Outstanding Performance Meets Unique Design

At PACK EXPO 2008 in Chicago, USA, Romaco will be presenting the fastest horizontal intermittent motion cartoner of its class:the Promatic P 91S. With a maximum output of 140 cartons per minute, this compact plant is setting new standards for the packaging industry. The vertical heat-sealing machine Siebler HM 1/230 has a great impact on the strip-packaging sector. Absolute reproducibility of all sealing parameters like pressure, temperature and speed indicates highest accuracy during the whole production process.

Romaco's Bosspak RTC 15 tablet and capsule counter is a winner with its impressive counting technology. The sensor-controlled Quad-Count system captures the products to be counted from all sides and is able to discard damaged tablets.

A further trade fair highlight is the Unipac tube filler U 2060 for the filling of pharmaceutical and cosmetic ointments. This compact machine has a maximum output of 60 tubes per minute and is the perfect fit for small and medium production batches.

The FrymaKoruma Dinex Lab vacuum processing plant for manufacturing liquid and semisolid forms is equipped with a powerful homogenizer, designed in accordance with the rotor-stator principle. Two bypass pipes provide flexible adjustments to the process parameters and allow extremely variable batch sizes.

The products can be seen in Booth S 25 17 at PACK EXPO 2008 in Chicago, USA, November 9 to 13, 2008.

First class Promatic P 91S intermittent motion cartoner
The Promatic P 91S horizontal intermittent motion cartoner from Romaco is considered the fastest in its class. With a maximum output of 140 cartons per minute, the plant is setting new benchmarks for packaging pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in folding boxes and is the first to achieve the same level of performance as continuous cartoners. The design of the machine allows any change in format to be made directly by the shift personnel. This accelerates production runs, particularly for small batch sizes, and provides a consistent product flow. The cartoner is operated using a touch-screen, which monitors the individual production steps fully automatically, and makes adjustments if required. All secondary packaging processes are hence controlled flexibly and efficiently.

The balcony structure and the compact design of the Promatic P 91S cartoner enable good access to all machine parts. This facilitates loading the folding boxes and makes it easier to carry out any cleaning work. The plant is fully equipped with servo driven motors, which means a significant reduction in noise for the operating personnel. All movement sequences are harmonized through the general use of hydraulics. A Venturi vacuum unit additionally guarantees gentle product handling in the picking up and opening of the folding boxes and in the placement of the package inserts. The total transfer of materials runs over toothed pulleys; there is absolutely no use of chains or toothed wheels. This results in low maintenance costs and high capacity utilization.

The Siebler HM 1/230 vertical heat-sealing machine
In the strip-packaging sector, the Siebler HM 1/230 vertical heat-sealing machine is a trend-setter for future technological development. The machineis used for packaging solid pharmaceutical products such as tablets, dragees,capsules and effervescent tablets. The single products are welded into foil packages using a heat-sealing process. Strip packaging is preferred for single doses used in hospitals and for drug samples, as well as for packaging medication for single dosage use.

The medication is heat-sealed at packaging speeds of up to 5,000 cycles per minute. The products can be fed into the machine on up to 16 foil strips andbe packaged. Various foil widths can be selected with a maximum of 750 millimeters. At the end of the heat-sealing process, the foil is cut precisely to size and then stacked in finished product units. The parameters sealing pressure, sealing speed and temperature are individually adjustable and completely reproducible. High precision and simultaneous high packaging speed characterize the heat-sealing machines of Siebler type HM 1.

Highest counting accuracy with Bosspak RTC 15
The Bosspak RTC 15 tablet and capsule counter by Romaco is particularly striking due to its high counting accuracy in semi- and fully-automated applications. It is primarily suited to small and medium-sized batches, as well as for use in medical research. The RTC 15 provides a suitable solution for a wide range of products, be they tablets, capsules, dragees, suppositories or soft gelatine capsules. This flexibility also extends to the size and specific properties of the applications to be counted. In order to prevent static charges, the Bosspak tablet counter is equipped with specially coated aluminum pans. Programmable parameters and tool-less adjustment to respective formats additionally increase the productivity of the plant and optimize the counting procedures.

Using a unique feed system, the applications pass through the filling funnel to the sorting disk, where they are individually arranged and counted. The patented Quad-Count sensor matrix counter captures the products to be counted from four sides of the counting head; this is a 100 percent increase in the counting zone compared to conventional procedures. A fail-safe control of all sensors provides additional system security. Furthermore, the optical measuring system is able to identify and discard any damaged products. Following the counting procedure, the products are filled into bottles, individually and free of vibration, which crucially increases product safety.

Unipac tube filler U 2060 for versatile applications
The eight station Romaco Unipac Tube filler U 2060 is the optimal technology for the filling of semi solids for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. This machine can fall products into aluminum, laminate or plastic tubes, depending on the necessities of the application. The tubes can come in different sizes and various shapes. The U2060 offers a wide range of closing systems with different folding and heat sealing systems. Due to the flexibility of the machine and its process parameters it is the ideal solution for the most demanding applications regarding the handling and design of the tubes. Loading of the tubes on to the machine is easily accomplished due to the very ergonomic access to the tube storage. The tubes can optionally be cleaned with sterile air before they are automatically filled and sealed. All coding with product or safety information is possible on one or both sides. Depending on the requirements, the filled tubes are discharged either with the fold or the sealing cap at the head. The robust unit offers a maximum output of 60 tubes per minute and is the perfect fit for small and medium production batches

Dinex Lab vacuum process plant for liquid and semi-solid forms
The FrymaKoruma Dinex Lab vacuum processing plant by Romaco is used in the production of liquid and semi-solid emulsions and suspensions for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. For processing individual components, the plant is equipped with a powerful homogenizer, designed according to the rotor-stator principle. The high tangential speed of the rotor generates extreme shearing forces against the simultaneous counter-forces of the stator. These forces achieve optimum dispersal along with a fine distribution of particles in the micrometer range and below. Depending on the application, the stator can be optionally moved out, to flexibly control the application of shearing energies. This provides high pump performance with simultaneous gentle circulation of the product mass.

The product components are sucked directly into the mixing zone of the homogenizer and immediately homogenized. Both dry and liquid components can be supplied in up to five different product feeds. The product is then fed into the tank, either through an internal (short loop) or external (long loop) bypass pipe. The short route through the short loop is used in the production of small batch sizes and for processing products with a high proportion of soap. This prevents serious foam formation during the production process. Very large preparations can also be processed quickly and effectively through the long loop, where the contra-directional stripper stirrer in the tank provides good, thorough macro-mixing. The plant also meets all of the conditions for installation in zones at risk of explosion, as well as for sterile production in clean rooms. The Dinex processing plant covers a broad spectrum in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, body-care and medicinal products.

The Romaco Group
Romaco is one of the world's leading suppliers of machines and installations for process engineering and packaging. Subdivided into the areas of Processing and Packaging, the company develops technical solutions for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Romaco FrymaKoruma, based in Rheinfelden (Switzerland) and Neuenburg (Germany), is a brand of this international company and is responsible for the Processing business area. The Romaco Group, with its headquarters in Karlsruhe (Germany), is part of the listed US group Robbins & Myers Inc.

More information on the Romaco Group can be found at www.romaco.com

SOURCE: The Romaco Group