EXAMPLE 1: Remanufacture and Upgrade 60 and 72 inch Vertrod** Heat Sealers (Summer 2022)

Need: Robust, temperature-controlled heat sealing for variable thicknesses of substrates

Challenge: CML* has 6 Vertrod sealers that operated very reliably and consistently over the years. As a result of age, electronic parts and programs were scarce, and in many cases, no longer available.

Solution: IMPAK offered two solutions:

1. Replace their Vertrod sealers with new LFIG (Large Frame Industrial Grade) Heavy Duty impulse sealers which include IMPAK’s iS² validatable temperature control system.
2. Remanufacture six of their old Vertrod sealers utilizing IMPAK electronics, pneumatics, and iS² temperature control systems.

Because the sealers originally manufactured by Vertrod had served them so well, and because of their confidence in IMPAK’s ability to design an appropriate solution, CML* selected our remanufacturing alternative.

Results: The advanced electronics and pneumatics provided for remarkably improved and accurate heat sealing, increased throughput, and drastically reduced cost of ownership, mainly from increased life of wearable (aka ‘consumable’) materials. These materials include PTFE (aka Teflon) covers, heat bands, insulator tape, and silicon compression sponge which, as a nature of impulse heating, wear over time. Temperature-controlled (as opposed to timed) heat sealing saves both materials and labor, from downtime and the time it takes to change out the materials.

Throughput:	​	Increased 3X
Seal strength / integrity:	​	Increased 2X
Seal temp accuracy:	​	Increased to 99.94%
Cost of ownership (MRO):	​	Decreased 50%

* We refer to our client as CML for “Composite Materials Leader” instead of their company name because of our commitment to their privacy and the terms of our NDA.

** Having invented the thermal heat sealing process more than 70 years ago (it is 2022 as of this writing), it’s no surprise Vertrod has sealers still in use today at industries ranging from packaging to composite material manufacturers. Originally located in Brooklyn NY, Vertrod ceased operations many years ago. Some of the sealers they made are still in operation; their rugged construction and long term reliability has allowed them to function when properly maintained by the user.

EXAMPLE 2: Aline HD-60 Heavy Duty Large Frame Industrial Grade 60-inch Impulse Heat Sealers with Custom Designed Nozzle (Pet Products Leader (PPL*)) (1Q2021)

Challenge: PPL, a world leader in the production of pet products, had a quantity of 10 individual, 60 inch long, Heavy Duty, (HD) Large Frame Industrial Grade impulse heat sealers with high speed vacuum function and custom designed vacuum nozzle (originally produced by Aline Corporation from 2005 to 2014.) PPL’s challenge started as a result of explosive demand for their products caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In conjunction with this sudden rise in demand for their products, they realized their existing sealers had degraded to the point that meeting their multi-shift operation schedule was jeopardized. To resolve PPL’s issue, IMPAK’s proposals to convert to a Siemens PLC based Temperature Control System was accepted by the customer.

Solution: PPL chose to refurbish and upgrade existing sealers with the IMPAK iS2 Temperature Control System. It not only significantly increased throughput, it dramatically decreased consumable spare part expenditures by 78.6% (heater bands and PTFE Covers) and downtime and also, realized labor costs to change consumable spare parts.

*We refer to them as PPL, for “Pet Products Leader,” instead of their company name because of our commitment to their privacy and the terms of our NDA. (Spring-Summer 2021) Note: Although Aline went bankrupt in 2012, IMPAK Corporation’s Machinery Group is committed to supporting and manufacturing all of the equipment previously produced by Aline.