GStar – a state-of-the-art packaging machine
A major player in the field of flexible packaging, Goglio is revolutionising the world of coffee packaging with GStar, the first machine for vacuum and soft packaging capable of producing up to 200 packs per minute - twice the speed of the most performing machines currently available on the market. The GStar machine, recently exhibited by Goglio at Ipack-Ima 2022, was successfully tested for a year, and then bought by Lavazza.
The increasing awareness of sustainability issues has led this manufacturer of packaging systems to develop a machine that is able to offer maximum performance both in the production of traditional aluminium-based packaging and in the processing of new sustainable mono-material laminates which have a greater thermal sensitivity. GStar represents not only the answer to these needs but also it sets new reference standards for the sector as it guarantees maximum efficiency and speed in the production of soft and vacuum packaging, the processing of laminates based on aluminium and mono-materials, as well as the packaging of ground coffee or coffee beans, allowing for the production of packs from 250 grams up to 1 kg.
The secret of these excellent performance levels lies in a new perspective: for the first time the Lombard company has applied to the packaging industry the asynchronous technology with long linear motor, already used in the automotive industry, which makes it possible to tune the speed of the machine according to the individual manufacturing process. A real revolution compared to the previous synchronous technology with fixed-pitch chain, which moves the bag from one station to another, thus anchoring the production to process phases that must be perfectly symmetrical. So that, the slower process phases conditioned the performance of the entire production line: 4 filling stations had to correspond to 4 conditioning stations, 4 sealing stations, 4 finishing stations and so on. In the GStar, the packages are instead positioned inside cells which move independently from one process phase to another at speeds that can reach 2.5 m/sec and an acceleration of 2g. This eliminates the limitations that previously forced the same number of packages to be processed on each station. A huge advantage in terms of process speed, reduction of costs and line footprint. But that is not all: the speed of the GStar can guarantee production levels that previously could be attained only with two separate machines. As a result, it is now possible to provide a single end of line station, with further savings in terms of floorspace and costs.
The system at the base of GStar also guarantees an increase in the efficiency of the line, because the bag, once placed in the cell, no longer changes seat. The machine also requires less maintenance of mechanical parts, since there are no chains, links and joints, enabling to produce packaging with materials “ready-for-recycling” through processes that are safer than those currently used on conventional machines producing only 70 packs per minute.
In order to ensure maximum efficiency, GStar can be connected to the Goglio Mind system, a cloud platform for the real-time monitoring - 7 days a week and 24 hours a day - of packaging lines and plants. In addition to measuring standard parameters such as speed, machine status and production data, a telemetry system has been implemented for the first time on the GStar, in order to monitor about 600 different parameters and thus keep the whole machine under control. The system is even able to calculate line efficiency variations following a change of recipe.
GStar was successfully tested for a year at the Lavazza production plant in Settimo Torinese (Turin) with excellent results. At the end of the test period, Lavazza chose to buy the GStar in the 160 packs/min version for the vacuum packaging of coffee beans at a speed more than double compared to the best machines available on the market, which for this type of product reach a maximum of 70 packs/min.
Capsule with degassing valve
Among the other sustainable solutions developed by Goglio there is also the first coffee capsule in the world featuring a degassing valve. Thanks to this special valve, which allows the gases naturally emitted by the coffee to escape while preventing the entry of oxygen into the pack, it is now possible for the first time to immediately package fresh coffee without having to wait for the completion of the natural degassing process. The capsule is available in the “ready-for-recycling” and 100%-compostable versions and is compatible with Nespresso coffee machines. Depending on the customer’s requests, in the future Goglio’s degassing valve technology could also be applied to other capsules on the market.
Osvaldo Bosetti, Plant Director Europe at Goglio said:
"Being the first in the world to develop the capsule with degassing valve is a source of great pride for us. After having invented and introduced the first one-way degassing valve on the market at the end of the 1960s - which changed the world of packaging for coffee and other products, until then stored only in vacuum packs – Goglio today introduces a solution that will revolutionise the way of packaging coffee in capsules. An all-Italian breakthrough thanks to which it will be possible to enclose all the aromas of freshly roasted coffee into a capsule."
In 1968 Goglio invented the one-way degassing valve. Over the years this technology has been adopted by all the main roasters in the world in order to package fresh ground coffee or coffee beans, so much that Goglio today produces over 1 billion valves a year globally. The application of the degassing valve to capsules, now widespread both at home and in the workplace, represents a new extraordinary evolution in the world of coffee, offering consumers and producers numerous and important advantages. First of all, it makes it possible to reduce the storage times of fresh coffee, which before being packaged in a capsule should release all naturally emitted gases. Thanks to this solution, the degassing process takes place inside the capsule, as the valve lets pass gases that would otherwise prevent the airtight sealing of the capsule lid and the correct functioning of the capsule itself during the coffee brewing phase. Another great advantage of the solution offered by Goglio is that the immediate packaging of fresh coffee guarantees the highest quality of the product, preserving all the aromas that would otherwise be dispersed.
The new capsule with degassing valve is a further milestone in Goglio's research and development activity that combines, thus, the long-standing experience of the company in the world of coffee packaging lines with the search for increasingly sustainable and functional solutions for preserving products. The Goglio capsule is, in fact, available not only in a the “ready-for-recycling” version but also in a 100%-compostable version to be disposed of in the organic waste bin.
