
The third Bradman Lake innovation at Interpack will be a new 225cpm automatic end loader, 40 per cent faster than its predecessor. The SL906 is fully automatic, driven by 14 independent servos synchronised by industrial PC with operator-friendly touch screen controls. It offers either high-speed continuous or intermittent running.
Although new to the continental European market, four SL906 machines are already operating in USA, UK and Ireland.
Interpack 2005 is running from the 21 to 27 April in Dusseldorf, Germany.