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Ketchup filling Equipment

Filling lines are used extensively in all industries, such as food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and cosmetics, to accurately package different products into a container suitable for that product. Although the filling process is at the very end of the production line, it is no less important than the earlier steps. Last but not least, the idiom that dates back to 1382 when John Wyclif wrote the firste the laste, and the laste the firste, indicates just that the last things on a list are just as valuable as the previous ones. In this case, this idiom fits perfectly.

Filling

Ketchup processing begins with tons of tomato paste that is mixed and heated together with sugar, vinegar, and spices in a cooking kettle. After cooking, any remaining fibers and particles are filtered out. Once it reaches the right viscosity, your tomato ketchup production process is finished and ready for packaging and transport.

Ketchup

In terms of high-frequency technology, the fill level detection is considered a standard method nowadays. It inspects glasses and PET bottles of almost any shape and colour, in particular for liquids with little or no foam.


<h2>Inspect the filling level for liquids with little or no foam</h2>
The Newton HF from Miho greatly improves the HF measurement process. Without carrying out any special precautionary measures, the HF technology is very sensitive towards changes in temperature that lead to measuring drifts and eventually to changes in the fill levels measured. Miho Newton HF resolves these problems because it is a machine that permanently controls and calibrates itself.

Miho Newton High-frequency fill level controller represents a level of accuracy and reliability that has not been known up until now thanks to the HF fill level control. With this machine the HF inspection process has certainly reached new heights.

High-frequency fill level controller

A large range of sizes and types is available, with traditional horizontal form fill and seal machines being designed to produce and fill a single type. A modern, modular system allows a completely tailored solution, meaning no compromise on quality and speed of pouch production.


<h2>Flexible pouch filling machine that can be adapted for liquids, solids and powders</h2>
The BMK series from Bossar is a fully modular pouching system that has been designed to meet the requirements of the food, chemical, personal care, and cosmetic industries. From autoclave pouches for cooked foods, to shaped pouches with valves for liquids, and traditional single and twin sachets, the BMK series meets the needs of many producers.

The BMK series is built with a frame construction that comprises three independent and customisable modules: a film unwind module, a pouch forming module and a pouch filling module. Each is available in one of several versions, which allows you to specify the exact combination for a packaging solution that’s perfectly tailored to your requirements.

This flexible approach allows for over 35 different types of pouch to be produced by BMK series machines, included zippered, valved, and shaped pouches. Double film reels of up to 600mm diameter may be installed, reducing downtime between film changeover, and allowing pouch sizes up to 200mm x 300mm to be produced, with volume up to 2500cc.

A wide range of dosing units can be specified, allowing any type of product to be packaged by BMK. Options include insertion valves, volumetric fillers, auger fillers, multihead weighers, flowmeters, and more. Straws, valves or zip closures can be inserted into the pouches if required.

Construction and operational design has emphasised strength and reliability, with ease of maintenance and hygiene. A mechanical walking beam transport system gives reliability and a performance of up to 200 units per minute depending on pouch configuration.

For speedy format changes, the cutting device, gripper and servomotor film pulling systems are automatically adjusted from the HMI touch screen with only a single press, and all areas of the machine are visible and accessible through transparent hygiene covers for ease of operation, maintenance and cleaning.

Modular HFFS Machine

Traditional HFFS machines use mechanical cams to drive the production path through the machines. Although this technology is in widespread use, these HFFS machines endure a lot of mechanical stress, and require frequent maintenance or repair. Modern servo control systems offer an immediate boost in reliability, but also an increase in throughput thanks to the ability for each station in the packing process being able to operate independently of each other.
<h2>Servo controlled horizontal form fill and sealing HFFS for increased reliability and performance</h2>
The Bossar BMS series of machines represent the first move away from the mechanical cam-driven machines that have been ubiquitous in the HFFS sector.

Featuring a Bossar-patented transmission system, the BMS range offers true independent multi-axis operation. This method of servo control means BMS machines have far fewer mechanical moving parts than traditional machines, reducing maintenance, wear and associated downtime.

Another key benefit is much better access to the entire product path. As well as better visibility for operators, it also makes the machine easier to clean for sanitary applications.

