Pearl’s Lightning Technology Helps Century Tech to Produce Up to 350 Bags Per Minute
- Published: August 11, 2023
New York-based plastic bag machine maker Century Tech has partnered with Pearl Technologies on incorporating the company’s lightning-fast punches innovation. During a recent live demonstration, Century Tech showcased a Pearl Lightning Punch with wicketing attachment, which ran and punched 350 bags per minute. “Faster is the way everyone wants to go these days,” said Louis Mastrangelo, Vice President and Owner of Century Tech. “And the Pearl wicket punch technology enables this.”
While most bag manufacturers prefer to run 250 bags per minute, Mastrangelo said the idea was to show that it can be done successfully at up to 350 bags per minute. A typical loaf of bread is housed in plastic that has two holes at the top of the bag. Pearl’s wicket attachment and punches makes these holes at almost six bags per second, which equals to 350 bags per minute.
“When bag makers see that, they are impressed and have no doubt that this technology will work well for them when they run 250 bags per minute, which is a more typical speed,” he said.
Pearl Technologies, part of the EDGE Industrial Technologies group of companies, is a leading manufacturer of punches for the converting market. The company’s patented Lightning “all-in-one” punch technology creates precision cuts at lightning-fast speeds for bag and pouch applications like wicketing, venting, and tear-notch.
This innovative Lightning “snap-and-change” punch technology reduces punch changeover time dramatically. The punches are available in a performance, impact or value punch grades as well as supplied in any shape, specification, or punch-to-slit ratios.
Designed with safety in mind, all punches come with a safety box, which helps eliminate cuts and injuries due to handling, installation, removal, or maintenance of the punch, keeping workers safe and simplifying the changeover process.
The speed and safety of changeovers is thanks to the Lighting Units tool-less installation, allowing punches to be changed out in seconds. The Lightning units and punches can run on Pearl equipment, as Century Tech is doing, or can be used on existing equipment. Pearl makes an adapter that allows anyone to run Lightning Punches on their line.
The faster the machine goes, the less time the punch has to make the holes. This is why it’s crucial to partner with a company who understands both safety and efficiency along with a proven history to back up all claims. Mastrangelo says the Pearl punches are the best in the industry, including best designed and engineered.
“We make bag making machines, and we value Pearl’s technology,” he said. “Pearl has been doing this a long time and is a specialist—it’s what they do and they do it well, which is to design and manufacture high quality punches. Also, the fact the company’s technology is made in the U.S., is also very important to us.”
Mastrangelo says that after their successful display, Century Tech placed a blanket order for Lightning Units and Lightning Punches with Pearl and will use the company’s Lightning Punches on every wicket machine they sell. “We value the high quality technologies that Pearl provides; their machinery makes our machinery better,” he said.
Video of the Pearl Lightning Wicket unit running at 350 bags per minute can be found here.
