How to reduce rejects in the packaging process
Safe sealing of Ready Meals with ultrasonics
Despite increasing cost pressure, many companies have accepted the high reject rates in the packaging of food and animal feed. Yet the most common reason for rejects in packaging machines can be easily avoided - with ultrasonic sealing technology.
Sealing due to product residue in the sealing area
Conventional processes such as heat sealing cannot create tight seals if there is contamination in the sealing area. Studies show that the seal strength can decrease by up to 88 percent if the sealing area is contaminated.
Ultrasonic sealing, on the other hand, reliably displaces product residues through vibrations, eliminating one of the main causes of rejects.
Cold joining process
With ultrasonic sealing, the necessary heat is only generated by friction during the short sealing time of around 100 to 300 milliseconds. There is no external heat, as is the case with heat sealing. This avoids common causes of rejects such as film shrinkage or burns.
Without external heat, the process is particularly gentle on packaging materials and is suitable for environmentally friendly packaging such as mono-materials or paper-based packaging materials.
The contents also remain free from thermal influences, which is particularly advantageous for heat-sensitive products such as chocolate.
Clean sealing tools
Heat sealing modules often become contaminated through contact with packaging contents, leading to unreliable sealings and downtime.
Ultrasonic sealing solves this problem thanks to the vibrations during the sealing process, which prevent the contents from sticking to the tools. This reduces the amount of cleaning required and lowers the reject rate.
Precise control of parameters
For ultrasonic sealing, parameters such as sealing time, amplitude and force are optimally adjusted and saved in the generator. These parameters are exactly reproducible, which enables consistent sealing results.
The ideal parameters can even compensate for fluctuations in the composition of the packaging materials.
Seamless process monitoring
The process can be continuously monitored thanks to the precise control of the parameters. If there is a deviation, such as a double pouch in the sealing station, a signal can be sent immediately to initiate the rejection of the faulty packaging. This prevents leaking packaging from remaining undetected and only becoming apparent during transport.
Smart data utilization
Precise process monitoring enables the measurement, recording and export of up to 150 data points per sealing process. This data is a valuable basis for optimizing the sealing process and helps to further reduce reject rates.
Do you want to pack your Ready Meals with less rejects? Find out more!
