PFM Packaging Machinery said the line is made up of specialist equipment that can achieve production rates as high as 270 to 280 a minute for individual rigid capsules and 135 to 40 for doubles.

The line is made up of an automatic carousel loader, a Falcon or Mistral horizontal packaging machine and a rotary printer.

The new line works by taking capsules from the filling and assembly line and directing them on to a flex-link belt before being loaded onto an accumulation belt.

The machine feeding carousel then picks up a capsule and positions it to the front of the automatic carousel loader.

The capsule is then wrapped in a pillow pack with lengthways and crossways seals before the flow-wrapped packs are counted and conveyed towards manual or automatic cartoning lines.

"With these speeds we are confident a single line will be able to wrap 100 per cent of the production of most modern rigid capsule assembly lines,'' PFM Packaging stated today.

The system works with a modified atmosphere packaging techniques. A gas flushing variant is available.

PFM claims the system provides a flexibility enhanced by its capacity to change from single capsule to double in a matter of minutes, thus keeping down time to a minimum.

PFM stated that it sees the burgeoning coffee market as one of continuing growth which is likely to maintain the same fast pace, with on-going and increasing demand for equipment.

The company's flow-wrap packaging line hermetically seals the capsules using polyester, aluminium or polyethylene bonded films up to a maximum thickness of 70 microns.