Pillar Technologies in the News

Every cap sealing application is different and requires different sealing equipment. Because of this, the Pillar Technologies team has engineered a variety of optional cap sealing equipment that are available for purchase with your Pillar induction sealing systems to better suit our customers’ sealing needs. These cap sealing options are able to help you detect and deal with faulty seals, comply with FDA regulations for your products, enhance the functionality of your induction sealer, and optimize your production processes. Below is a complete list of all of Pillar’s optional cap sealing equipment available for purchase.

• Additional Sealing Coils - Pillar Technologies offers additional sealing coils for sealing different types of products, as well as replacement sealing coils. The Universal Sealing Coil is used in the majority of sealing applications and is designed to seal flat caps and child-resistant closure (CRC) caps ranging from 15mm – 150mm. The Universal Sealing Coil produces an electromagnetic field above the induction seal to heat the foil, melt the sealant, and ultimately seal the bottle. Pillar’s Tunnel Coils are designed to seal unique caps - such as dispensing caps - which are too tall for a flat coil. Unlike the Universal Sealing Coil that applies an electromagnetic field from above, the Tunnel Coil applies the electromagnetic field from the sides, with an open space above to allow for tall caps to pass through. Lastly, Pillar’s Hand-Held Sealing Coils are specifically designed for the C-Series Hand-Held Induction Sealer and can be used to seal both flat caps and dispensing caps ranging from 12mm – 120mm.

• Allen Bradley Control Option - Designed to better accommodate specific customer needs when it comes to programming your iFoiler and iFoiler+, the new Allen Bradley Control Option is an upgradable control option over the microprocessor that comes standard with our flagship induction sealers. The standard microprocessor that comes with our flagship iFoiler enables customers to run their induction sealers with pre-programmed settings from Pillar Technologies. With the new Allen Bradley Control Option, customers can better customize their induction sealer programming to meet their plant’s exact sealing needs. This not only enables customers to better align their induction sealer system with the other equipment on their line, but also enables the induction sealing line for Industry 4.0.

• Bottle & Cap Detection System - Pillar’s Bottle and Cap Detection System utilizes the latest sensor technology to detect and remove bottles that have one of three fault conditions: missing foil, crooked cap, and a stalled bottle condition. The system monitors every bottle and container to ensure that each cap contains a foil. Then, to avoid a crooked cap fault, a laser sensor checks the height of each cap to ensure that it is applied correctly. Lastly, the Bottle and Cap Detection System uses a photoelectric eye and line speed encoder to ensure consistent sealing by detecting any containers that may have slowed down, or fully stopped, while under the sealer. This system significantly reduces the chances of shipping unsealed products overall.

• Conveyor System - Pillar offers an optional conveyor that can be attached to the portable coil support of your induction sealing system. Constructed of stainless steel, the attachable conveyor is 6 feet long (1.8 meters) and features a 4.5 inch (115mm) wide belt. Not only does the conveyor include single high guide rails, but it is also available in either 120 VAC or 240 VAC input voltage which allows speed control from 0-60 FPM (0-18m/min).

• In-Feed Bottle Stop - Pillar's In-Feed Bottle Stop is an air-actuated, solenoid-controlled cylinder that acts as a gate to stop products from entering an inactive sealing area when the sealer is in STOP mode, the power is turned off, or there is a loss of seal warning active. When activated, this pneumatic mechanism actuates a 4-inch (102mm) stroke cylinder that blocks the passage of bottles underneath the sealing head - ultimately eliminating the risk of unsealed products getting through production lines.

• Pneumatic Reject - Pillar's Pneumatic Reject device works in conjunction with our Bottle and Cap Detection System to detect and remove stalled bottles, and bottles with missing foils or crooked caps from the conveyor. This Pneumatic Reject package includes two photoelectric, reject sensors, a 12'' x 12'' reject tray, and an air-actuated cylindrical "kicker" that pushes/kicks faulty products off the conveyor, as spotted by the verification sensors. This reject device is designed to ensure that problematic, unsealed bottles do not reach the end of the production line. 

• Stacked Light - Pillar’s Stacked Light is a tower light that is mounted to the back of your iFoiler and indicates a Stop, Start, and Fault condition, and also includes a dual alarm mechanism - both visual and audible. The primary purpose of Pillar’s stacked indicating light is to alert the operator that action is required due to a “Loss of Seal” condition. This occurs when the output power of the induction sealer drops below the set-point necessary to get an accurate seal. Overall, this device helps operators to respond quickly whenever a loss of seal condition occurs in order to avoid downtime from sending unsealed products through production lines.

How can Pillar Technologies help?

The Pillar Technologies Induction Sealing team is dedicated to providing its customers with the highest quality equipment for effectively carrying out their unique induction sealing needs. With Pillar’s optional cap sealing equipment, you’re not only able to enhance the functionality of your induction sealer and optimize your production processes, but you’re also able to detect and deal with faulty seals, and even comply with FDA regulations. This can significantly reduce your plant’s overall downtime and can save you money in the long run by lowering the chances of shipping unsealed products.

To learn more about Pillar's various optional sealing equipment, you can email us at sealers@pillartech.com, or contact us directly.