Applications

Scalable Automation Systems: Future-Proofing Printing & Packaging Operations

3 April 2025
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Categories: Applications, Automation, Labelers, Labeling, Packaging Applications, Printing Applications
Companies face increasing pressure across industries to meet higher production demands while staying compliant with changing regulations. Especially in the world of printing and packaging, manufacturers need automation solutions that don’t just work today but can evolve as their businesses do. That’s where scalable automation solutions come in: improving performance, expanding capabilities, and evolving solutions to meet new problems.

The Challenge: Scaling Without Disrupting Production

For businesses in printing and packaging, growth can be a double-edged sword. Expanding product lines, increasing order volumes, and complying with new regulations require more efficient processes. But introducing new automation technology can introduce new challenges:
  • How do we upgrade without causing downtime?
  • Will the new system integrate with our existing workflow?
  • Can the system adapt as our needs change?
Many companies struggle with rigid, one-size-fits-all automation that can’t keep up with their evolving requirements. MFT Automation specializes in solving these challenges with scalable, modular systems designed for flexibility and growth.

The Solution: Adaptable, High-Performance Automation

MFT Automation’s industrial labeling machines, automated feeders, and print-and-apply labelers are built to handle complex, high-speed packaging operations. Our systems help businesses:

1. Solve Complex Printing & Packaging Problems

Automation is most valuable when it directly addresses industry challenges. MFT Automation designs solutions for:
  • Labeling: From game pieces and scratch-off labels to security labels like RFID and UPC barcodes, our industrial label machines ensure precision and consistency at high speeds.
  • Cutting & Placing: Our industrial paper cutters and automated placement systems streamline sheet handling for currency, paper, and specialty materials.
  • Feeding & Folding: Whether it’s booklets, envelopes, or direct mail, our friction feeders and modular components keep production moving smoothly.

2. Scale & Adapt as Your Business Grows

Static automation solutions become bottlenecks over time. MFT’s highly customizable approach to these systems allows businesses to:
  • Customize solutions to perfectly fit your specific packaging and printing processes.
  • Add or upgrade components as regulations shift and product lines expand.
  • Integrate seamlessly with existing production lines for minimal disruption.

3. Build Reliability into Every Stage of Production

At MFT Automation, we understand that automation isn’t just about machines—it’s about maintaining reliable production and strong partnerships. Our systems are designed for durability, and our team works closely with clients to engineer custom solutions and provide long-term support. We know that people are at the core of production, that’s why we prioritize training, service, and support for every system we engineer.

Future-Proofing Printing & Packaging with Scalable Automation

As industry demands grow, automation needs to be more than just a tool—it must be a strategic advantage. With MFT Automation’s adaptable systems, businesses in the printing and packaging industry can scale efficiently, stay compliant, and ensure seamless operations for years to come. Curious how flexible automation might help solve your production problems? Contact MFT Automation today to find out how we can help optimize your production line with scalable, high-performance technology.

Flexible Automation for Food Production: Meeting Industry Demands with Scalable Solutions

26 February 2025
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Categories: Applications, Automation, Food Applications, Friction Feeders
The food packaging industry requires your operation to adjust to rapidly evolving trends and regulations, which are often driven by shifting consumer preferences for convenience and sustainability. It is also imperative that your facilities ensure a consistently sanitary environment. To keep pace, it is important to embrace automation that enhances efficiency, meets strict sanitation standards, and adapts to ever-changing production needs. At MFT Automation, we specialize in flexible automation solutions designed to streamline food packaging and optimize your production processes.

Why Flexibility is Key in Food Packaging Automation

Food production presents unique challenges: from handling different packaging formats to maintaining hygiene and compliance. Our flexible automation systems allow you as a food manufacturer to:
  • Increase Efficiency – Automated equipment in our washdown and hygienic line reduces manual labor, speeds up processes, and enhances overall productivity.
  • Maintain Sanitation Standards – Equipment built with passivated stainless steel and FDA-approved contact surfaces ensures compliance with food safety regulations.
  • Adapt to Market Demands – As consumer preferences shift, automation must support new packaging types, sustainable initiatives, and materials like wax paper, cardboard, and biodegradable plastics.

Hygienic Washdown Friction Feeders: Solutions for High-Performance Food Packaging

Designed for food producers who require reliable, washdown-ready automation, our Hygienic Washdown Friction Feeders ensure seamless food packaging with:
  • Minimal Contamination Points – Reduces downtime with a design that minimizes the need for disassembly and reassembly.
  • Easy Cleaning & Maintenance – Built with 304 passivated stainless steel, offering superior resistance to moisture and corrosion.
  • Sanitary Compliance – FDA-approved contact surfaces including feed belts, stripper wheels and discharge belts, and IP-certified components allow you to meet industry regulations.
Whether utilizing flow wrapping machines for snack packaging or food production machines for frozen goods, MFT’s custom automation solutions provide the flexibility you need to stay competitive.

