Packaging

Can seamers: Ferrum meets the wishes of its customers

Monday 18. April 2011 - The Swiss manufacturer of can seamers, Ferrum AG, meets customer wishes wherever possible.

Ferrum therefore makes use of the “interpack” trade show in May for further exchanges of experiences with its customers. On an optically attractive fair booth in Düsseldorf with interesting displays, Ferrum presents retrofittings and options that make the life of the customer easier.Spring is trade show time for Ferrum AG in Germany. Markus Hobi, department manager for canning machinery at Ferrum, is glad to be present at this year’s “interpack” in Düsseldorf. “In order for our customers to be able to produce much more efficiently, we discovered that options and retrofittings are an important step in this direction.”Ferrum thereby proves once again that it can adapt to customer wishes, seize results from market research and incorporate customer needs in the form of new developments. In addition to five different retrofittings and options, the can seamer F410 is at the centre on the “interpack”.Easy Rider: The seaming roll of the futureFerrum presents a new generation of seaming rolls at the fair for the first time: the “Easy Rider”. They are extremely durable and also provide better seaming results during closing of aluminium and steel cans. The “Easy Rider” was developed in order to keep in step with the increasing demands and can outputs in the beverages sector.Quick changeover: Less production downtimeMarkus Hobi is sure that, “The times, in which a company closes cans of only one format, are definitely over.” With increasing frequency, the machine needs to be converted from one format to another. “The quicker a format change can be carried out, the better for the customer.” For several years now, Ferrum already optionally offers a quick format change. With it, a can seamer is ready for operation again in half the time compared to a normal format change-over.Automatic seam monitoring of each can”Inline Seam Control”: That is the name of Ferrum’s own development that automatically checks each individual can automatically with a pressure sensor. Most companies inspect by random samples whether the produced cans have been cleanly seamed and closed. “For that, each can of the test series need to be cut open to inspect the seam” is how Markus Hobi explains the conventional, complicated procedure. “It may happen that millions of cans wind up in the scrap if the fault is discovered too late.” The “Inline Seam Control” promises an examination without interruption of each individual can and an immediate alarm in case of faulty closures.Automatic centralised oil lubricationNot a novelty, but a durable Ferrum solution; the worldwide unique fully automated centralised oil lubrication in the can seamer. “Our centralised lubrication has been in use for over 20 years,” says Markus Hobi. Imitators have all failed till now. An oil flow rate and oil level regulation can be retrofitted as an addition to the centralised oil lubrication. Gas-proof casing against residual oxygenIn particular for powder filling, in which cans are filled, staggered in badges, gas-proof can seamers are required. The undesirable residual oxygen in the can is evacuated already before the closing. Also during the closing, no oxygen can get to the product, thanks to the gas-proof casing. F410: the modular can seamerThe can seamer F410 is exhibited on the “interpack” as well as on the “METPACK”. The fast runner, which allows for a maximum output of 1200 cans per minute, is in the product catalogue of Ferrum AG since 2009. The F410 was designed for the foodstuffs industry and can be modularly adapted to customer requirements. The F410 can, just as the similar types F408 and F412, also be specialised for beverages of course.Infeed table according to Hygienic DesignMarkus Hobi is especially proud to be able to present an innovation on the F410: “We have developed our seamer with an integrated cleaning system in such a way that the machine is made completely of rust-proof materials.” Even the upper part, till now made of cast iron, is made of chromate steel for this seamer. Add to that a modular can infeed table, which conforms to the hygienic design. The idea behind that is clear: As few horizontal surfaces as possible and no covers. Instead, angled surfaces and open construction were sought after.Ferrum expands Sales: More customer orientation In this regard, the Sales department of the Canning Division has increased its personnel. Since the beginning of the year, a sales representative takes care specifically of retrofitting and is specialised in finding a customised solution for the machine of each customer.METPACK: Ferrum is also coming to EssenNearly simultaneously to the “interpack”, the packaging trade fair “METPACK” takes place in Essen from the 10th to the 14th of May 2011. Visitors have the opportunity here of seeing the Ferrum can seamer F410 in combination with a can production line from Germann + Frei AG. Ferrum can be found on the fair grounds of Germann + Frei AG: Hall 1, stand B10.