Great attention has been paid to the quality of the sealing units on the BMS series. The seals produced are of the same quality as pre-made pouches, but with the ability to produce a huge range of shapes and designs to help differentiate your products in the marketplace.

Full 3D touchscreen control allows not only for simple programming of parameters and product changeover, but also offers full diagnostics and visualization of process health as well as instantly available manuals and troubleshooting guides.

The BMS series offers a 10% productivity increase compared to traditional fully-mechanical HFFS alternatives, driving a quick ROI and increasing efficiency.

&nbsp;

HFFS machine with servo-control system

Pre-made pouches can be problematic for traditional cam-driven mechanical HFS machines. This is because the grippers may not be able to exert enough pressure to hold pouches in place where a traditional walking beam is used, or to exert enough clamping force during a retort process. This can lead to higher rejection rates. A fully servo-controlled carousel system can offer perfect results while increasing throughput and reducing downtime associated with maintenance.


<h2>Reliable, High Speed filling of pre-made pouches</h2>
The Bossar BCS series of servo-controlled machines has been specifically engineered to offer improved accuracy when using ready-made pouches. Unique Bossar-designed clamps hold the pouches perfectly in place during the filling system, ensuring a perfect seal.

Empty pouches are loaded into a carousel cassette system that ensures the machine receives a constant supply of pouches, and that can be topped up manually at any time.

The carousel system means that far fewer moving mechanical parts are needed compared to traditional cam-driven machines. This reduces maintenance to a minimum as well as the downtime associated with repairs or parts replacement.

Offering a range of formats, the BCS series can fill pre-made pouches up to 300mm x 400mm and volumes up to 6,000cc. Product throughput of up to 120 pouches per minute is available.

Flexibility is ensured by an all-electronic format change procedure. Simply using the touch screen interface, an operator can initiate an automatic format change with a single press that will take just a few minutes, and without any manual input required.

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High Speed Premade Pouch Packaging Machine

A wide variety of products that were previously canned are now able to be more economically packaged in retort pouches. These specialised plastic film and metal foil laminates are ideal for food use. Traditional premade pouch filling machines are not suitable for hygienic operations, and a dedicated retort pouch filling solution that can seal to withstand the high pressures of the autoclave is needed.


<h2>Food pouch packaging machine with sanitary design</h2>
The Bossar BR Retort series is a range of machines designed specifically for hygienic filling of premade retort pouches for food products. They are perfect for product lines such as soup, tuna, chicken, sauces, prepared meals and pasta, as well as pharmaceutical applications.

Constructed from AISI 304 stainless steel, the BR series is easy to clean and sanitize. In addition, all parts that are product contacting are made from AISI 316L stainless steel. Optional residual oxygen removal systems can be specified, either N2 or steam injection, to meet your exact requirements.

The Bossar-designed high-pressure sealing system has been designed to give a perfect seal every time, and offers temperature control of +/- 1 degree to guarantee a hermetic seal on a wide range of pouch types.

A robust walking beam transport method ensures reliability and accuracy while allowing throughput of up to 180 pouches per minute. The BR series can seal flat or stand-up pouches ranging from 60mm x 80mm up to 330mm x 300mm. Maximum fill volume can be up to 2,000cc.

&nbsp;

Retort Pouch Packaging Machine

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Traditional sauce filling units can struggle to maintain a high quality of output in case of increased demand as they would become more hygienically difficult to maintain. In such scenarios, having a modern sauce filling solution for a range of different liquids, pastes, and products with solid particles that can meet the demand with ease proves to be an integ</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ral part of your arsenal.</span>


<h2>Automated sauce filling system with 6 volumetric pistons</h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The DPA 6500 by Dosimaq is the largest of the DPA models due to its dual-rail conveyor belt that allows for the sauce to be dispensed into the containers on one line, while the other line prepares the new set of containers such as bottles, jars, and cans.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Equipped with 6 volumetric pistons with adjustable columns ranging from 50cc to 500cc and 4-meter conveyor belt with widths ranging from 200 mm to 500 mm, the  DPA 6500 unit can reach a production rate of up to 9,000 packs per hour.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Furthermore, the conveyor belt assisting the high output of products is 40% hollow, allowing for easy maintenance and cleaning. This is possible due to the automatic cleaning and sterilization system that enables the cleaning of all the internal components in contact with the product, leaving the machine ready for the next production and without contamination risks.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Moreover, with the help of the 380 V 50Hz power supply, the unit is fully autonomous, requiring no human intervention during operation. </span>

