March 13, 2023

When it comes to change part tooling, we offer high quality parts in complete sets to meet all your plastic, laminate, and aluminum tube sealing needs. By combining 3D printing and CNC machining, we can produce cost-effective parts with optimal properties for their intended uses.

One of the standout products found in our full sets of tooling is our flexible 3D printed tube holders, referred to as Flex Pucks. Our Flex Pucks are made from TPU filament with exceptional mechanical properties and chemical resistance. This means that our Flex Pucks are extremely durable and will hold up to even the heaviest use while showing little to no signs of wear. Read more about our Flex Pucks here.

When dealing with a TFS-80 tube sealing machine, our Flex Pucks are combined with 3D printed spacers inside of a two-piece aluminum adapter to create a complete tube holder assembly. 3D printing spacers from durable PETG allows us to offer any size or shape spacer you need to achieve perfect tube seals. Using screws to assemble the spacers also allows the machine operator to easily adjust tube height.

Before the tube is loaded into the tube holder assembly, it rolls down onto the vacuum block/loading tilter. Our vacuum blocks are printed from the same white TPU filament found in our Flex Pucks. Here, the tube is held in place using compressed air and is then rotated 90 degrees so that it is vertical. The tube is then stripped from the vacuum block with the depressor cone and pushed down into the tube holder. Next, the orientation cone will spin the entire assembly to the correct alignment before the empty tube is filled with product. When you purchase a full set of tooling from us, you will receive a set of cones in both PETG and TPU material.

Another area of our tooling line that really shines with the use of additive manufacturing is our hot air nozzles. Our hot air nozzle tips are 3D printed from 316L stainless steel powder with several design aspects not easily achieved with traditional machining. The nozzle tip is secured to one of our stainless steel CNC machined heads for TFS-80 machines. These CNC heads come in three sizes, with each size fitting a range of tips. A full hot air nozzle assembly is completed with the CNC machined cooling ring. Cooling rings are offered in various sizes to ensure proper cooling and professional tube seal quality. Read more about our hot air nozzles here.

Feel free to reach out and contact us with any questions or inquiries about tube sealing machines and tooling.