Optima will showcase solutions focusing on flexibility, safety, digitalisation and sustainability at interpack 2020.
At interpack 2020, the Optima Group will be providing a message about where the journey will lead in the years to come; in the direction of flexible, digitally optimised and resource-efficient machine and system solutions. For the focus areas – flexibility, safety, digitalisation and sustainability – the company will be presenting new machine solutions, technologies and processes at the show. Two innovation projects will be debuted at booth F54.
The highlight: Future production
The cosmetic industry is particularly impacted by changes in demand. This drove Optima to develop a flexible machine platform that can be individually configured to cover all requirements – from start-ups to global corporations. The machine platform covers a wide range of outputs, and enables fast response times to new products. This is achieved as a result of its modular design, which also facilitates short delivery times from Optima.
The machine platform will be continually developed and adapted to current market conditions. The production system, with enhanced customisation and flexibility, supports Optima customers in ensuring a short time to market.
The advantage of the concept comes in different variants, from semi-automated to completely automated. Depending on the particular application, different modules – such as transport systems, kinematics and filling modules – can be integrated into the machine platform. Other innovative concepts like fully automated module and tool changes, cobots in action, and the flexible configuration of machine functionalities will also be presented.
The second machine exhibit demonstrates how Optima supports manufacturing companies in terms of flexibility. The Optima TB300 packaging system, which consists a stacker and a packaging machine, is able to process paper packaging as well as foil pouches made of PE material or biodegradable materials.
The company will also showcase an Optima CFL filling and closing machine for capsules or pads – these can also be adapted from aluminum capsules to compostable capsules or expanded with additional stations. This applies to the pharmaceutical sector. Optima will provide a virtual presentation of flexible machines for filling and closing liquids, through to turnkey solutions including isolator technology and pharmaceutical freeze drying. The team will also demonstrate the use of robotics in enabling the processing of different batch sizes and containers.
The High Care sector
The food scandals of recent years have unsettled manufacturing companies. Requirements for safe and traceable filling processes for baby milk powder products are becoming more stringent. This drove Optima to develop a concept for automated evacuation, gassing and seaming of baby milk powder containers.
The Optima EGS machine is a result of the company’s market research, and will be making its debut at interpack 2020. With Optima EGS and Optima FS filling machines, the company offers the core baby milk powder production lines from a single source. In conjunction with computing solutions from Optima, operators will be able to assign production data to each container in a “clear and traceable” manner via the processing procedures according to the Track and Trace principle. This also includes documentation of all process parameters, which increases product and production safety in the area where the product is unsealed – the High Care sector.
The pharmaceutical industry benefits from the Comprehensive Scientific Process Engineering (CSPE) approach, which minimises the risks in the planning and production of filling systems and shortens the time to market.
The Optima Total Care lifecycle management programme
Future packaging processes will become more efficient, digitally networked and more complex. Having launched the Optima Total Care lifecycle management programme at interpack 2017, Optima will present enhancements in the field of digital applications, known as Smart Services. These will be provided on a central, user-friendly platform.
The objective of the programme that brings together Basic and Smart Services is to support operators throughout the entire machine lifecycle, from installation, monitoring and maintenance through to the retrofitting of their system.
The computing software solutions developed by Optima provides production managers with greater transparency. For instance, when an efficiency problem is identified, the solution is able to troubleshoot and resolve using digital maintenance tools. A knowledge database provides assistance to ensure technical documents and video tutorials are retrieved quickly. Even if further assistance is required, the operator can connect with Optima service staff via a range of end devices such as a tablet or by means of augmented reality glasses. These guide the operators through the format changeovers or assist in resolving process problems.
Progress in sustainability
Lastly, Optima will highlight its progress made in the area of sustainability. This has been achieved with energy and media-optimised machines, effective use of material in design and assembly, utilisation of packaging, a high process accuracy and production efficiency, and the development of sustainable packaging solutions, together with machine users and producers of packaging materials.
Optima’s aspiration fulfilling customer requests applies similarly to sustainable packaging material. Paper packaging, packaging made of recycled plastic, biologically-based and biodegradable plastics are already used in Optima systems today, without compromising on design and product protection.
