Food Flexible Packaging Shelves http://www.njdc.com.cn: The protective nature of packaging materials for their contents can be roughly divided into three parts: barrier properties, mechanical protection, and stability. Generally speaking, due to the complexity of the distribution environment, we conduct detailed simulation tests on the entire packaging unit at three stages of the distribution process: loading/unloading, transportation, and storage. Flexible packaging goods are generally not directly used for transportation; outer packaging used for transportation usually includes corrugated cardboard boxes, metal boxes, metal drums, and hard plastic boxes. Due to the importance of outer packaging during the distribution process, automatic testing equipment for assessing the protective nature of outer packaging has always been abundant in variety. For example, the XYD-15 type carton compression tester from Labthink is specifically developed for load testing of outer packaging units during the storage process, with stack testing being the primary simulated storage test.
However, testing the protective nature of packaging cannot be limited to just the outer packaging because every type of product has a shelf life. Taking supermarkets as an example, to enhance display effects and save space, products in the store are often stacked more densely and fully, resulting in varying levels of stacking pressure and increasing the likelihood of product falls. During this period, the mechanical protective role of inner packaging (often flexible packaging) becomes very important. Considering the characteristics of various inner packaging materials, the range of mechanical protective properties for flexible packaging materials is the largest, with several key indicators that need to be tested:
**Heat Sealing**
Testing heat sealing performance is especially important for materials with good impact resistance. When a package falls or is under stacking pressure, materials with good impact resistance can withstand significant force without breaking, but the strength of the heat seal on the material's sealed surface may not be as secure, posing a challenge to the heat sealing effect of flexible packaging units. Labthink provides a series of specialized devices for heat sealing performance testing, with the HST-H2 type heat sealer being most suitable for flexible packaging heat seal testing. It features an advanced P.I.D. temperature control system, providing a large heat sealing area of 150 mm x 10 mm, and can customize heat seal heads of various sizes and shapes according to customer needs, suitable for heat sealing tests on cup-shaped products like instant noodles.
**Coefficient of Friction**
If the outer layer of flexible packaging has too low a coefficient of friction, even a slight tilt during placement could cause multiple layers of packaging to fall. A friction coefficient instrument or friction coefficient/peeling tester can be used to detect static and dynamic friction coefficients, and some even come with professional operation software for environmental simulation, helping production enterprises better grasp packaging friction performance and minimize product sliding losses.
**Impact Performance**
The quality of a material’s impact performance can affect the condition of the packaged product after a fall. Labthink's dart impact tester is suitable for measuring the impact mass at which 50% of plastic films or sheets less than 1mm thick break when subjected to free-falling darts from a given height, with a measurement range of 50-2000g.
**Simulation Tests**
Various simulation tests on packaging units can all use the MFY-01 type flexible packaging seal tester for seal performance detection. For example, after simulating shaking tests, drop tests, pressure resistance tests, and other series of simulation tests on a batch of packaging units, the seal tester can then be used to check the seal integrity of the packaging units. Through these tests, the sealing process and performance of flexible packaging units can be effectively compared and evaluated, providing scientific basis for determining relevant technical indicators.
The promotional function of product packaging has gained widespread recognition, and inner packaging materials serve as the direct carrier of this advertisement. If manufacturers can perform this series of tests after completing the overall packaging design of their products, they will not only obtain reasonable data for guiding flexible packaging stacking matters but also help designers improve the shape and material selection of packaging units, achieving better advertising effects with half the effort.