Future-Proof Your Food Production with MFT Automation

Your food industry operation demands scalable, hygienic, and efficient automation to keep up with rising production needs. MFT Automation’s custom food packaging machines empower manufacturers to increase output, maintain safety standards, and adapt to evolving industry trends. Ready to optimize your food packaging process? Contact MFT Automation today to discover how our solutions can enhance your production line.

Automation Scalability: Creating Your Perfect Automation System

18 December 2024
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Categories: Applications, Automation, Friction Feeders, Integrated Systems, Packaging Applications, Uncategorized
In today’s rapidly changing manufacturing environment, businesses demand efficiency, flexibility, and growth-ready solutions, all while keeping the quality of your product. The challenge? Finding automation systems that not only meet your current needs but also evolve alongside your business. At MFT Automation, we specialize in designing custom automation packaging systems that scale—so you’re always on the cutting edge of your industry.
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Robotics Trends in the Packaging Industry

10 July 2024
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Categories: Applications, Automation, Packaging Applications, Robotics
The future is now! What was once thought to be science fiction is now happening right in packaging production lines around the world. With an increase in consumer demands and tightening budgets, packaging companies have turned to automation to save money and increase productivity and efficiency.  Lights out manufacturing, the idea of a factory with little to no humans and therefore no need for lights, seems to be within reach with the advancements in robotics and automation. Read more to learn about 3 robotics trends in the packaging industry. 

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have been hot topics these past years with the rise of public-facing applications such as ChatGPT and AI assistants like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. In robotics, AI is commonly used to process and analyze data from the robots’ sensors to adapt performance and more in real-time.  Machine Learning (ML) refers to the algorithms that learn from robotic data to make predictions and decisions. As the algorithm is exposed to more data, it makes more data-driven decisions. In packaging, there are hundreds of applications for AI-powered robots, from simple pick-and-place robots to automated quality control. In Pick-and-place applications, AI technologies use vision sensors to gather information and train the robot’s algorithms to detect and classify objects as well as understand the robot’s environment better. Allowing the robots to make inferences and complete the task faster. The sky is the limit with AI robotics as they are connected through the Internet of Things (IoT) and can not only utilize its own data, but also the data from the entire production floor. 

Cobots

Collaborative Robots or Cobots simply refer to robots that work alongside humans. There’s a huge increase in productivity and efficiency when humans work alongside robots as the robots complete difficult or tedious tasks while humans do the more complex tasks. Commonly pick and place robots and other robotic arms. In the past, humans working alongside robots was a safety concern as they were bigger, heavier, and moved faster than any human worker, the risk was just too great. Robots were guarded by cages that took up space on already densely packed production floors. Now, new advancements in sensors, AI, and programming have made it possible for robots to work side by side with humans safely. AI allows Cobots to respond to and learn human movements, making them safer while working next to humans. Cobots also include autonomous guided carts and vehicles that move around the warehouse.  

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Automated Guided Carts (AGCs)

Alternatives to conveyor belts, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) and Automated Guided Carts (AGC) are autonomous robots, usually mobile, guided by software predefined routes. They can be as large as a forklift or as small as a wagon, allowing for a wide range of applications.  With new advancements in safety and AI, AGVs and AGCs are becoming more prevalent in warehouses for transporting materials, packages, pallets, and more. The AGVs and AGCs work side by side with humans with special safety sensors and programs to avoid collisions. Optical sensors trained with AI quickly identify obstacles, such as human workers, boxes, machines, and more to alter the AGCs path and avoid collisions. Using RFID and sensors stationed around the warehouse makes the AGVs and AGCs easy for workers and technicians to locate them. The real-time location data can be used to extrapolate productivity and efficiency statistics for managers to make data driven decisions for the production process. 

Your Robotics Integrator MFT Automation

MFT Automation is a proud Mitsubishi Electric Automation Diamond Solutions Partner. We integrate robotics into a variety of systems for complete packaging automation solutions. Ranging from simple pick-and-place applications to more complex packaging applications, we manufacture, design, and integrate systems for flexible and semi-rigid packaging. Specializing in 6-axis robotic arms, we work directly with customers to fit the robot to their application. Robots are available in ISO3 clean room, IP20, IP65, food grade, and chemical resistant versions. Payloads range from 1 kg to 20 kg with 150 mm to 1000 mm reaches. Contact us about your automation challenge! Call 1-651-427-1264 or contact us online.