Automatic filling machine for sauce

When producing single-use pouches for products like ketchup, lotions, or soy sauce, efficient and precise packaging is essential to maintain quality and reduce waste. Achieving consistent fill levels and secure seals while maintaining high production speeds can be challenging without the right equipment.
<h2>Form, fill, and seal single-use pouches</h2>
The Accu-Pack series by Accutek is a versatile form, fill, and seal system designed for the production of single-use plastic pouches. Constructed from heavy-duty stainless steel, this system ensures durability and longevity. The Accu-Pack can handle various product types, including liquids like lotions and sauces, as well as powders such as spices and drink mixes, with an optional auger filling module. The PLC control system and color touchscreen interface make it user-friendly and easy to set up. The system achieves speeds of up to 100 PPM and supports filling ranges from 8 to 60 mL. It creates packets with lengths of 30-180 mm and widths of 30-90 mm, all within a continuously operating cycle that includes side, top, and bottom sealing as well as date/lot code embossing and easy-rip tab cutting.

Form, fill, and seal system for single-use pouches

In the production of food and beverage products, maintaining a consistent texture and particle size is crucial. Challenges arise with products containing pieces, requiring gentle handling to prevent damage or maintaining specific solid-liquid ratios.
<h2>Homogenizes and pumps products with pieces</h2>
The TP22 from Bertoli (Interpump Group) is an industrial homogenizer designed to handle products containing pieces up to 60mm. With a power capacity of 9.2 kW and maximum pressure of 16 bar, it achieves a throughput of up to 12000 liters per hour. This equipment operates with two pistons (2xØ120) and ensures constant solid-liquid ratios, making it ideal for applications in the food and beverage sector. It features an automatic greasing system that consumes 2 kg/1500h of NSF H1 grease, contributing to lower maintenance costs. The TP22 requires a minimum feeding air pressure of 7 bar with air consumption at 42 Nm³/h. Its extended maintenance program ensures long-term reliability and efficiency in operation.

Industrial homogenizer for food and beverage applications

Achieving consistent filling precision and minimizing product waste is essential in the food and beverage industry, especially for products like ketchup, mayonnaise, and edible oils. Ensuring delicate treatment and uniform filling can be challenging with traditional methods.
<h2>Fill with high precision and minimal waste</h2>
The Weightech E by CFT Group is a rotary weight filler designed specifically for edible oil and formulated products, offering exceptional precision and delicate treatment. Utilizing advanced load cell technology, it ensures uniform filling and minimal product waste, making it ideal for high-viscosity products such as sauces and creams. The system is capable of handling glass bottles, PET bottles, and cans with a capacity range from 3,000 to 45,000 containers per hour. The Weightech E includes features like tare function, pressurization system, and filling valves controlled by a PLC for optimal performance. This technology is highly versatile, supporting multiple algorithms to customize the filling process as required.

High-precision rotary weight filler for edible oils and sauces

When producing liquid food products in large volumes, it's crucial to ensure hygienic, efficient, and consistent filling. Typical challenges include maintaining cleanliness, avoiding contamination, and accommodating various packaging formats.
<h2>Fill liquid food products under hygienic conditions</h2>
The filling machines by Endulus Krom are designed to fill liquid food and industrial products with various package options under hygienic conditions. This range includes full automatic PET bottle filling machines, full automatic can filling machines, semi-automatic filling machines, monoblock filling machines, and boutique filling machines (single and double nozzle). These machines cater to various industries, including milk and dairy products, olive oil, sunflower seed oil, ketchup, mayonnaise, turnip juice, and lemon juice. Moreover, the machines incorporate post-filling equipment such as cap closing, labelling, and date encoding for comprehensive filling solutions.

Liquid food filling solutions

If you want to pack into unique bag styles like Quad-seal and Doypack, but you don’t require acceleration &amp; deceleration, you can save costs by choosing a bagger with a mechanical drive.


