SA-V, the new automatic welding machine unveiled by Elba (hall 3, stand D71) at K 2013 (Düsseldorf, 16-23 October), is designed and built for the high-speed production of premade pouches. Studied to guarantee flexibility and ease of use, it is equipped exclusively with Siemens components and is fully controlled through the Profinet communication protocol, which allows individual management of all the accessories in real time.
The fact that each accessory is servo-driven and independent means that the machine can be configured to suit specific production needs and upgraded to satisfy future needs without revolutionising the existing architecture. The line has been engineered with components that make it possible to recover the kinetic energy, therefore allowing energy savings. Thanks to this set of characteristics, the machine can operate according to cam cycles or time cycles (the welding times being determined by the CPM or independently adjusted, respectively) and offers reduced setup and start-up times as well as faster maintenance and amortisation of the investment.
The welding machine is available in sealing widths of 650, 950 and 1250 mm; the first two versions reach 250 strokes per minute and the third one 240 strokes per minute, while all three can record maximum film speeds of 60 metres per minute. The machine can process any type of film – PP- or PE-based mono- or co-extruded film, plain or printed – and the possibility of repeating the welding several times guarantees the high quality and mechanical strength of the seal. Thanks to a vast range of accessories (valve applier, slider applier, "easy open" die, etc.), the needs of a wide range of application sectors can be met.
Depending on the configuration, the following pouches can be produced: two-seal pouches, on one or two independent lanes, with or without a zipper; three-seal pouches, on one or more lanes starting from a reel of centre-folded film, with or without a zipper; three-seal pouches, on one or more lanes starting from two independent reels, with or without a zipper; "stand up" pouches with folded bottom,  on one or more lanes starting from a single reel, with or without a zipper; "stand up" pouches with folded bottom, on two independent lanes starting from two independent reels, with or without a zipper; "stand up" pouches with inserted bottom, on one or two independent lanes, with or without a zipper; side-gusset pouches, on one or two independent lanes; side-gusset pouches with inserted gusset, on one lane; centre-seal pouches, on one or two independent lanes.