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Theegarten-Pactec unveils FPC5 with maximum flexibility
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Friday, 31 October, 2025, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dresden, Germany
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Theegarten-Pactec is well respected as a leading manufacturer of high-performance packaging machines for small-pieced confectionery products. The company has now developed an exceptionally versatile solution for a local chocolate producer in the South Pacific region. A total of three FPC5 machines enable the customer to achieve extremely flexible, future-proof production – perfect for meeting rapidly changing market requirements such as seasonal product variations.
A local producer of premium chocolate in the South Pacific region, which was voted the country´s ‘Most Trusted Brand’, is committed to the highest standards in the processing and packaging of its products. The cocoa beans are roasted, refined and further processed in the company’s own factory. Equally uncompromising are the demands placed on packaging technology.
Since 2019, the company has opted for MCH machines for packaging its chocolate balls. In April 2023, it was looking for an extremely flexible packaging solution for different product formats with optional secondary packaging into flow packs – in view of increasing format diversity, investment security and seasonal responsiveness.
The FPC5 from is designed to take on demanding packaging tasks. With a processing capacity of up to 1,500 products per minute – including moulded or coated bars, tablets and pralines – the machine enables precise and efficient primary packaging into flow packs. The packaging material speed is up to 120 m/min, making it ideal for maximum throughput. A key advantage is that the FPC5 can be quickly converted to different product formats thanks to its modular design – a decisive advantage in dynamic production environments. The premium chocolate manufacturer is now also benefiting from this exceptional versatility, having ultimately opted for three FPC5 high-performance packaging machines, which were integrated into two parallel lines.
Each of the two packaging lines consists of an FPC5 for primary packaging, which is designed to process five different product formats. Both lines are directly linked to the moulding plant, and each has a downstream cartoner for secondary packaging. Both lines also offer the option of diverting small formats via a return flap. These formats are diverted into collection boxes and transported manually to vertical flow-wrapping machines, where they are packaged into multipacks as bulk goods.
The second line which, unlike line 1, can handle not only primary but also secondary packaging if required, includes an additional FPC5, which was specially developed for processing triple multipacks using flow-wrap packaging. To this end, a transfer wheel was integrated to transfer the packaged chocolate bars from the first FPC5 to the second. Once the multipack has been formed, it is also fed directly into the cartoner.
Three applications, one solution – for maximum production diversity
Three main application scenarios were decisive in the design of the FPC5 to meet the chocolate manufacturer’s specific requirements. The machine now demonstrates its outstanding performance and high flexibility in all three areas of application.
As a practical solution for products that are not directly cartoned, the first scenario involves the ejection of small-format products via a return flap. These are packaged at a speed of 900 products per minute, gathered in collective containers (big bags) and manually fed to the vertical flow-wrapping machines for secondary packaging into pillow bags or stand-up pouches.
The second application scenario is ideal for formats with standard requirements. Here, chocolate bars are individually packaged into flow packs and then fed directly to the downstream cartoner. Long bars can be packaged at a speed of 500 products/min, for example, or small chocolate bars at 700 products/min. The solution is especially well suited for compact, close-fitting packaging at high cycle rates. High efficiency with close-fitting product packaging requires the line to operate with great precision, as there is little tolerance for positioning errors. The desired packaging quality is achieved through state-of-the-art, intelligent and highly efficient control algorithms in the machine control system. They consistently prevent positioning errors and, in serious cases, detect faulty products, which are then ejected.
In the third scenario, individually packaged bars are transferred via a transfer wheel at a 90° angle to a second FPC5, where they are grouped into packs of three and packaged into flow packs with the long side leading. Only complete multipacks are produced in the process. With conventional systems, even a single faulty product at the interface to the secondary packaging machine can result in incomplete groups being ejected – and as a result, perfectly good products being lost. The intelligent grouping solution prevents this by compensating for empty cycles of the primary packaging machine and transferring only complete product groups to the secondary packaging process. Speeds of 700 individual products/min or 233 multipacks/min are achieved here. The triple packs are then fed back to the cartoner via a belt behind the packaging machine, where the individual bars are otherwise secondary packaged into display cartons.
These three variants highlight the fact that the FPC5 can be used efficiently in both highly automated lines and flexible production environments.
To achieve the exceptional flexibility of this unique and easy-to-use multi-format solution, it opted for a combination of manual counter adjustment with target value specification. The required settings for each product format – such as the width and height of the belt guides, the position of the print mark sensor and the sealing unit – are stored as product recipes in the touch panel. When changing formats, the operator loads the desired format via the display. The new setpoints are then activated on the respective spindles. These initially switch to ‘red’ because the actual values still correspond to the previous format. The operator then manually adjusts each spindle to the displayed setpoint. As soon as this is reached, the spindle switches back to ‘green’. This visual feedback helps the operator carry out the changeover completely and correctly without the need for manual re-measurement. The deliberately chosen manual solution is not only more economical than fully automatic adjustment via motors, but also much more robust and requires less maintenance, which is especially advantageous given the frequent cleaning intervals required for format changes.
Another technical highlight is the integrated transfer wheel to the collective packaging machine, which can be operated in active or standby mode as required. This allows individual and collective packaging to be combined efficiently without interrupting the production flow. Moreover, air cooling of the feed belts has been incorporated to ideally protect the temperature-sensitive chocolate. This minimises product adhesion and significantly reduces the cleaning effort in daily production.
With this customised solution, it has once again proven its expertise in challenging packaging processes. Technically advanced, modularly scalable and economical to operate, the machines meet all the requirements of high-tech chocolate production.
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