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Packaging machinery

{{Short description|Any machine used for packaging}}

File:Laboratoires Arkopharma - Chaine de conditionnement remplissage piluliers.JPG

Packaging machinery is used throughout all packaging operations, involving primary packages to distribution packs. This includes many packaging processes: fabrication, cleaning, filling, sealing, combining, labeling, overwrapping, palletizing.

Overview

Some packaging operations cannot be accomplished without packaging equipment. For example many packages include heat seals to prepare or seal a package. Heat sealers are needed, even in slow labor-intensive operations.

With many industries, the effectiveness of the heat seal is critical to product safety so the heat sealing operation must closely controlled with documented Verification and validation protocols. Food, drug, and medical regulations require consistent seals on packages. Proper equipment is needed.

Automation

File:Budweiser Plant.jpgs]]

Packaging operations can be designed for variable package sizes and forms or for handling only uniform packages, where the machinery or packaging line is adjustable between production runs. Certainly slow manual operations allow workers to be flexible to package variation but also some automated lines can handle significant random variation.{{cite patent|number=6522945|title=Customer specific packaging line|pubdate=2003-02-18|country=US|assign=Merck & Co. Inc.|inventor1-last=Sleep|inventor1-first=Nicholas J.|inventor2-last=Proudfoot|inventor2-first=Andrew H.|inventor3-last=Owen|inventor3-first=Stephen|inventor4=Adrian Neil Bargh;Michael Kennedy}}

Moving from manual operations, through semi-automatic operations to fully automated packaging lines offers advantages to some packagers.{{Cite web |title=What Is the Trend for the Development of Food Packaging Industry |url=https://www.vtops.com/automatic-packaging-is-the-trend-for-food-industry/ |access-date=2023-01-18 |language=en-US}} Other than the obvious control of labor costs, quality can be more consistent, and throughput can be optimized.{{cite journal

| last = Riley

| first =S

| title =How much automation do you really need on your packaging line?

| journal =Packaging Digest

| date =February 24, 2017

| url =https://www.packagingdigest.com/automation/how-much-automation-do-you-really-need-on-your-packaging-line-2017-02-24

| access-date =January 5, 2019

}}

Efforts at packaging line automation increasingly use programmable logic controllers{{cite journal

| last = ZHAO

| title =Design of PLC Control System of New Type Carton Packaging Machine

| journal =Light Industry Machinery

| date =2011

| volume =3

| url =http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-QGJX201103020.htm

| access-date =January 5, 2019

}} and robotics.{{cite journal

| last = Mahalik

| first =N P

| title =Processing and packaging automation systems: a review

| journal =Sens. & Instrumen. Food Qual.

| date =2009

| pages =12–25

| volume =3

| doi =10.1007/s11694-009-9076-2

| s2cid =96099161

}}

Large fully automatic packaging lines can involve several pieces of major equipment from different manufactures as well as conveyors and ancillary equipment. Integrating such systems can be a challenge. Often consultants or external engineering firms are used to coordinate large projects.

Choosing packaging machinery

Choosing packaging machinery includes an assessment of technical capabilities, labor requirements, worker safety, maintainability, serviceability, reliability, ability to integrate into the packaging line, capital cost, floorspace, flexibility (change-over, materials, multiple products, etc.), energy requirements, quality of outgoing packages, qualifications (for food, pharmaceuticals, etc.), throughput, efficiency, productivity, ergonomics, return on investment, etc.

Packaging machinery can be:

  1. purchased as standard, off-the-shelf equipment
  2. purchased custom-made or custom-tailored to specific operations
  3. purchased refurbished and upgraded
  4. manufactured or modified by in-house engineers and maintenance staff

File:XtraVac Double Chamber Vacuum Packaging Machine.png

In addition to purchasing equipment, leasing options are often attractive.{{cite journal

| last = Mergeanian

| first =V

| title =How smart equipment financing helps packaging operations compete

| journal =Packaging Digest

| date =November 9, 2018

| url =https://www.packagingdigest.com/automation/how-smart-equipment-financing-helps-packaging-operations-compete-2018-11-09

| access-date =January 5, 2019

}}

Machinery must be compatible with the expected operating conditions. For example, cold temperature operations require special considerations.{{Citation

| title =The Big Chill

| journal =Canadian Packaging

| date =24 March 2020

| url =https://www.canadianpackaging.com/features/the-big-chill/

| access-date =16 September 2020

}} Some industries must perform periodic washdowns of all equipment. This high pressure chemical washing puts special demands on machinery and control systems.{{cite patent|number=6455017|title=Method and mobile apparatus for washdown and sanitizing|country=US|pubdate=2002-09-24|inventor1-last=Kasting, Jr.|inventor1-first=John R.|inventor2-last=Joines|inventor2-first=Dwayne H.|inventor3-last=Winings|inventor3-first=John V.}}{{cite patent|number=7042124|title=Electric motors for washdown, food processing, and chemical applications|inventor=Puterbaugh|country=US|pubdate=2006-05-09|assign=Franklin Electric Co. Ltd.|inventor1-last=Puterbaugh|inventor1-first=David K.|inventor2-last=Kowalczyk|inventor2-first=David F.|inventor3-last=Markley|inventor3-first=Kent J.|inventor4-last=Brooks|inventor4-first=Vernon}} Condensation within closed portions of machinery can also be problematic.

