Marden Edwards Journal

Marden Edwards has recently manufactured a large format S4B225FF overwrapping machine for wrapping very large cartons of chocolate selections. The largest box being overwrapped is 460mm long and 320mm wide whilst the smallest carton that the machine is wrapping is only 100mm long and 100mm wide.

Although the size range being wrapped is very large, the time taken to change over from one size to another is still extremely rapid.  Utilising the same tooling for a number of sizes means that once the size change has taken place the machine is ready for production.

When wrapping very large boxes the cost saving achieved by using polypropylene overwrapping film compared to polyolefin shrink wrap can be dramatic. Because the polypropylene wrapping film does not have a shrink property, the cost of the film is much less than polyolefin. In addition, no high energy consuming heat shrinking tunnel is required and the overwrap provides better protection against aroma and bacteria transfer than traditional shrink wrap.

The BX225FF is one of a range of Marden Edwards large format overwrappers, designed to wrap individual and transit collations of packs in polypropylene, cellophane, polyethylene and paper. It is designed to be suitable for frequent size changes and it’s in-line feed enables it to easily be slotted into to automatic production lines.

Marden Edwards has recently supplied a new TM100 fully automatic overwrapping machine to a major manufacturer and distributor of pre-recorded DVDs in France. The machine was purchased for the re-wrapping of DVDs that have been returned from retailers. The machine therefore needed to be able to wrap individual DVDs as well as multi packs of up to five high.

Machine versatility and rapid changeover were important considerations for machine selection. The TM100 is a combination servo motor and mechanical machine, with three separate motors used for machine running. The main motor drive controls the closely linked mechanisms whilst one servo motor controls the film metering and another controls the product feed through the machine.

When the machine is changed from one size to another, the automatic film metering determines the correct length of film and the pack feeding system automatically sets itself for the new pack transfer length. All other physical settings are adjusted by wind handles meaning that a full three dimensional product change takes less than 10 minutes.

Options include a tear tape depositing system, a print registration system and a cellophane or polypropylene in-line film slitting device. This means that the film width can be cut to size as the machine is running, greatly reducing the number of film widths needing to be held in stock.

Trans-herb in Canada, a brand leading producer of packaged teas and infusions, has just taken delivery one of the latest Evo-Fold low cost over wrappers from Marden Edwards, the 12th Marden Edwards packaging machine the company has installed.

Transherbe has a portfolio of more than 300 different products including traditional black and green teas as well as fruit and herb infusions. They are packed cartons holding between 10 and 24 sachets, all of which are overwrapped in clear film using the Marden Edwards units. The cartons are then packed into transit cases holding between 6 and 36 cartons.

As well as supplying virtually all the retails stores in Quebec, the company exports throughout the world with 80% of its products being sold under the Trans-herbe name and others sold under the La Courtisane and Four o’Clock brands.

Having recently received a contract to pack a new product into cartons holding 14 sachets, Trans-herb needed to increase its cello overwrapping capacity, although the output of the new product did not immediately justify a major investment in new equipment.

This is the ideal situation for the Evo-Fold. Marden Edwards has used its decades of experience in the overwrapping market to design and build an automatic machine that produces a high quality cello wrap at speeds up to 40 cartons a minute, but which can be manufactured very economically.

Roger Leblanc at Transherbe, said “We needed an extra overwrapper for this latest contract. Due to the tight margins with the project we considered purchasing a re-conditioned machine and contacted Marden Edwards as we have always enjoyed excellent service from this company and find their machines efficient and easy to use. We were really happy to find out about the Evo-Fold which has meant that we have been able to purchase a fully guaranteed, brand new machine for a similar price to a second hand one. The machine is installed and performing well, just like the other eleven!”

For further information regarding this article please click here.  Marden Edwards is exclusively represented in Canada by Linfo Systems.