IWK Packaging Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of premium cartoning and tube filling equipment for the pharmaceuticals and health & beauty sectors, has introduced a pair of vertical cartoners — one intermittent, one continuous — that provide cartoning capabilities at reportedly cost-effective price points. Defined by modular extendibility, high levels of positioning precision and fast changeovers, both machines are options for pharma or personal care manufacturers cartoning a wide range of containers. 

The VI 5 Vertical Cartoner is an intermittent motion machine with an open, accessible work area and a modularly extendable length that optimizes floorspace. Suitable for a wide array of containers including bottles, tubes, blister packs, jars, pouches and bags, the touchscreen-operated VI 5 can produce up to 75 cartons per minute, with a format range of 25-100mm long, 20-90mm wide and 50-230mm in height. 

Among the VI 5's key highlights is the ability to change formats exceptionally quickly. This functional versatility is aided by easy, repeatable changeover steps, a centralized transport height adjustment system, and carton buckets expediently exchangeable through a click system. No adjustment of rails is needed along curves, further expediting product switches. 

The VI 5's servo-driven, cam-guided transport system offers premium positioning precision. The basic machine comprises 22 carton carriers and a corresponding number of stations; optional transport system extensions can bring the total number of stations as high as 54. Other options, including a leaflet feeder and automatic product loading are also available. 

Meanwhile, IWK's VC 5 Vertical Cartoner is a continuous motion module that can produce up to 120 cartons per minute. Like the VI 5, the VC 5 also features an open, ergonomic work area and an extendable length that optimizes its footprint. Easy to clean and touch-screen operated, the unit offers semi-automatic packing of a broad range of containers, including bottles, tubes, blister packs, jars, pouches and bags.

Like its sibling machine, the VC 5 can handle a format range of 25-100mm long, 20-90mm wide and 50-230mm in height. Exceedingly fast changeover is another commonality, as is exemplary positioning precision via its servo-driven, cam-guided transport system. The basic VC 5 contains 40 carton carriers and a corresponding number of stations, with extensions available to bring that total as high as 68. Other options include a leaflet feeder, automatic product loading and a rejected carton compartment.

“Each of these new cartoners offers extraordinarily high levels of functionality at a surprisingly cost-effective price point,” says Bernie Conlon, managing director of IWK Packaging Systems, Inc. “Our goal was to make many of the best aspects of IWK cartoners, including handling versatility, precision positioning and modularity for evolving needs, available to a broader set of customers in the pharma and personal care products spaces.”