Major-league performance
New machines and product enhancements combine to produce well-engineered complete line solutions

Packaging machines often are very complex and have to be specifically tailored for a particular application. Smooth interaction, from the feeding operation right through to palletizing of shipping cartons, is not easy to achieve. It helps if all components are provided from a single source.

Packaging machines are always as individual as the products they handle. The machines used in all of the steps in the pharmaceutical packaging process, from loading bulk ware right through to palletizing the shipping cartons, have to meet product, performance and format requirements, and they must comply with regional specifications. It is helpful if the design and performance of all of the machines (including new products) are compatible.
The latest addition to the Uhlmann product line is the compact S series of stretchbanding machines for banded or shrink-wrapped packages. Another innovation is that the intermittent C2155 cartoner in addition to blisters now can handle bottles, too. The S series was unveiled at the Uhlmann in-house Pharma Packaging Performance fair in June 2004. The company has added three models, the S 3015, the S 3025 and the S 3040, to its range of end-of-line packaging machines. The distinctive feature of these machines is a very compact design.

They take up only one square meter of floor space, giving pharmaceutical manufacturers the space-saving solutions that they need. The S 3015, S 3025 and S 3040 provide various levels of performance. The S 3015 can deliver a maximum of 15 packages per minute.
The S 3025 can deliver up to 25 packages and the S 3040 up to 40. They all have one thing in common: easy format change without any tools, and no more than three quick-lock format components. All of the basic components as well as the advantages of the large stretchbanding machines are available on the three new systems: stringent safety and warning mechanisms to ensure a smooth process flow, hinged acrylic glass covers at the infeed and delivery conveyors to facilitate constant visual inspection, and a sensor head which prevents uncontrolled lowering of the sealing tool, which otherwise could damage the product. As is the case on all other Uhlmann machines, system control and the control panel are simple and self-explanatory. The controller can handle 500 formats which the user can store and manage. The machines are operated using a touch screen display.
Efficiency on a very small footprint
As impressive as the specs for an individual machine might be, it is what the machines can deliver in a production line that counts. One example of this is the performance provided by the combination of a
B 1260 thermoformer, a C 130 cartoner and an S 3015 stretchbanding machine, which were recently delivered to a customer. The key requirement was cost-optimization. The system also needed to be very compact and very flexible, and it had to provide a high-speed solution for small batch sizes in the lower end of the performance range. The B 1260, which is only
2.6 m long and has a capacity of 240
blisters per minute, was able to meet these requirements. A vacuum conveyor transfers the blisters to the C 130 cartoner
without loss of productivity. The special feature of this solution is the C 130’s ability to deliver the same level of perfection anywhere in the world, even in the most demanding applications. To meet the customer’s requirements, the S 3015 produces five packages per minute. The packages can have any shape. A number of well-engineered options were included in this solution to ensure safety and high-speed feeding.
At all times safe bottle transport
The C 2155 cartoner is a new addition to the Uhlmann product line. It can pack
bottles and small boxes as well as blisters, and it can handle larger formats than the C130/150 cartoners. The number of format components has been reduced to four. Format changes are carried out centrally from the front of the machine. No tools are needed, and the change-over can be performed quickly and easily by semi-skilled workers. All change-over positions are shown on a digital display or a scale, and it works as follows. The bottles are transported by the feed conveyor (buffer conveyor) to the screw conveyor and then turned 90 degrees. At the end of the screw conveyor, they are transferred to a format prism and locked in place. A sensor checks whether bottles are present. Line compatibility ensures that even when the two new additions to the product line are integrated (the stretchbanding machine and the cartoner), the system performs reliably in a pharmaceutical production process.
The new models clearly show once again that the Uhlmann product range is not a static entity. The company continues to pursue the logical engineering development of its systems. The goal is to provide a packaging process which meets the specific needs of any customer anywhere in the world. As a general contractor for the complete pharmaceutical packaging process, the company takes responsibility for the efficiency of the complete line, the organization of the ideal process sequence, logistics support, quality assurance, documentation, communications, the best possible workflow and availability of the necessary expertise on site. Customer Support & Service (CSS) plays the leadership role, providing advice and support to the customers. This can mean providing mechanical or electronic components for a machine update, supplying tools or spare parts or conducting an analysis to optimize output. The result is the development of customer relationships which outlive entire machine generations.