<h2>Steady speed vertical form fill sealing</h2>
The VikingMašek Intermittent Bagmaker series (M250, M400, M500 ) are high-performance vertical form fill and seal machines. Its rugged construction and enclosed jaw drive enables hassle-free packaging in dusty or wet environments.

It can accommodate multiple bag designs and dimensions with high speed and accuracy. It can produce maximum up to 70-100 bags per minute and handles bag sizes from 50 x 60 mm (M250) up to 500 x 600 mm (M500).

This vertical bagger is perfect for packaging quad seal, flat bottom, doy style, brick fold down/tape down, and pillow bags, snacks, candy, coffee, fresh and frozen fruit and more.

Bagger with mechanical driven jaw actuation

If you are looking for a compact packing machine that packs multiple smaller packs in one master bag; this automated product is exactly what you need.


<h2>Compact bag-in-bag machine for packing applications</h2>
The VikingMašek Intermittent Bag maker (M250 BiB) is a machine for all types of bag-in-bag applications, from airline/hotel single serves coffee packs to multiple smaller packs in one master bag. This Bag-in-Bag machine has enclosed, direct jaw drive, that provides you with years of smooth maintenance and free operation.

This vertical Bag-in-Bag machine is perfect for packaging from small to large bags of snacks, coffee, pet food, hardware products and more.

Bag-in-Bag machine

If you are looking for a compact packing machine that fits into tight space and tight budgets, proven basic bagging technologies may be your solution.


<h2>Compact and economic vertical form fill sealing</h2>
The VikingMašek Intermittent Bag maker series (E250, E400) is the most compact and economical bag maker for the packaging of small to large bags. It can produce maximum up to 50-60 bags per minute depending on the series of machine. Bag size can vary from 50 x 60 mm (E250) up to 400 x 600 mm (E400).

The robust, stainless steel, open-design frame is easy to access for maintenance. This vertical bagger is perfect for packaging small to large bags of snacks, coffee, pet food, hardware products and more.

Bagger with rotary jaw drive actuation

If you want to pack into gusseted and pillow style bags and packing speed is important for your packaging process, a continuous bagger with twin sealing jaws could be a good investment.


<h2>The world’s fastest vertical form fill sealing machine</h2>
The VikingMašek Continuous motion bag maker velocity is capable of high speed production up to 300 bpm. The unique center mounted filling tube and natural counterbalanced sealing profiles are designed to provide vibration free, extremely smooth operation at all speeds.

The Velocity is also extremely versatile, handling package sizes up to 300 mm wide and multiple package styles. Patented, independently phased, twin sealing jaws separate the velocity from all other high speed machines and virtually eliminate lost cycle time. This is the world´s fastest bagging machine on the market that has no competition.

Continuous bagger with twin sealing jaws

If you want to pack into eye-catching 4-side sealed sachets between 40x50 mm and 250x200 mm in size, investing in a reliable sachet machine will be a good investment.


<h2>Fast and flexible solution for your sachet needs</h2>
The Sachet Machine series SA 300 &amp; SA 600 by VikingMašek are continuous motion multi-lane sachet machines. They make eye-catching 4-side seal packets using just one roll of packaging film that can seal your product with high speed and efficiency.

The versatile multi-lane sachet machines can accommodate from 1 to 6 lanes (SA600) or from 1 to 10 lanes (SA600) to form sachet pouches, running as fast as 80 cycles per minute.

Designed to pack powders, dense, fine, loose and particulate materials as well as liquids and semi-liquids into 4-side sealed sachets and to accommodate different bag shapes including tear notches and easy-open system. They can be fitted with servo auger fillers &amp; volumetric fillers for powder applications, and two different liquid fillers for sauces or creams.

Sachet Machine

If you are looking to pack your product into stick packs from 17 x 40 mm to 100 x 200 mm in size, you may benefit from the experience from the largest manufacturer of stick pack machines in Europe.


<h2>Benefit from the experience from Europe’s leading producer</h2>
This multilane Stickpack Machine series (ST200, ST400, ST560, ST800, ST1200 ) by VikingMašek can accommodate a large variety of different shapes of stickpack pouches with high efficiency and flexibility.

The versatile multi-lane stick pack machines can accommodate from 1 to 20 lanes, running as fast as 80 cycles per minute.

