Sharp Packaging Systems (www.SharpPackaging.com) has announced the release of its first vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) machine that employs a Kollmorgen (www.kollmorgen.com) stepper motor.

Dubbed as the Hawk Evolution, the new machine features the industry’s smallest footprint for the bag size that it will manufacture. Designed to operate for hundreds of millions of cycles, its maintenance free stepper motor enables the packaging system to make a bag measuring up to 18-inch long and 12-inch wide.

Its jaw drive mechanism is run by the double stack Kollmorgen stepper motor, which is used in various industries and best known for its reliability and long service life.

Since the drive mechanism for the jaws have very limited moving parts, only a small number of parts could wear out. The only part that would need routine replacement is the high speed bearings that are easy to change. All parts of the Hawk Evolution are off the shelf, which means they are available through various distributors.

The packaging system also features a motorized unwind — a DC motor turns the spindle where the roll sits. The motor helps reduce stress on the pull belts, feed the film off the roll and maintain a constant tension on the film, enabling a smoother movement of the film in the system.