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Case history • Turnkey line for Hair Dye packaging

IMA has recently built an entire turnkey line for hair-dye packaging products, from flacon filling all the way to palletizing.

Turnkey line for Hair Dye packaging

Recently, IMA was asked to build a complete turnkey line for hair-dye packaging products by a major international player in the field of cosmetics: the line was commissioned in its entirety, from flacon filling all the way to palletizing.

The project was developed in constant collaboration with the customer, so as to provide a highly customized and “tailor-made” solution. The resulting line has an output capacity of 200 cartons/min and was achieved thanks to the interaction and know-how sharing between three group divisions (IMA BFB, IMA Safe and IMA Fillshape) and several other Italian companies.

The line process consists of packing, inside cartons, two plastic bottles filled with dying hair products, a leaflet, a nylon glove and a sachet. Cartons are then collected and wrapped together with film; the bundles are finally packed inside wrap-around cases and then palletized.

The line consists of six different IMA machines:

  • PRIME 200: (two) rotary flacon filling and capping machines;
  • DYNAMICA: a horizontal cartoning machine;
  • A100 AM: a bi-lacquered film carton overwrapping machine;
  • WA30: a wrap-around casepacking machine;
  • FLEX PALLETIZER: a palletizing machine.

The line begins with two filling and capping machines. This apparatus is fed liquid by either local bulk containers or the plant’s centralized line. Its function is that of filling two different types of flacons: one for the dye and one for the hydrogen peroxide based revealing cream. Both fillers deliver the right amount of liquid through a loading cell system, ensuring high dosing accuracy.

Once filled and capped, flacons are sent to their respective linear labelling machines, which apply labels by roto-translation of the flacon, while performing several camera checks to ensure that the labels and the ink-jet, and/or machine-integrated laser printer, are properly aligned. Double headed labelling machines allows the printing to run continuously, without off times.

Flacons then reach the cartoning machine, which inserts them into cartons taken from the carton magazine, together with a brochure (also containing the nylon glove) and a 4-seal sachet. Continuous motion movements allow the required performance achievements.

When entering the overwrapper, the filled cartons are turned on their side and wrapped in a collation three times with bi-lacquered film (OPP film). A label with a bar code is then applied on the package and suitably verified. A clean, balcony style construction grants maximum accessibility to all main parts, including the film reel area.

The packages are then bundled in groups of four and inserted in wrap-around type-cases, which are also labelled and verifiable through a bar code. The same machine model also allows the use of pre-glued RSC cases instead of wrap-around ones, by means of a standard change-over procedure.

The boxes are finally stacked and taken by the palletizer robot, which is able to palletize them according to the customer’s preferences, regardless of pallets size being 800x1200mm or 1000x1200mm. To assure the required performance, the palletizer is equipped with an empty pallet magazine (10 pallets) and a roller conveyor to manage final pallets at machine exit.

By means of dedicated software logic, to synchronize machines as well as product buffers and conveyors, two operators perform line change within 22 minutes between last good product and first good product.