They are designed to pack powders, dense, fine, loose and particulate materials as well as liquids into StickPack bags and to accommodate different bag shapes including pour spouts, tear notches and easy-open system.

Semi- or fully automated cartoning solutions are also available for individual or bulk cartoning.

Stickpack Machine

VikingMašek is a global leading manufacturer of vertical baggers &amp; multilane packaging solutions.

Due to the fact that meal-kit subscription delivery companies deliver the box of ingredients that they assemble in the kitchen, their business models seem more sensible compared to the food delivery business which depends largely on the affiliated partners. Some restaurants, which only offer dine-in options before, have started to take similar measures to deliver half-processed meals to the end consumers. From kitchen to the consumers' table at home, there are a lot of considerations and challenges regarding the packaging of the food.


<h2>The driving forces of meal kit subscription services and restaurants joining food delivery</h2>
Since cooking at home can generate the sense of being in control during this out-of-control time, <a href="https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/meal-kits-had-their-chance-covid-19-has-given-them-another-one/">meal kit subscription businesses have taken initiatives to capture this quarantine-driven momentum.</a>  Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has also shown us that restaurants which do little takeaway or delivery business have adjusted to expand these capacities to maintain same level business due to the stay-at-home order.

Consumer behaviour is currently changing short term. However, when the consumers become more comfortable with order-in and meal kit preparation, chances are that their behaviours could be impacted long-term.
<h2>Packaging challenges and solutions for food delivery service</h2>
Either to deliver fresh food meal kit or to send fresh-cooked food, the process involves complex logistic and packaging challenges to bring the products across the city to the end consumer. The manufactures need to consider how to keep the ingredients fresh, how to prevent the liquid such as soup or sauce from leaking, and how to save employees' time if the food is packed manually.

While packing all the ingredients in the meal could not be perfectly automated in the standardized serving size, here are some most-requested food delivery packaging automation solutions:

<strong>- Meat, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables</strong>: Putting the ingredients in the sealed bag protects the food go wrong quickly. <a href="https://vikingmasek.com/packaging-machines/vertical-form-fill-seal">Vertical form fill seal (VFFS) machines</a> ensure high packaging speed and accuracy.

<strong>- Spices and sauces</strong>:  <a href="https://making.com/equipment/sachet-machine">Sachet</a> and <a href="https://making.com/equipment/stickpack-machine">stickpack machines</a> automatically form, fill, and seal small packets of ingredients like spices and sauces.

<strong>- Cold packs</strong>: Another emerging application is the packaging of cold packs for shipment of the ingredients to consumers' homes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoIHv73s2zY

Packaging solutions for meal kit and food delivery

Food

Our food chain starts in the soil, growing crops and livestock. But between the fields and the stores, there is a line of industrial food processing equipment. Processes may be as minimalistic as cleaning fruit and as complex as homogenizing milk alternatives made from pressed legumes. In each case, processing technology is an important link in the food production chain.

Frigojollinox is an Italian company specialized in the manufacturing of equipment for the canning, dairy, fishing, confectionary, and cosmetic industries.

There was a period when ketchup bottles looked more like poster colors than condiments. The fad filled retail shelves with edgy ketchup palettes of purple, blue, green, pink. But the introduction coincided with a growing appetite for unprocessed food ingredients, and producers quickly reverted to red ketchup.

Most consumers will not be aware of lycopene, the compound that gives tomatoes their pigment. However, they know that the natural color of ripe berries is a rich red. The era of multicolor ketchup was, alas, short-lived.

But ketchup is more than tomato sauce. The classic recipe combines vinegar, sugar, and seasoning into the base sauce. Cooking combines the aromas and reduces the sauce into a denser liquid. But while it enriches the taste and texture, the rise in temperatures turns the glowing red of the tomatoes into a fading brown.


<h3>Natural pigments on red alert</h3>
“Conventional industrial cookers subject the ketchup mixture to temperatures up to 100°C,” explains Maurizo Pettini from Frigojolinox. The elevated heat diffuses the natural pigmentation and makes the orange and yellow undertones of lycopene more pronounced.

