There have been many different trends fueling the packaging industry over the years but sustainability has remained at the forefront of everyone’s minds, as well as efficiency and protection. Proseal America’s GT1e machine is one of the company’s most popular packaging machines for the produce industry, Kaitlin Wyatt says, and this is partly due to the machine’s flexibility in meeting the producer’s constantly evolving packaging needs.
“The GT1e is one of 22 different top seal machines that Proseal currently offers in our machine range. Our core machinery range features models from compact bench-top equipment, to fully automated, high capacity in-line machines that can seal over 240 packs per minute. Each machine in our range is capable of doing the same exact sealing process, however, the larger the machine, the larger the seal area, therefore creating an increased throughput,” Wyatt explains.
Proseal’s entire range of machinery can be used either by major packhouses or by growers themselves. “We pride ourselves on being extremely versatile when it comes to our ability to package in a wide range of environments,” Wyatt says.
Flexible and future-proof
One of the features that sets the GT1e machine apart from others is its flexibility, allowing the customer to make adjustments to the machine through add-on features. “As part of our efforts to ‘future-proof’ the machine design, the modern GT tray sealing range can be retrofitted with the newest and best technological innovations as, and when, they become available, to keep the investment protected long into the future,” Wyatt explains.
All our machines are equipped with a flexible, five-minute tool change, Wyatt shares. “This means endless varieties of tray formats can be sealed on one machine and swapped between easily with a one-button recipe set-up, meaning minimal downtime. Tray sealing technology plays an important part with machines that can offer a variety of seal formats, such as gas flush, hermetic shrink, vacuum and skin packaging, according to different product and preservation requirements. A vital factor for many of these tray sealers is their ability to add and remove these capabilities in line with current market demands. This enables manufacturers to extend shelf-life wherever possible and respond to the latest trends without the need to constantly invest in new equipment,” she explains.
Commitment to sustainability
Through the flexibility of the machines offered by Proseal, the technology can integrate alternative materials into all of their seal functions. “The flexibility of the tray sealing format itself offers the ability to seal an almost limitless variety of different tray materials, shapes and sizes,” Wyatt says. “This includes recent innovations such as ‘snap-packs’ where one half of the pack can be separated from the other, opened and consumed while the first half remains sealed,” she adds.
Proseal’s Eseal® solution also highlights the company’s commitment to sustainable solutions. “Eseal® offers operators a high precision, high force electrical delivery system that significantly reduces air consumption by up to 92% and increases overall productivity due to a reduced seal time. In line with changing consumer demand for more eco-friendly solutions, Proseal offers the technology to seamlessly integrate alternative materials into all their seal functions,” Wyatt explains.
The tray sealing technology itself also contributes to the sustainability of the packaging by reducing the amount of material used. “For packaging to be truly sustainable, it must also deliver protection and preservation capabilities while using the minimum amount of material possible. The shift from clamshell and clip-on lid packs to top-seal trays for soft fruit and other fresh produce has led to material savings of up to 45% in each pack,” says Wyatt.
The spine of the production line
The Proseal tray sealer is set up as the spine of the line of any production line, Wyatt shares. “The Proseal tray sealer is an intelligent piece of equipment that during product changeover only requires film and tooling to be swapped. That is why we made it the spine of the line - it makes perfect sense to centralize the entire line set-up through Proseal Machine’s intelligent software, avoiding unnecessary delays caused by accessing and setting up other pieces of peripheral equipment in a large production facility. The operators swapping the product can change the whole line set-up for the next run all through the push of a button on their Proseal machine screen. Because there is only one screen, the chance of delays is minimized and the production speeds are optimized,” she says. “With the increased cost of labor in most factories, manufacturers are looking to automation to keep the costs of running their production down, and Proseal is here to help,” Wyatt concludes.
For more information:
Kaitlin Wyatt
Proseal America
Tel: +1 (804) 447-9038
Email: info@prosealamerica.com
www.proseal.com