4 Pharmaceutical Packaging Trends To Watch

13 June 2023
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Categories: Applications, Automation, Packaging Applications, Pharmaceutical Packaging, Robotics
The Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging industry experienced exponential growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Global crisis aside, the industry has always been in high demand and continues to grow, evolve and change. Pharmaceutical and medical packaging are under strict guidelines, regulations, and standards, but innovations and the ever-changing healthcare industry bring new trends every year. Here are four pharmaceutical and medical packaging trends to watch:

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Packaging

Climate change, finite resources, and the human impact on the planet are massive trending topics among consumers and businesses alike. Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging and practices have become a focus for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, and pharmaceutical packaging is no exception. Pharmaceutical companies are also feeling the pressure to become more sustainable from governmental agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which issued a directive requiring manufacturers to make packaging as recyclable as possible. Biodegradable and recycled materials are now cheaper and more accessible to companies. Recyclable plastics like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have become a popular choice for packaging material, including in the pharmaceutical packaging industry. The supply chain has also worked to become more sustainable, with many companies looking to consolidate their operations into one place reducing emissions and likely saving money and time. It is in companies’ best interests to make a sustainable plan as consumers, governments, and shareholders look to an uncertain future. Recycle

Self-administration

Challenges such as labor shortages, new safety standards, and more arose during the pandemic. Healthcare providers worked tirelessly to find new ways to meet the high demand and keep healthcare accessible to high-risk patients. Self-administered medications and tests have become more popular with both patients and doctors. At-home medical test kits changed the course of the pandemic, allowing people to quickly test for COVID-19 without going into a doctor’s office, allowing people to stay home and curb the spread. Patients have accessed self-administered medications in the past, but recent developments have made it easier for patients to access them. A common self-administered medication is insulin for diabetics to control their blood sugar levels. New technology such as auto-injectables like automated insulin pumps has made it convenient and fast for diabetic patients to get the medications they need and administer them themselves. These developments have assisted in the rise of more self-administered therapies for other autoimmune diseases and emergency drugs. There is a variety of self-administered medications packaging, including prefilled syringes, cartridges, vials, auto injectables, and wearables. These packages need to be durable to survive transport and the packaging needs to include labels with clear instructions and warnings. As the industry continues to innovate and self-medications become more normalized, packaging must adjust to handle these precious medications. self-injectable

Preventing Counterfeit Drugs

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 10% of global pharmaceutical commerce ($21 billion) involves counterfeit drugs. Preventing counterfeit drugs is a matter of public safety and the pharmaceutical packaging industry is working hard to solve this global problem. The FDA requires drug manufacturers to guard against the duplication, substitution, and tampering of consumer drugs. To combat the tampering of drugs, many pharmaceutical packaging companies already use tamper-evident packaging designs to warn consumers if a product had been substituted or altered. Packages are also designed to have hidden overt features that prove the drug’s legitimacy when revealed. A more technological approach has also been taken by companies. RFID with track and trace technology has played a key role in keeping track of drug packages and identifying counterfeit shipments. Serialization is a trend on its own with companies keen on keeping track of their products through the supply chain. Counterfeit pills and dollar bills representing the lucrative black market

Serialization

Serialization is the process of applying a unique code to each individual product. It provides a system to track and trace a pharmaceutical product from its source through the entire supply chain. From tracking recalls to gathering supply chain data, serialization not only creates transparency but it also improves the packaging process with data-driven decisions. Some countries are making serialization a requirement. In the United States, Unique Device Identification (UDI) system tracks medical and pharmaceutical products as they move through the supply chain and into consumers’ hands. UDI barcodes are required by the FDA on all medical devices. The barcodes contain important and required information such as the lot or batch number, expiration date, date of manufacturing, and more. Serialization doesn’t stop at the individual product, tracking everything from the cases of products to the pallets is all part of tracking through the supply chain. With the success of the UDI system, other countries are adopting UDI or similar systems to track their products better and increase transparency and safety. Pharm Barcode Scan

Your Pharmaceutical Packaging Partner: MFT Automation

Keep up with all the packaging automation trends with MFT Automation! MFT Automation is a leader in packaging automation solutions with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical packaging industry. With the resources and knowledge to create high-performance friction feeders, labelers, and systems, MFT Automation works directly with customers to find the perfect solution for their automation challenge. From the first draft with our in-house Mechanical, Electrical, and Software Engineering departments to assembly in our Machine Shop with modern CNC and lathe machine tools, we’ll know your system inside and out. Our Integration Engineering team works to fine-tune the equipment for your specific application and then install or integrate it into an existing system. Our systems are known for their flexibility, accuracy, and high performance. Contact us with your latest automation challenge!

