Whether it is coffee, sugar, toiletries or food supplements, nearly everything today can be packaged in small, convenient and easily portioned flat pouches. With the new Sigpack VPF (Vertical Platform Flat Pouch), Bosch (boschpackaging.com) introduces the first freely scalable flat pouch machine to the market.

Frank Buehler, product manager at Bosch Packaging Technology says: “In 2016, we won the German Packaging Award with the prototype of the Sigpack VPF. We are pleased to present the unique advantages of the machine to manufacturers in the food and pharmaceutical industry, for the first time, at interpack 2017.” The Sigpack VPF offers the best performance per square meter of floor space by combining modular flexibility with high production speed at a low overall operating cost. 

With highly flexible design equipped for future market requirements
The Sigpack VPF stands out with its unsurpassed flexibility enabling manufacturers to adjust quickly and economically to production volumes and product changes according to market needs. Thanks to the modularization of the dosing and cross-sealing units, the Sigpack VPF is freely scalable from two to up to twelve lanes. In addition, pouch sizes are easily adjustable. The new decentralized stock of product makes it possible to package different products, such as salt and pepper, at the same time on one machine. Frank Buehler explains: “The complete modularization of the dosing and sealing units allows for flexible lanes, making the new Sigpack VPF a future-proof investment for every manufacturer.”  

Exact dosing and top sealing quality
Exact dosing, deep pouch filling and hermetically tight seams reduce product loss and waste in the packaging process. This has a positive impact on the manufacturer’s business success. For the pharmaceutical industry, these qualities contribute greatly to patient safety, as over- or under-dosing of powdered medication can be avoided. The machine produces hermetically tight packages, with its long sealing times at low temperatures. This ensures consistently high product quality. Thanks to the hygienic and ergonomic design, the Sigpack VPF is easily visible and accessible, ensuring a safe cleaning process. Short cleaning and changeover times contribute to high overall equipment effectiveness.  

New Industry 4.0 solutions for improved transparency and higher machine availability
The Sigpack VPF can be fitted with the new Condition Monitoring Platform from Bosch. The software solutions provides real-time information about machines, systems or process status on site. It does so through continuous data acquisition, which makes it possible to indicate upcoming errors before downtime occurs. Based on pre-defined tolerance levels, for instance for temperature or cycle time, operators receive notifications of deviations via e-mail. This way, the Condition Monitoring Platform helps to prevent cost-intensive downtime and increase machine availability.

Customized services for all maintenance strategies
A comprehensive range of services to improve machine efficiency and productivity completes Bosch’s system competence. The focus is on solutions for preventive maintenance as well as services to eliminate unwanted machine conditions as quickly as possible. To this end, Bosch provides a worldwide service network with qualified field service technicians who offer regional support. Thanks to digital services such as Remote Service, which is now supported by a visualization and chat feature, or the mobile version of the E-Portal, which will be presented at interpack 2017, customers receive targeted support regardless of their location. Bosch will further showcase the versatile training portfolio of the Bosch Packaging Academy. Apart from new assistance solutions, Bosch will demonstrate virtual training concepts enabling manufacturers to acquire demand-oriented know-how for machine operation and maintenance. The company will also illustrate how Preventive Maintenance Parts Kits and tailor-made maintenance agreements help to proactively minimize unplanned downtime.

Visitors at interpack 2017 can experience the first freely scalable flat pouch packaging machine live at Bosch’s stand #C30 in Hall 6.