Baking & Snack - November 2006 - 102

PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY

ᮤ An automatic feeding system integrates the slicer
and the flow wrapper of an overwrap-and-bag line. Its
adjustable flights keep loaves standing perfectly.
CAVANNA PACKAGING USA

the wrapper chain," said the regional sales manager of an
Italian packaging machinery manufacturer. "Handling is
smooth and fast, with short changeover times."
This manufacturer developed an automatic feeding
conveyor with an adaptable flight chain system. It accepts
bread from the slicer, carrying each loaf between flights
of the wrapper infeed. The chain flights are mounted on
special, easy-lock, quick-disconnect blocks allowing multiple pin positions according to product length. The chain
length can be quickly varied through a special loop device.
Two loaves at a time can be transferred into the wrapper.
However, not all premium breads are double-wrapped.
When the choice is single bagging, an emerging trend favors use of heavier packaging films for premium loaves.
"The 2-mil bag definitely signifies a premium product,"
said the sales manager of an Oklahoma-based equipment manufacturer. "And the overwrapped style allows
no squeezing of the product. The 2-mil bag is cheaper
[than double bagging] yet can be just as decorative, and
the consumer can 'feel' the bread."
Metallized films and other special films are also being
used for premium loaves, according to the director of international sales and marketing. Something else that he
noted was the pre-perforated "holeless" wicket mounts
now being used overseas for bread bags.
SPEED AND FOOTPRINT. Faster bagging rates are not
just for the big boys anymore, according to several sources.
Company engineers are fine tuning a paddle bagger capable
of 60 loaves per minute to make it available in early 2007.
This medium-range machine is being developed specifically
for bakers who want more than the current 50-loaves-perminute system yet not at the complexity of the 75 loavesper-minute bagger introduced a couple years ago.
"The 60 represents proven technology updated with
inverter drives and computer logic controls, as used on
the 75, but there are some differences in the bagger's patented pendulum arm system," the Oklahoma-based sales
manager continued.
Speed is also a consideration when selecting a bagger for
the overwrap-and-bag approach. Flow wrappers typically
operate faster than baggers, so a dual-lane bagger assists
in maintaining output rates. The design of the dual-lane
system accepts wrapped loaves into two parallel lanes, each
with its own set of paddles, all on the same drive shaft. The

106 / BAKING & SNACK / November 2006

bagger feeds both lanes out onto a transverse conveyor
leading to the pattern maker or basket loader. Running at
55 cycles per minute, the two lanes can output a maximum
of 100 loaves per minute, although these systems are commonly run at 84 to 92 loaves per minute.
Big benefits can accrue in labor savings, equipment
costs and floor space requirements. "This way, the bagger
requires only one operator instead of two, reducing manpower as well as the footprint of the system," said the sales
manager of a West Coast packaging machinery manufacturer. "Also, two dual-lane wrappers require two, not four,
pattern makers. Thus, the baker installs less equipment."
GETTING CLOSURE. Emerging needs for product traceability and tamper-evident packaging spur developments
in bag-closing technologies. New wrinkles include a new
tamper-evident tape sealing method and a new system
for marking clip closures.
Tamper-evident sealing methods have been offered to
the baking industry before but have been slow to catch on
in the US, according to the manufacturer of a system that
flattens, heat-seals and perforates ponytail bags. Not discouraged, the company recently introduced a taped seal
with a tamper-evident feature. "And the seal can be datecoded," the Oklahoma-based sales manager added.
The sealer gathers the ponytail end of the bag and wraps
a length of tape around it. The sealer places a short strip
of paper across the two sticky ends of the tape, forming a
tamper-evident seal. To open the package, the consumer
pulls on the ends of the paper strip, breaking the strip. At
home, the tape can be resealed multiple times with ease.
The tape can be printed with date codes, and because it
contains no metal wires, the seal passes through metal
detectors without problems.
Already running at bakeries in the UK, the new tapesealer is being introduced in other regions and was featured on bread baggers shown at Pack Expo 2006 held in
Chicago during late October.
For bakers who prefer plastic clip closures, a new packagecoding system was introduced by a West Coast-based
manufacturer of such closures and application equipment. The print head employs up to 128 addressable jets
and boasts 185-dpi resolution for crisp, clean text and
graphics. In addition, the company adapted its printer to
eliminate the use of methyl ethyl ketone to dry the ink.
BUN COMPARTMENTS. To improve on already efficient
bulk bun packaging methods, bakers are pushing their

Baking & Snack - November 2006

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