How to Automate Your Pill Bottle Labeling

1 March 2023
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Categories: Applications, Labelers, Pharmaceutical Packaging, Tips & Tricks
The pharmaceutical industry has strict standards and regulations regarding the packaging and labeling of over-the-counter pill bottles for consumers. Different products have different requirements, and prescription pill bottles are no exception to those regulations. The FDA  labels for all over-the-counter (OTC) medicines (available without a prescription) to have a Drug Facts label. The Drug Facts label was created to reduce confusion by standardizing usage and safety information to be more understandable for the average consumer. Untitled design (6) Drug Facts label must clearly show and state the following information in order: Name of the product
  • Table of Drug Facts
  • Product’s active ingredients
  • Purpose of the product
  • Intended uses of the product
  • Specific warnings for products such as side effects and activities to avoid
  • Dosage instructions, including when, how, and how often to take
  • Products inactive ingredients (inactive ingredients may include allergens)
With so much mandatory information and branding to display on pill bottles, the labels are often very text heavy and with small font sizes. Some companies use extended content labels (ECLs) to keep their labels readable while still complying with health and safety information requirements. Extended content labels come in many different forms but the most common ECLs are Peel-back and Booklet labels. Peel-back labels lay flat on the packaging and then peel away to reveal more information on the back. Booklet labels are much more extensive, both in size and the amount of information it can hold. The booklets provide several pages of information while using very little surface area with the pages laying flat as a booklet on the package until unsealed and unfolded. Extended Content Label - Peel-back ECL_booklet Pharmaceutical companies must adhere to strict product labeling regulations, and with the abundance of vital information on pill bottle labels, the utmost care and precision is vital. The company’s credibility also lies in a successful labeling process. Skewed and improperly labeled pill bottles can make customers question the company’s professionalism and credibility. There are many different ways to label pill bottles and the right method depends on the pill bottle’s size, type of label, and the labeling machine.

Wrap Labeling

Wrap labeling is the ideal labeling method for most pill bottle labeling. As the technique’s name implies, the label wraps around the pill bottle. One belt rolls the label off of the backing and holds it against the bottle. The other belt spins the bottle over the label. These two actions move the container forward while applying the pressure needed to create a tight bond with the label adhesive. Another version of the technique uses rollers to move and secure the labels onto the bottles. The pill bottles travel on their side down a roller conveyor to the labeler which sits over the top of the conveyor. The labeler dispenses a label when it senses the bottle and the rolling motion of the bottle wraps the label around the bottle. A roller helps secure the label as it travels down the roller conveyor. As long as the labels do not need to be placed on a certain part of the bottle, wrap labeling is one of the most effective and fast ways to label a large amount of bottles as the technique uses the motion and momentum of the bottle to label. Hand holding Pill bottle in pharmacy

Automation Solutions for Pill Bottle Labeling

Booklet to Web

The Booklet to Web System is ideal for creating extended content labels as it is explicitly designed for booklets. Booklets can be difficult to label accurately as they commonly skew as they travel down the conveyor for labeling. The Booklet to Web System uses the proven and patent Lead Edge Registration technology to eliminate this problem. Hard carcass belts pull the rigid folded edge of the booklet forward into lugs to quickly square the products with accuracy and precision that carries into the final placement onto the web. This avoids pushing against the open trailing edge of the ECL, which may not properly register the products. With the ability to be mounted directly onto a web printing system, the Booklet to Web system easily integrates into existing lines for more productivity.

The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler

After the booklet is integrated into the label, the label can be applied to the bottle easily with a labeler. The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler system is also recommended for peel-back labels and normal labels. The MFT Bottle Labeler aligns and applies labels with consistent pinpoint accuracy. The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler’s adaptable design is configurable to label pill bottles of all sizes and even rectangular or irregularly shaped ones. The labeler handles labels of varying sizes up to eight inches, from large bottles to smaller bottles. The robust labeler includes customizable computer controls, a 1000-watt brushless servo motor for unwind and rewind, and durable stainless steel shafts to provide maximum life expectancy. If larger production requirements are needed, the MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler is highly mobile and easily integrates with third-party components.  

MFT Automation: Your Solutions Partner

MFT Automation has over 25 years of experience in the automation industry helping thousands of customers design, build, and integrate high-performance solutions. Our success is made possible by our engineering-oriented and customer-driven approach to finding the best automation solution for a customer’s application. With an expansive catalog of standard robust equipment that can easily be integrated into existing production lines or its own stand-alone solution. We focus on tailoring the solution to the application and not the other way around. MFT Automation has an abundance of in-house resources that include Mechanical, Electrical, and Software engineers, and a machine shop with modern CNC and lathe machine tools. Our connections and partnerships allow for limitless opportunities and resources to create the perfect system. We work with customers from the first solution draft to integration to installation and training. Contact us with your latest labeling automation challenge, online or call us at 1-651-427-1255.