Heat sealing evaluation and runnability issues of flexible paper materials in a vertical form fill seal packaging machine

Abstract

Vertical form fill seal machines are commonly used to form pouches. This paper aimed to optimize the sealing parameters and evaluate the runnability of flexible paper-based packaging materials with a polyethylene coating, differentiated by their grammages and thicknesses. This was done in comparison with a commercial plastic film, an oriented polypropylene and polyethylene laminate, using two different sealing jaw patterns in an industrial-scale vertical form fill seal machine. Based on the results obtained, the first observable seal was found at a sealing temperature of 90 °C for the paper-based material and a sealing temperature of 100 °C for thermoplastic film, both at a dwell time of 2 s. It was shown that the paper-based material had a larger sealing window, up to a sealing temperature of 220 °C, before the material started to turn brown, while the thermoplastic film shrank at a sealing temperature of 140 °C. Several peel and compression strength tests were performed to evaluate the flexible paper-based material. Furthermore, several hindering issues were observed in the paper-based material during the production runs. These included wrinkling, web buckling, friction in the forming tubes, pouches airtightness, etc. As such, recommendations for further investigations and future studies are given.

Heat‐sealing and microscopic evaluation of paper‐based coated materials using various seal bar geometries in vertical form fill seal machine

“…As observed in thermoplastic materials, paper‐based materials had no major effects on the visual appearance. Merabtene et al 11 has reported that as the paper‐based material reaches its plateau sealing temperature, it would have relatively consistent seal strength throughout the temperature ranges. Figure 5 reveals that Paper 70 + 15 PE sealed at a lower temperature compared with the thicker grammage, Paper 90 + 30 PE.…”

Sustainable Packaging Practices Across Various Sectors: Some Innovative Initiatives Under the Spotlight

“…Researchers suggest that by identifying the importance of crucial packaging elements, the manufacturers in the food industry should adopt a concurrent approach to include marketers, logistics experts, food scientists, and environmental managers in the design and development of packaging in the food supply chain. According to Merabtene et al (2022), food packaging provides food safety, enables marketing, and facilitates ease of transportation. Packaging protects the content from crushing or environmental impacts.…”

Topology Optimization of Package Sealer Jaw Chassis of Automatic Packaging Machine

“…At the beginning of the packaging operation, the package ISSN 2454-5880 29 film is pulled over a forming collar (mold, forming collar, shoulder), and then after all necessary processes (pack forming, package edge cutting and sealing, product filling, package mouth (top) sealing, package transfer, classification) and cartoning) a fully sealed protective package full of product is created. While all the relevant operational stages are very important, the milestones of the packaging process are the development of package sealing systems (Merabtene, et. al.…”