In the wave of continuous upgrading of the packaging machinery industry, the reporter recently visited the ply-pack factory, a well-known domestic packaging equipment manufacturer. Walking into the 20,000-square-meter digital workshop, dozens of the latest developed horizontal packaging machines are undergoing dynamic testing before leaving the factory. The scene of the robotic arm accurately grabbing the packaging bag shows the latest evolutionary direction of automated packaging technology.
"This intelligent control system is the result of our three years of iteration." The on-site technical director pointed to the running horizontal packaging machine and introduced it. During the operation of the equipment, packaging bags of different sizes are quickly switched on the conveyor belt, from metering and filling to heat sealing and cutting in one go. It is understood that this model of horizontal packaging machine has particularly enhanced the ability to adapt to multiple specifications, and can be compatible with packaging needs from 50g snack bags to 2kg industrial raw material bags, and the switching time is shortened by about 60% compared with traditional equipment.
In the context of stricter food safety supervision, the reporter noticed the special design of this batch of new horizontal packaging machines-all parts that come into contact with materials are made of mirror-grade stainless steel and have passed third-party food-grade safety standard certification. "Last year, a frozen food company used a fluorescence detector to check the dead corners of the equipment during acceptance." The production director revealed, "Now our horizontal packaging machines will add microbial residue detection before leaving the factory, which is especially critical for the GMP certification of dairy and pre-prepared food companies."
In the finished product inspection area, the visual inspection system that the engineer is debugging has attracted attention. When the sealing wrinkles of the packaging bag appear on the assembly line, the horizontal packaging machine immediately starts the automatic rejection program, and the entire process does not require manual intervention. This design concept of moving quality control forward is helping more and more companies reduce the cost of later sorting. According to industry insiders, this equipment that integrates intelligent control systems may redefine the industry benchmark for automated packaging technology.
It is worth noting that this technology upgrade specifically considers the transformation pain points of small and medium-sized enterprises. The reporter observed that next to a horizontal packaging machine that was being tested, the operator completed the parameter settings using only a tablet computer. "We have retained the dual operation modes of physical buttons and touch screens." The R&D staff explained, "Some old masters are not used to the new system, but they can operate independently after two days of training. This incremental innovation is more in line with the actual production scenario."
With the improvement of e-commerce logistics requirements for packaging quality, the order book of the ply-pack factory has been scheduled until the first quarter of next year. In the finished product delivery area, several horizontal packaging machines that are about to be shipped to the southwest are doing moisture-proof packaging. These equipment will be used in the e-commerce dedicated production line for local specialty foods. According to industry forecasts, horizontal packaging machines with multi-specification adaptability are expected to cover 80% of snack food packaging scenarios in the next three years.
Before leaving, the reporter saw the display of horizontal packaging machine prototypes of different ages in the factory exhibition hall. From the earliest single-head weighing type to the current six-station linkage type, the history of equipment evolution is a vivid epitome of China's manufacturing transformation and upgrading. Just like the eye-catching slogan on the wall of the workshop - "Let every packaging bag carry craftsmanship", this company, which has been deeply involved in the industry for 20 years, is writing a new chapter of China's smart manufacturing with continuously innovative automated packaging technology.
