Packaging is a necessary before product into market. Including manual packaging, we mainly use different packaging machinery to finish packaging. Before purchasing packaging machinery, it is good to have some basic info about packaging machinery.
Packaging machine are not limited to packaging equipment in a narrow sense, such as VFFS, Auger Filler. It also includes machines that complete all or part of the packaging process.
It covers major packaging processes like forming, filling, wrapping, sealing and other; as well as its related processes before and after, such as cleaning, drying, stacking, sterilization, trapping, assembly, disassembly, labeling; and some other auxiliary processes for example transfer, selection, printing, metering.
Now we are clear about what is packaging machinery. Let’s talk about the components of packaging machinery and the characteristics of packaging machinery.
What are major components for a packaging machine?
It is a wide range for products and application for packaging machine, thus this requires different packaging machines to work on. New developed packing machine comes to market as well with the needs of market.
Through the analysis of the working principle and structural performance of a large number of packaging machinery, we can divide to components of packaging machinery into eight components.
1) The collation and supply system of packaging materials
Packaging materials include rigid, semi-rigid, flexible packaging materials and packaging containers and auxiliary materials. This system make cutting with required length or make packaging materials in order one by one before moving to the work station. For example, the wrapping paper is fed and cut on granule packaging machine. Packaging containers are lifted and move to station on beverage canning machine. Can lids are positioned and fed for can sealing machines.
2) The metering and supply system of packaged goods
This is a system to have goods metering, lining up and transporting to work station, even shaping and cutting for packaged goods can be done. Such as metering and liquid feeding system on beer filling machine, soap sorting and feeding system on soap packaging machine.
3) The core conveying system
Product packaging is often divided into multiple processes to complete, such as feeding and conveying for packaging materials and packaged goods, metering, canning, sealing, etc. the Process on each specific station is to be done after positioning with the help of the core conveying system.
4) Specific packaging system
This system means the critical mechanism which make specific packaging process, like canning, sealing, wrapping, labeling, strapping. You could find good example that the valve and rollers for a canning machine, sugar clamp and twist tools.
5) Conveying system after packaging
After packaging, the packages are moved via the core conveying system or drops as gravity itself.
6) Power supply and transmission mechanism
For power supply, motor is usually the choice. For transmission mechanism, it is composed of pulleys, sprockets, gears, cams, worm wheels, worm gears, etc., or other mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic system. With these two, intended action can be finished
7) Control system
It consists of various automatic and manual devices. This realizes the output of the power supply, running of the transmission mechanism, action of packaging process, delivery after goods packaging, etc.
8) Packaging machine body
The body is used to mount, fix, and support all parts of the packaging machine. Therefore, strength, stiffness and stability of the body is also important factor.
Characteristics of Packaging Machinery
We know that the packaging machine is mostly semi-automatic, fully automatic machinery. It has the commonality of general automatic machinery, but also has its own characteristics.
- Most of the packaging machines have complex structure, fast movement speed and high precision of action. In order to meet the performance requirements, it is important to have the right steel stiffness, dimensional accuracy and surface quality of all parts.
- Packaging process always request small force, so the motor power of is always small.
- Infinitely variable speed device is always used for packaging machine, in order to adjust the packaging speed flexibly and adjust the packaging machine production capacity easily.
- For food and pharmaceuticals industry, easy cleaning is a must. The contact area has to be made of stainless steel or non-toxic materials after chemically treated.
- To easy the fabrication and maintenance, standardization, versatility and multi-functionality is trend during design.
We have talked about what packaging machinery is, major components and characteristics of packaging machinery. We have a complete understanding of packaging machinery, which will help us to decide whether to invest in packaging machinery in the future.