The latest addition to the popular Lachenmeier Stretch Hood Technology Line features a smaller footprint, minimized maintenance

Signode, a global manufacturer of a broad spectrum of end of line packaging equipment, tools, and consumables, has announced the introduction of its new Multi FleX1 Electric stretch hood technology.

The Multi FleX1 Electric is the latest addition to Signode’s popular Lachenmeier brand of stretch hooders used around the globe for optimized load containment. The newest offering features an electrically operated stretch frame and the machine frame movement is electrical as well. Its overall smaller footprint, due to reduced safety-area fencing, means that the Multi FleX1 Electric can also maximize valuable production floor space and be placed closer to a facility’s perimeter.

“Our customers count on Signode to listen and respond to their needs with new technology, consumables, and service offerings,” said Mogens Jessen, Global Product Manager for Signode. “The new Multi FleX1 Electric is a direct result of our close collaborations and partnerships across the globe.”

The Multi FleX1 Electric shares the same powerful five-sided protection attributes as the traditional Multi FleX1. It has the ability to be fitted with several film rolls, allowing it to wrap multiple load sizes with greater variations quickly. The machine hosts a variety of film patterns, including fully closed hoods, film sleeves, short hoods, and film reinforcement capabilities. The Multi Flex1 Electric is engineered for cubed loads, irregular loads with protrusions, and varying product shapes, and is capable of wrapping more than 200 loads per hour.

From palletized goods in the food, beverage, and pharma industry to bricks, blocks, and bagged commodities in the building industry, the Multi FleX1 accommodates variable load sizes and types. Depending on the industry environment where the machine is operating, the Multi FleX1 is now available with either a hydraulically or an electrically operated stretch frame. And with multiple film options, including transparent, colored, perforated, and printed, it can be further tailored for other production requirements from those requiring high-shelf storage to those for transparency to read barcodes.

According to Jessen, the machine’s reliability and low maintenance are enabled by its new steel-reinforced timing belt movement. This ensures a well-balanced frame due to its Quatro timing belt suspension, the 4-sided frame suspension as in the existing Multi FleX1.

As a leader in transit packaging, Signode provides extensive testing and verification of its technologies and products before application on the production floor. Signode’s International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) certified lab provides a host of state-of-the-art testing devices, including temperature-controlled rooms, drop-test equipment, and vibration tables. It also performs European Safe Logistics Association (EUMOS) testing, which is a dynamic test that can help evaluate the rigidity and stability of a load that is subjected to horizontal accelerations and decelerations during transport.