The latest technology to be employed for net sealing is the use of ultrasound. For some time, ultrasonic technology has been in use for sealing net bags containing bird seed, nuts and fat balls, and for food products including chocolate and confectionery. Now there is an increasing trend towards the use of ultrasonic technology for other food products including cheese portions and fresh produce such as onions. Short bursts of high frequency sound locally generate heat which fuses the net in the sealing jaws without the need to employ a metal clip. The German manufacturer Dieter Heick Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG is amongst the leaders in this field and ClippaNet is the distributor for their products in the UK.

USG340 RA SRV Net Sealing Machine

The USG340 range of machines are compact, easy to use and require little maintenance other than normal daily care. They can be fitted with a label applicator and in-line printer to print and apply a polyethylene wineglass label and are particularly suitable for high volume, low weight packs employing extruded net. For example, operating with 70gm packs of chocolate coins, packing rates of up to 50 packs per minute can be achieved with the standard machines and pack rates approaching 100 packs per minute are possible. They can be fed with product from most types of counting or weighing equipment and the automatic tube-changer ensures that continuous operation is maintained when the net tube needs refilling.

Ultrasonic sealing offers benefits including:
Ø No clip wire required
Ø Strong seal formed
Ø High packing rates
Ø Simple operation
Ø Low maintenance machinery

Net-tube replenishment is easily accomplished using the Model TL net-tube loading machine from DHV. Using rubber rollers and pneumatic control of the roller pressure, the Model TL loading machine is an essential accessory to the ultrasonic sealing machine or, alternatively, can be used in conjunction with other net tube loading requirements.

TL75 Net Tube Loader