Subnil ups filling machinery flexibility and speed

India-based Subnil​ has launched LIMBUS 170, as a twin-head tube filler driven by 5-axis servo system on to the global market as a means for company's to increase the efficiency, speed and cost of processing and packaging.

The company says that the design of the new machinery allows for increased manufacturing flexibility, taking into account the increasing complexity of many cosmetics and toiletry products today.

Taking this into consideration, the design of the machinery allows for tube loading from the cassette into the tube holder to be orientated at any angle because of the servo-drive design. The rotary turret movement is driven by the servo which aids quick & controlled indexing, thereby ensuring jerk-free movements.

The pump has a vertical dosing system which aids in product suction. Pressure relief is provided on the pump to detect excess pressure on the dosing system. The company claims that the servo-aided fill lift then ensures that the pump can carry out clean & accurate filling.

The design of the machinery means that besides filling a single formulation, it can handle 2-colour or 3-colour striping with ease, making it ideal for products such as toothpaste, where multi layers and colours are incorporated into the filling procedures.

Flexibility has also been incorporated into the filling procedure in the form of varying lift timings for different tube lengths, complemented by the fact that differing filling requirements for a range of products can be programmed and re-programmed at the touch of a key.

Some of the filling stations are driven from the centre of the machinery, with the majority mounted on a centre plate. The company says that this ensures a lot of working space around the tube path - a bonus for the time-old problem of work surface area constraints.

A reject station is provided between the sealing and trimming stations for overheated and non-oriented tubes. This means that non-oriented tubes are not filled or heated which means they can be reused. The company points out that this can save significant sums on packaging that would otherwise be wasted during processing.

The control panel is a standalone tower design that incorporates a colour touch-screen HMI as the operator interface and a PLC and VFD supplied by Rexroth.

The company also says that the equipment can be subsequently linked to its PRO 200 cartoner and Colwrap bundler, creating a complete tube packaging line.