SK 400 ERGON - Film shrinkwrappers up to 40 ppm

1. In the machine infeed zone, an oscillating unscrambler accurately lines up the loose containers carried by a conveyour belt featuring low-friction chains made of thermoplastic material. In the pack formation zone, the containers are clustered in the required format through a pneumatic device operating in alternate motion.
2. In P and T models, a corrugated cardboard pad or blank is picked from the blanks magazine by an alternate motion picker composed of a group of vacuum suckers. The pad or the blank moves along the blank climb and gently places itself underneath the group of products in transit with the long side leading.
3. In the trayformer, special mechanical devices fold the blank’s front and rear flaps. The side flaps are sprayed with hot melt glue and then folded, thus forming the tray.
4. The unwinding of the film reel, placed in the lower part of the machine, is controlled by a progressive brake, which ensures the film constant tension. Before the pack enters the shrinking tunnel, the film is wrapped around the container batch and overlapped at the base of the pack.

* The stated values are not binding, as they have to be confirmed by SMI according to the user’s production conditions.

• Machine bearing frame made of sand-blasted and powder-painted steel
• The machine is equipped with sliding protection doors in anodised aluminium featuring a rounded shape which let all the motors (featuring low energy consumption) be placed externally if compared to the mechanical groups they activate.
  The closing system of doors is equipped with a slow-down device, which accompanies the door smoothly in its final phase of closure
• Continuous motion product grouping device, with electronically synchronized fingers made of plastic material
• For life lubricated pads
• Infeed conveyor with chains made of thermoplastic material featuring low friction coefficient and a motorized system of oscillanting laning guides
• Cardboard magazine situated beneath the infeed conveyour, adjustable according to the blank size
• Continuous motion rotary cardboard blank picker, equipped with electrical vacuum suction cups
• The unwinding of the film reels, placed in the lower part of the machine, is controlled by a brushless motor, which ensures the film constant tension.
  There are two film reels: one is operating, the other one stands by.
  When the operating film reel is over, a manual sealing bar joins the films. In order to facilitate the replacement of the film reels the machine is equipped with a dedicated reel truck.
  The mandrels feature a pneumatic blocking system and when the film ends, a special device stops the machine
• Before the pack enters the shrinking tunnel, the film is cut by a knife equipped with motorised blade and then wrapped around the group of containers and overlapped on the bottom of the pack.
  The adjustment of the film length is electronic
• Automatic centring system for printed film provided with marks
• Machine electrical cabinet with air conditioner
• The shrink tunnel features state-of-the-art technical solutions reducing energy consumption and ensuring an eco-friendly working process.
  The tunnel conveyor belt is made up of fibreglass bars, driven by side chains (®SMI).
  Thanks to the precise analysis of thermodynamic phenomena generated by the shrink process, the tunnel distributes hot air flows in an efficient and homogeneous way on the pack, thus ensuring its excellent quality at the end of the process.
  Shrink resistances are positioned on the side walls of the tunnel
• Tunnel automatic cleansing system (optional for SK 400)
• Heat-shrinking tunnel with forced air ventilation
• POSYC® control panel mounted man-high and running the whole length of the machine (fixed on LSK ERGON models)

* The stated values are not binding, as they have to be confirmed by SMI according to the user’s production conditions.

Modular and ergonomic structure

Considerable simplification and higher commonality of machine modules, allowing to: – produce all SKs ERGON with 4 modules only – reduce by 20% the variability of mechanical and electrical components – eliminate all manual interventions in the inner parts of the machine for maintenance and repair

Operational flexibility

SMI machines can package a wide range of products in several pack collations, so as to effectively meet the end user’s current and future requirements. Moreover, each machine can be equipped with additional devices, which increase its basic functions and ensure a high level of customization of the final package.

Motors directly connected to the drive shafts

SMI machines do not include gearboxes: the motors are directly connected to the drive shafts. The consequent advantage is the reduction of maintenance, energy consumption and noise.

Continuous motion pack formation

The continuous motion packaging system ensures a fluid production process and protects the containers from strokes, thus granting more reliability, a better quality of the pack and a reduction of mechanical wear.

Thermoplastic material dividing pins

In the pack formation zone, the use of dividing pins made of thermoplastic material, which last longer than those made of metal, reduces the machine noise and protects the fragile containers (such as glass containers) and their labels.

Multi-pitch configuration

SMI machines are pre-arranged to control up to three different machine pitches, without replacing the mechanical components. Therefore, it has been possible to increase the product dimensions range of almost 20%, as compared to the previous machines generation. The working parameters of each pitch are stored in the POSYC® control pc; the operator can select the required machine pitch directly from the touch screen.

