STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 21 Sponsored Article During recent years, IMA Coffee has strengthened its commitment to reduce the environmental impact along the cof- fee production chain in collaboration with OPENLab, IMA Group's network of technological laboratories and testing areas dedicated to research on sustain- able materials, technologies, and produc- tion optimization processes. This envi- ronmental commitment applies through testing alternative processes to preserve the resources, adapting filling and sealing technology to the new packaging materi- als to minimize the packaging waste. "Coffee capsules are complex struc- tures where the capsule body, lidding, and filter must be precisely designed to deliver a consistently high-quality experi- ence," says Alessandro Nobili, head of product and project management at IMA Coffee Packaging Solutions. "Before the capsules even reach final consumers, it's key that these components perform well during assembly and filling, during brew- ing, and on the shelf. Nowadays, some companies are investing in sustainable packaging techniques to offset the en- vironmental effect of traditional plastic packaging on the planet. "Demand for compostable coffee capsules is expected to grow as custom- ers become more health conscious and aware of negative environmental reper- cussions of coffee capsule packaging. Thanks to OPENLab, we can analyze new sustainable and innovative materi- als such as compostable, paper-based, or ultra-thin film, before they are commer- cially available, developing projects to respond to customer needs and studying alternative processes and material specifi- cations," Nobili says. IMA OpenLab is a place where knowledge and skills coming from ma- chines, packaging manufacturing, and customers converge to develop the cus- tomer project. Compatibility testing on capsules, filters, and top lid films are per- formed to identify and achieve optimum material sealing parameters and limits, as well as a suitable set-up of IMA packag- ing machinery to handle the capsules suc- cessfully. At HOSTMilano, IMA will be offi- cially presenting the latest projects devel- oped at IMA OPENLab alongside the new SB1 LAB, an extremely compact rotary machine for the filling and sealing of single capsules, meant for lab purpos- es and small production, and the SR4N, designed for medium production volumes. SR4N is a reliable solution for handling compostable capsules, ensuring high techno- logical standards and high dosing accuracy, in a compact footprint. Thanks to a high degree of automation and flexibility, every filler from the IMA Coffee portfolio can handle all types of capsules, whatever material they are made of, be it compostable materials, aluminum, or plastic. "IMA Coffee's expertise and specific know-how for each type of product allow us to configure complete customized lines for every production requirement, offering a combination of primary, secondary, and end-of-line packaging solutions for traditional applications or innovative technologies to achieve the highest levels of productivity, efficiency and flexibility in size changeover and capsule material handling," Nobili says. The dualism that characterizes IMA Coffee Hub converges in the IMA Coffee Lab, a coffee laboratory installed at IMA Petroncini production site in Italy, housing a pilot plant running all processing stages, from green coffee receiving and cleaning to roasting and grinding up to capsule packaging. IMA Coffee Lab technicians and consultants are always ready to find the ideal processing and packaging solutions to achieve the desired quality and taste. IMA can develop a tailor-made coffee plant examining all aspects on site at the Coffee Lab. IMA's experts study the maximum production efficiency for the customer by carrying out trials and getting immediate answers thus evaluating the processing stages and final coffee quality prior to commissioning the plant. For more information, visit ima.it/coffee Precise dosing unit of the new SB1: an extremely compact rotary machine for the filling and sealing of single capsules.

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