INVpack: Precision in Packaging with Digital Load Cells INVpack: Precision in Packaging with Digital Load Cells | HBM

Integration of HBM Digital Load Cells into a Stick Pack Machine Guarantees Precision in Sachet Filling

INVpack, a company that is a part of the Inever Group, designs and manufactures the widest range of multilane vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) packaging machines for stick packs and sachets at its facilities in Argentona, Barcelona (Spain), for food, pharma, cosmetics, nutraceutical, and dairy sectors. Collaboration with a client means that every machine must provide a tailor-made solution that meets all their needs.

In a constantly evolving market, INVpack combines experience and innovation to tackle challenges and optimize filling using the best possible configurations. An example of its latest personalized developments is a 10-lane stick pack machine for an American manufacturer of dietary supplements.

This machine includes ten HBM FIT7A digital load cells (one per lane) that enable the weight control to be integrated into the machinery itself and operate at an established speed. As Manuel Martínez, Production Manager of INVpack pointed out, “The better the product placing and removal process, the more accurate the filling, which therefore makes for a better product.”

Problem

INVpack is a major manufacturer of multilane vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) packaging machines for stick packs and sachets. These machines provide reliability and ensure an accurate measure of the weight of the package. They are now facing the challenge of implementing sensors that can operate at a preset speed without any kind of failure.

 
Solution

One of the latest personalized designs of INVpack benefits from the performance of HBM FIT7A digital load cells, allowing the sensor to be placed inside the machine itself, thereby controlling each sachet immediately after it is filled.

 
Results

Thanks to FIT7A cells, INVpack can now offer improved processing precision and speed as well as reductions on cost and wastage. In the event of an error in the expected weight, the package is immediately discarded. This rapid response ensures savings in terms of products and wrapping.

Installed inside the machine

FIT7A cells control the weight of each sachet immediately after filling and, if there is an error in the expected value, then the sachet is discarded, thereby saving on materials and wrapping.

Other systems group together several packages or sachets and weigh them outside the machine using a scale. In the case of an emergency, since these intermediate sachets have already been made, there is no other alternative but to discard them along with economic losses that they entail.

On the other hand, FIT7A 3 kg load cells with CANopen interface guarantee the liquid or solid dispenser and the whole machine work according to the specifications and minimize the rate of discards and wastage via the filling feedback control.

Manuel Martínez adds,

“The HBM products also provide a simple integration and implementation of intelligence in the machines, competitive prices and outstanding technical support, which is exactly what our clients demand from us.”

The INVpack project team
The project team
FIT7A load cells within the packaging machine
FIT7A load cells within the packaging machine
Packaging solutions from INVpack
Packaging solutions from INVpack

Parametrization and analysis software

If all this was not enough, FIT7A units include the free PanelX software that simplifies parametrization and analytical tasks. For example, it can graphically analyse the weighing time available per filling cycle to make maximum use of the weighing process

This new machine for the dietary supplement manufacturer also benefits from INV-Care technology, protecting the product and facilitating integration of end-of-line and pick and place processes. Similarly, the INV-Easy design houses benefits of cleaning and maintenance.

Future collaboration

For the reasons given above, INVpack and HBM are planning on collaborating to offer complete projects that adapt to the specific requirements of each client. FIT7A cells are not the only products added to the Inever Group company’s machines. The models FIT5A and PW6D+PAD along with other solutions perform precisely and efficiently in a wide range of packaging and vertical fill machines.

INVpack staff members with the stick pack machine
An INVpack staff member working on the stick pack machine
View of the packaging machine during production
View of the packaging machine during production
PanelX Software Screenshot
Screenshot from the PanelX Weighing Software

Compliance with the strictest requirements

The state-of-the-art HBM load cells, with a C4 accuracy class as per OIML R60, offer many other features that comply with the exact requirements in the food and pharma sectors, such as construction in steel, IP66 protection up to the connector, and advanced filters to reduce mechanical and electrical interferences.

Watch the stick pack machine in action

 

This video shows the successful outcome of the project. 

Using FIT7A units and the PanelX software, INVpack developed a 10-lane stick pack machine capable of precise weighing and packaging at an appropriate speed.

About INVpack

Established in 2003, INVpack designs and manufactures multilane vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) machinery for stick packs and sachets. The company‘s headquarters is located in Barcelona, Spain, with a branch office in Chicago (USA) and collaborating partners in over 50 countries. So far, INVpack has supplied more than 450 machines worldwide.

With the most complete range of stick pack machines in the market and through successful anticipation of technological demands, this company of the Inever Group focuses its resources on developing direct, one-to-one relationships with clients in the food, pharma, nutraceutical, and dairy sectors.