Easy and low-cost maintenance

The rounded protection doors of ERGON models allow broader space inside the machine and thus the motors can be mounted externally on the machine side edges. Therefore, they are easily accessible and reachable for maintenance. Actually, the operator doesn’t need to enter the internal parts of the shrinkwrapper when carrying out manual interventions.

Precise film unwinding with constant tensioning

Film reel with built-in motor, in order to enhance the film unwinding precision thanks to a dedicated brushless motor for each reel. Moreover, a new film-tensioning system, controlled by a piston, ensures a constant tensioning and allows to quickly and easily switch from single lane to dual/triple lane operations.

Precise and automatic film cut

Film-cutting unit equipped with direct drive motorization that allows to easily carry out motor maintenance and reduce maintenance operations.

User-friendly man-machine interface

The POSYC® control panel, sliding on a boom running the whole length the machine (fixed on LSK ERGON models), enables even less expert operators to easily and effectively run the packaging machine, thanks to an intuitive interface, a touch screen display and diagnosis functions and real-time technical support available on the POSYC®.

* The stated values are not binding, as they have to be confirmed by SMI according to the user’s production conditions.

EASY-LOAD

The innovative “Easy-Load” system allows the automatic loading of the cardboard blanks magazine and features considerable advantages from an operating and functional point of view; in fact, the operator can easily load the cardboard blanks, stacked horizontally in uniform groups, because the feeding belt of the cardboard blanks magazine is positioned at the same working height as the packer’s infeed belt, rather than under it.

More in detail, the new system patented by SMI is made up of a series of conveyor belts, fitted with motorized rollers, which feed the packer’s cardboard blanks magazine; the cardboard blank stacks are carried on these belts up to the area in which they are translated and then continue up to the collection system at case/shrink packer infeed.

Thanks to specific sensors, the layout and feed of the cardboard blanks on the conveyor belts fitted with the motorized roller and their loading into the packer’s magazine is, in fact, fully automated.

Therefore, the innovative solution devised by SMI eliminates the disadvantages related to the traditional loading of the cardboard blanks magazine, which force the operator to bend his/her body continuously to place the blanks in the bottom part of the machine.

The technology used in the “Easy-Load” magazine also features the great advantage of ensuring fluid and constant picking operations with a wide range of cardboard blanks having a thickness between 0.5 mm and 5 mm.

TS – TRAY STACKER

The NEW TS (Tray Stacker) stacks on two or more layers clusters of plastic, metal , cardboard or glass containers both clustered in cardboard trays or pad and loose (this latter solution solely for fit-in type cans). This device can be installed on SK shrinkwrappers, on WP casepackers and on CM combined packers.

It consists of an electronic stacking device operating in continuous motion, which achieves an output rate up to 60 packs per minute according to the machine model and to the product handled.

Pack collations can vary according to the container shape, capacity and size; in general, the most requested collations are: 4×3 and 6×4. It is available both for single and for double lane production.

After coming out of the trayformer, two or more packs are stacked by means of a Cartesian coordinate system.

Before the pack enters the shrinking tunnel, the film is wrapped around the products and overlapped at the base of the pack.

EASY-OPEN

The Easy-Open system can be installed both on the SK shrinkwrappers and on the CM combined packers. It consists of a device piercing the film during the cutting operation, in order to create the required mark.

It can pierce two types of marks, “X”-shaped and “H”-shaped, and is available both for single and double lane production. Thanks to the Easy Open system, the customer’s level of satisfaction is definitely improved, because of the easier opening of the pack.

Moreover, this application does not require any specific packaging materials and, therefore, allows to obtain eye-catching packs without additional costs.

FILM WELDING DEVICE BY HEATED BLADE

SMI customers can now upgrade their SK and CM packers with an innovative film welding device. The “film welding device by heated blade” joins the edge of the film reel about to end with the beginning of the new reel while the machine is running, with no need to stop production. The machine slows down and the film (printed or neutral with reference mark) is automatically joined; the machine is immediately back to running at full pace.

The new system allows dramatic cuts on energy and maintenance costs compared to traditional hot sealing method, as there are no more sealing rollers to be kept at a consistent temperature. The sealing precision of printed film or neutral film with reference mark is higher, with +/-10mm margin from the reference mark. The “film welding device by heated blade” can handle also no-collant film.

* The stated values are not binding, as they have to be confirmed by SMI according to the user’s production conditions.