Machinery needs to keep control of the product being packaged. For example, powders need to be stable, liquids cannot slosh out,{{cite conference

| url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3823261

| title =Control of Liquid Slosh in an Industrial Packaging Machine

| last1 =Grundelius

| last2 =Bernhardsson

| conference =IEEE International Conference on Control Applications

| date = 1999

| publisher = IEEE

| doi =10.1109/CCA.1999.801220

| access-date =January 5, 2019

}} etc.

Some manufacturers decide not to do their own packaging but to employ contract packagers to perform all or some operations. Capital, labor, and other costs are outsourced.

Types of machinery

File:AP Dataweigh 3 bed checkweigher with touchscreen reject and accumulation station.jpg

File:Milk bag packaging machine.jpg

Packaging machines may be of the following general types:

Function

Packaging is necessary to protect products, and is now done mainly through the use of packaging machinery. Machinery plays increasingly important roles such as:

  • Improve labor productivity. Sliding blister sealing machine packaging machinery is much faster than manual packaging. One good example of this is the candy packing machine. Here, hundreds to thousands of candies can be wrapped in minutes.
  • Ensure packaging quality. Mechanical packaging is particularly important for exported goods to achieve consistent packaging.
  • Handle specialized requirements, such as vacuum packaging, inflatable packaging, skin packaging and pressure filling.
  • Reduce labor and improve working conditions for bulky/heavy products.
  • Protect workers from health effects brought by dust, toxic/hazardous products and prevent environmental contamination.
  • Reduce packaging costs and save storage costs for loose products, such as cotton, tobacco, silk, linen, etc., by simply using compression packaging.
  • Reliably ensure product hygiene by eliminating hand contact with food and medicines.

Gallery

File:SSF Costco bakery pastry packaging line.JPG|Bakery goods shrinkwrapped by shrink film, heat sealer and heat tunnel on roller conveyor

File:Auto Sorting Packages.jpg|High speed conveyor with stationary bar code scanner for sorting

File:4051 lpa.jpg|Label printer applicator applying a label to adjacent panels of a corrugated box.

File:Factory Automation Robotics Palettizing Bread.jpg|Robots used to palletize bread

File:Stretch wrapping machine.jpg|Automatic stretch wrapping machine

File:Molding packaging from straw, k9837-1.jpg|Equipment used for making molded pulp components and molding packaging from straw{{Cite journal|last = Wood|first = Marcia|title = Leftover Straw Gets New Life|journal = Agricultural Research|date=April 2002|url = http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr02/straw0402.htm}}

File:Rotary Arm Freedom 6500.jpg|A semi-automatic rotary arm stretch wrapper

File:Jsc2008e038873 SFSL Lab Pack Room.jpg|Equipment for thermoforming packages at NASA

File:Pol Roger labelling line 2.jpg|Automated labeling line for wine bottles

File:Shrink-wrapping machine by OCME S.r.L.jpg|Shrink film wrap being applied on PET bottles

File:Remplisseuse bag in box.JPG|Filling machinery for bag-in-box

File:Automatic Strapping Machine Fortris Load Secure.jpg|Example, automatic strapping machine

See also

References

{{reflist}}

=Books, general references=

  • Yam, K.L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-470-08704-6}}
  • Soroka, W, Illustrated Glossary of Packaging Terminology Institute of Packaging Professionals, [https://www.iopp.org/i4a/ams/amsstore/category.cfm?category_id=13]
  • Soroka, W, "Fundamentals of Packaging Technology", Chapter 19 – Packaging Machinery, IoPP, 2002, {{ISBN|1-930268-25-4}}
  • Henry J R, "Packaging Machinery Handbook", 2012, {{ISBN|1479274518}}
  • Kay, M.G., 2012, [http://www.ise.ncsu.edu/kay/Material_Handling_Equipment.pdf Material Handling Equipment], Retrieved 2014-10-02.

External links

  • {{Commonscatinline}}

{{packaging}}

Category:Packaging

Category:Industrial automation

Category:Control engineering

Category:Industrial equipment