The discoloration can be corrected with food-grade additives, often Allura Red AC (E129 / FD&amp;C Red 40). However, preserving the original red pigment of the tomato sauce minimizes the degree of color adjustment required.

The trick is to balance temperatures with atmospheric pressure. Cooking the ketchup mixture under a vacuum reduces the thermal stresses considerably, circumventing the 'burn’ effect caused by traditional high-heat cookers.

“Vacuum cooking is conducted at around 50°C and removes a significant measure of the thermal burden from tomatoes,” Maurizio tells us. The decreased pressure lowers the boiling point of the moisture content in the sauce and the water in the vacuum cooker.
<h3>Take the pressure off color, texture, and taste</h3>
Lycopene perishes under intense heat, but the vacuum technique treats them gently. While the ingredients combine and thicken into ketchup, the tomatoes retain vivid redness.

But that is not the whole story, Maurizio points out. Besides the color, vacuum cooking develops other organoleptic qualities. It controls the extraction of water which regulates the viscosity levels. Meanwhile, the low temperatures prevent the caramelization of sugars that often produce off-tastes.

The vacuum technique protects the natural color of tomatoes and produces more authentic ketchup hues. However, that is no guarantee that the polychromatic craze will not make a comeback.

Ketchup shows its true colors with vacuum cooking

Sauces bring personality to a dish. From a spicy, dense Zhoug to a tangy, runny Suero, sauces add an extra dimension of flavor, texture, and mouthfeel. But developing recipes into industrial products with long shelf lives and consistent tastes is a complex process. Specialized sauce making equipment prepares and combines the ingredients into delicious, high-quality foods. The result is a sauce ready to elevate meals.

Sauce

Large-volume producers of single-serve packs, such as sugar sticks, instant coffee, and instant soup, continuously pack different product sizes into cartons. Intelligent and flexible infeed systems are needed to ensure your products integrate smoothly into the carton line at higher speeds.


<h2>Pack stick packs or flow packs into cartons continuously</h2>
The VENTO Cartoner from Mpac is a carton packaging system with a smart infeed system suitable for single-serve products such as condiments or coffee and milk powders. The unit is made of hygienic stainless steel materials. It has an open design for easy visibility of product flow and quick access to the components in case of maintenance and cleaning.

The entire system is servo-driven and coupled directly to its components for minimum maintenance and long operating life. It is designed to operate 24/7, allowing maximum production yield, and is equipped with an advanced intelligent machine interface that provides information on machine status, maintenance, and changeover controls based on product application. The processes include carton erecting, loading, transportation, and closing. Changeover for different carton sizes and types can be done quickly and automatically.

High-speed Cartoner For Single-Serve Products

Basically, to make milk powder, you need to remove the water content from the liquid milk and turn it into powder. How to do it? After pasteurizing and homogenizing the milk, milk’s water content is removed through filtration, evaporation, and drying. You have then to cool and sieve it before filling the containers. Here's how you get milk powder.

Milk powder

Sugar is the fuel that drives photosynthesis in plants. The leafy organisms constantly convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose. But it takes manufacturers specialized sugar processing technology to extract the sweet crystals from them. Today, most sugar products are derived either from sugarcane or sugar beet.

Sugar

Mayonnaise is created by blending oil with eggs, and then flavoring with vinegar, mustard, herbs, and spices. The eggs are a natural emulsifier that creates a uniform mixture. Ingredients are pumped into mayonnaise manufacturing equipment. First, a dynamic mixer maintains the desired level of emulsification of the mixture, which then moves on to packaging and bottling once reaching a satisfactory consistency.

Mayonnaise 

White, black and brown seeds from the mustard plant are the key constituents of this colorful and classic condiment. The various mustard production technology includes a mixer that mixes the mustard seeds with a handful of other ingredients and a mill that finely grinds the seeds to impart their characteristic flavor.

Mustard

Mpac Group is an industry leader in packaging automation, cartoning, and case-packing technologies.

Its complexity begins with the term itself, which has no clear and precise definition in the industry. As Jan Verweijen and Frank Jeurissen from the Mpac Group explain, the big question is always: is it a sachet or a stick pack?

“What is what” is defined by the way it is sealed, not by its width or length. A stick pack is a product with three seals, one of which is in the middle, lengthwise. Instead, a sachet is a four-sided sealed product with no seal in the middle.

