Industrial paper packaging testing instruments are fundamental to protecting and grouping merchandise in the production and dispatch line. A good choice of packaging based on the product’s characteristics guarantees optimization of the process that results in cost savings. On the other hand, the packaging serves as a communication and advertising platform for the brand during transport and indicates the product’s characteristics.
In short, the choice of lab testing equipments is part of the strategy in any company; for this, it is necessary to know the types and materials of packaging available.
Packaging makes a decisive contribution to cost reduction. The packaging machinery is at the end of a company’s production chain and is designed according to the production it must cover.
- A small company, or one with occasional production, can cover its packaging needs by outsourcing the packaging with manual or semi-automatic machinery.
- A large company that must quickly pack large productions must incorporate automated systems into its production line.
Within the existing variety of packaging machinery, the following stand out:
Pallet wrapper
Pallet wrapping or wrapping machines are responsible for wrapping the pallet packages with stretch film. It is a convenient and cheap method of grouping and protecting palletized goods from dirt before storage and transport. Automatic wrapping saves cling film (2/3 less than the same manual process) and offers safer load compaction.
Strapping machine
Machines that use strapping to encircle things are called strapping machines. There are multiple configurations of strapping machines: manual, automatic, and semi-automatic. Strapping machines launch and seal the strap horizontally or vertically. The strapping machines are used to fix large packages directly to pallets, group and stabilize small packages to palletize them safely and even to individual boxes, in which case the strap can serve as a carrying handle.
Depending on the load’s nature, there are different types of strapping: textiles for light loads to metal strapping for heavy packages and with edges. In sectors such as the food industry, goods are secured with straps made of plastic materials, such as PET or PP.
Shrink wrapper
These are machines that wrap merchandise with thermoplastic film. The machine wraps the product with heat shrinkable film, introduces it into a shrink oven, and the film adapts to the object’s shape. The wrapper seals and protects the product and is ready for immediate display or sale, as in the case of trays of food products.
Thermoforms and heat sealer
Thermoforms and tray sealers are horizontal flow pack packaging machines. The system uses two reels of film, or one of transparent film and another of opaque material. They can pack with rigid or flexible material, under a vacuum, and in a modified atmosphere (MAP). Sanitizable thermoforms are machines suitable for packaging medical and food products. The tray sealers use preformed containers and are only responsible for sealing them with the film.
Flow Pack Wrapper
Machines with the flow pack system wrap individual products in a cushion of materials, such as plastic film or aluminum. The material is put into the device, rolled up into a tube-like shape. When the product is placed in position, the tube receives three cuts to form the package, and they are hermetically sealed with heat.
The flow pack system preserves the product and contributes to its conservation. Flow pack machines can be configured to inject gas and pack with a protective atmosphere.
The packaging lab testing equipments must correspond to the business’ requirements:
- Automated packaging machinery wastes resources when used to cover low demand for packaging.
- Manual packaging machinery, or with less automation, used to cover a large demand for packaging, represents a bottleneck in the production chain.
These machines will mostly test paper, which comes in various forms including different thickness and quality levels, from those used to make tissue papers to those used to make paper bags.
Materials like poly films, flexible packaging material, plastic sheets, etc., can also have their quality tested. In addition, these tools for assessing package quality make it simple to evaluate any substance that comes to mind and is employed by packaging companies.
Conclusion:
Large companies must analyze the costs and the return on investment. In certain circumstances, it is more efficient to outsource the packaging of products and, in others, to acquire packaging machinery and incorporate it at the end of an automated production line.
