Lint-free sterilised packs
The Background
Based in Lancashire, Vernon Carus are a manufacturer of medical swabs.
The swabs made by Vernon Carus go through a rigorous sterilisation process before leaving the mill in Preston. For this process to work effectively, they have to be wrapped in a woven polyester material.
Hand wrapping with this material isn’t practical and traditional flow wrap machines can produce an effect called ‘linting’, which occurs when tiny unattached micro fibres remain along the cut edges of the wrapping material. Research has shown that micro fibres floating in an operating theatre can transport infection, so removing them from the packs that are opened in a theatre is essential.
The Solution
Faced with the dilemma, Paramount Packaging Systems and the Fuji Machinery Co. Ltd design team developed a special sealing and cutting system that has no cutting blade. The new system works by heat and pressure to weld and separate the woven polyester in one motion. In this way, ‘linting’ is avoided.
After thorough testing, the new end seal unit was successfully added to Vernon Carus’ FW 3410 inverted type flow wrapper.
Fuji believes their new ‘Melt Cut’ system has potential in a wide range of industries and has made it available as an add-on option for their full range of horizontal and vertical wrappers.
The Outcome
“The customer was delighted with the outcome and it’s proven to be an extremely effective add-on to their packaging infrastructure. They’re able to process more swabs throughout the day which has increased their production capabilities.” comments Aaron Bessell, Paramount Packaging Systems’ Sales Director.
9 years on since their rebrand to Vernacare, Fuji’s horizontal and vertical wrappers still continue to run in their Bolton facility. We very much look forward to working with the team in the future.