FDBusiness.com

At the trade show in Nuremberg, the global player will be presenting innovations and tried and tested classic products. The highlights are the new IBC standards for the highest food safety and risk minimisation as well as innovative solutions for optimum packaging and process support for highly viscous filling goods.

IBC with integrated impeller: With this self-contained packaging system, after filling, the container remains permanently closed and sealed all along the supply chain until the product is to be used.

Selters (hds).– Each filling good has its characteristic properties and each supply chain has its individual challenges. Packaging has to be perfectly designed to fulfil these requirements. Schütz will be presenting its range of specially tailored products for a wide range of specifications and different industries at booth 6-357, Hall 6, from 29 September until 1 October at the FachPack 2015 show in Nuremberg. The trade show for packaging, technology, processing and logistics is the premier European get-together for the packaging industry. This year, 1,500 exhibitors will be showing the anticipated 37,000 trade visitors the latest developments on the market.

Integrated impeller provides contamination-free stirring

The new impeller, a disposable stirrer specially designed by Schütz that is firmly attached to the screw cap of the IBC, is the answer to the need for a closed packaging system. The screw cap with the integrated impeller is pre-installed in the filling opening of the IBC during production. To fill the IBC, the system is either briefly removed or it remains – depending on the filling process and container configuration – in place. After it has been filled, the IBC can remain permanently closed and sealed throughout the supply chain, including the stirring process, until the product is used. Inserting the stirrer of a stationary or mobile mixing system always presents a potential contamination risk, as contamination can occur every time the packaging is opened and every time it comes into contact with other materials. Schütz’s latest development prevents this from happening.

To stir the contents a conventional stirrer drive is used; it is attached to the impeller with a suitable adapter. The drive is placed above the cap and is fixed in place on the steel cage with the aid of a frame. The drive shaft locks into the bung of the screw cap which transmits the rotation via fixed rods to the impeller inside the container. On the booth, a transparent element in the inner bottle of the model will allow trade show visitors to see the new component at work inside an IBC.

The system is also extremely practical when it comes to emptying: aeration takes place through the impeller opening in the screw cap, meaning that it is not necessary to open a further bung while the stirring drive is attached.

As the impeller system is a disposable system, the risk of contamination due to residues of other products on the stirrer can be completely eliminated. There is no need for time-consuming cleaning, thus avoiding the costs associated with this step. Empty IBCs including the impeller are collected by the Schütz Ticket Service; as part of the reconditioning process, the inner bottle and impeller are recycled into HDPE granulate. This material is reused in Schütz’s products, for example as plastic palettes, thus helping to protect the environment.

The Schütz impeller system is available for all 1,000 and 1,250 litre Ecobulk variants and it fits the filling openings DN 150 and DN 225. The entire component is made of HDPE, so that the filling good does not come into contact with steel, a further advantage that ensures full product hygiene.

ECOBULK HX: right down to the last drop

Schütz will be also presenting the Ecobulk HX, a unique combination IBC designed especially for highly viscous filling goods. One of the greatest challenges with these products is to avoid residues in packaging. Such unused quantities are an economic loss as the product remaining in the packaging cannot be processed or used. To support this process Schütz has developed the new Ecobulk HX. This IBC has a sloping bottle with a closed, stable supporting cushion, optimised outlet geometry and a low-lying discharge tap to enable residual emptying below 0.3 litres, even for viscous filling goods. A model at the trade show will demonstrate in detail this special product design for optimised residual emptying.

Not every container will allow the filling good to be stirred with a conventional agitator prior to usage. Additionally, until now the residual volume that still enabled good stirring results was relatively high. In contrast, the HX has a DN 225 filling opening which allows industrial stirrers to be used without any problem: the special shape of the inner bottle guarantees optimum stirring results even with small residual quantities of around 50 litres. Optionally, the HX can be fitted with the integrated Schütz Impeller in order to protect the filling good from contamination along the entire supply chain, from filling to stirring and to discharge. If required, the HX can also be supplied in a version that is suitable for use in ex-zones.

Foodcert: Highest level of food safety and risk minimisation

Trade visitors from the food and pharmaceuticals industries will be very interested in the Schütz Foodcert models. Based on the system certification in accordance with FSSC 22000 they provide comprehensive material, product and process safety, thus setting new standards for food safety in the packaging industry. Schütz has implemented a wide range of stringent preventive measures for the production of the new Foodcert IBCs and drums in order to rule out contamination from the very beginning. This means they comply with the significantly higher demands of producers and consumers for safety, and they also go far beyond the usual exclusive focus on the materials used of the FDA standard. This packaging is produced to customer specifications and just-in-time, and is seamlessly traceable.

Cleancert for flawless quality

Particular preventive measures on the Cleancert line: Preproduced components,
such as screw caps, for instance, are hygienically wrapped until required for
final assembly. Staff wear protective clothing in accordance with detailed
hygiene regulations.

The Cleancert IBC on display at the show is ideally suited for quality-sensitive media where safety and technical hygiene are essential, e.g., coatings for the automotive industry. As a crucial link between the production and final processing of filling goods, industrial packaging is an important quality factor. For example, a car coating is only a tenth of a millimetre thick, which is the thickness of a human hair. Even the smallest speck of contamination, for instance silicone oils, fats, lubricants or release agents, will cause craters which compromise the protective function of the coating. This results in numerous follow-on processes which generate considerable additional costs. Risk minimisation is of crucial importance in the production of Cleancert products. This aspect is subject to continuous controls, thus guaranteeing full material, product and process safety from A to Z. Every component and every step in the production process is absolutely free of silicone.

Naturally, Schütz’s classic products will also be on display at this summit meeting of the packaging industry: a wide choice of PE and steel drums from the company’s extensive range, including the universally suitable F1 tight-head drums in the Foodcert and Cleancert versions, will also be exhibited on the booth, as well IBCs with an EVOH barrier. Embedded in the container wall they provide secure protection against permeation, e.g. as a barrier against ambient gases such as oxygen and nitrogen (blanketing), as a flavour and aroma barrier, as a barrier against solvents (toluene, xylene, MEK, benzene) and oils and fats. Thanks to their special characteristics, Schütz EVOH IBCs can also be used in applications that until now were exclusively served by other systems, predominantly stainless steel.