First introduced in Japan in the 70s to pack sugar, these single-use sticks are now used to pack everything you can think of. But what impact does your product have on the cartoning process?


<h2>The first step is to find the right balance.</h2>
Stick packs are first filled vertically; this means that all the product is on the bottom.

Before entering the stick packs into the cartons, you need to evenly divide the product over the left and the right side of the stick packs. This step is called equalization and it is done by horizontally shaking the product to redistribute the contents inside the sticks.

“<em>If the weight is not evenly distributed, all the stick packs will slide off toward one corner of the box leading to an unstable formation that can damage the sticks</em>.” Frank points out.

For mere mortals, powder is powder, but for the experts, coffee powder, for instance, has a different structure than cocoa powder.

“<em>Liquids do not need equalization as the fluids divide automatically.” </em>Jan explains.

In addition, the sticks must have a minimum size, usually around 80 or 90 millimeters, to be cartoned horizontally and the shorter the sticks, the more difficult to keep them stable.
<h2>On edge vs. random orientation - Which side do you stand on?</h2>
Premium single-use products, such as coffee or pharmaceuticals, are often packed with the brand name and description always facing the consumer.

“<em>When this is the case, we use a paddle conveyor that brings each stick pack on a single edge so that when pulled out of the box, the branded face is the first thing the consumer sees,</em>” says Jan.

Frank adds: “<em>In 90 percent of cases, manufacturers choose speed over where the stick pack is facing. With random orientation, you can easily speed up to 900 sticks per minute</em>”.

“<em>Our bomb bay system counts each stick individually and puts them together in the quantity the producer requires; then it drops the sticks into the bucket conveyor</em>.” continues Jan.

To prevent damage, the bomb bay system consists of multiple drop levels, and the sticks need to be always dropped at a limited height - no higher than 250 mm.

As every stick has two ends, cartoning single-serve packs may seem easy, but as Jan and Frank explained, the journey from equalization to orientation and bomb bay dropping is not exactly a piece of cake.

Unpacking the world of stick pack cartoning

Cosmetic

Pharmaceutical

With over one-third of the population consuming it daily in different forms, coffee is one of the most popular processed beverages worldwide. Not only serving as drinks, but coffee is also often regarded as a culture. Coffee manufacturing is a knowledge-intensive industry. Coffee beans from different regions will reveal different tastes, while the level of caffeine could also be different. When it comes to coffee bean processing, the range of roasts varies from light golden brown all the way to dark. The method of tasting coffee differs between countries, habits, and tools.

Coffee

According to a legend, Cleopatra soaked her sails in her perfume so that Mark Antony could smell her ships before they arrived. This is to say that, from soaps and shampoos to perfumes, conditioners and pomades, cosmetics have always been highly valued and used for their properties of aesthetic enhancement. Cosmetics are a broad class of topical agents applied for various purposes such as cleansing, protecting, beautifying, or otherwise altering your appearance. As a result, a wide array of processing equipment is used in the cosmetics industry.

Cosmetics

Eating is more than just nutrition, but we have found ways to increase the nourishing power of our foods. Nutraceuticals manufacturing, from vitamin C powder and probiotics to omega 3 oil, is a concentration of natural ingredients and health supplements that complement our diets. While dietary supplements are not quite haute cuisine, the process of extraction and purification is no less a blend of science and art.

Nutraceuticals

The building blocks of matter have driven the imagination of philosophers, scientists, and artists for millennia. But, for manufacturers, these elements have a more concrete existence as powders. Powder processing technology conditions these primary materials to create a vast range of products, from chemicals and foods to pharmaceuticals and ceramics.

Powder

<span style="font-weight: 400">Spice manufacturing is one of the world's oldest trading products. The word spice refers to any dried part of a plant other than the leaves and is used for seasoning and food coloring. Spices are made from dried barks, roots, berries, and twigs, while green leafy parts of plants are considered herbs. Well-known examples include cinnamon, chilies, star anise, ginger, garlic salt, turmeric, cumin, or pepper, as well as pre-mixed blends such as Masala, Five-Spice Powder, or Old Bay.</span>

Spices

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