Volpak is the leading brand in the design and manufacturing of horizontal form-fill seal machines for flexible pouches, their agents in the UK are Engelmann & Buckham. They have developed a new R&D Excellence Centre called the “PouchLab”, to support customers and stakeholders in developing sustainable pouch solutions by combining product knowledge with machinery expertise and materials.
PouchLab: who is it for?
PouchLab is dedicated to brand owners who need to set standards for their packaging such as having to optimize package size, down gauging packaging or aiming to explore new materials for their products. The Lab is also meant for those industry players who need to compare the behaviour of different material structures, test suitability for automation, double check the performance of their film, develop new sustainable solutions or new re-closable features for flexible packaging. The structure will be a strong asset not just for Volpak customers, but also for film converters, cap manufacturers, zipper manufacturers, technology centres and raw material suppliers, who could take advantage from the numerous possibilities offered by the lab.
PouchLab: where is it and how it can be used?
The laboratory is located in a special area within Volpak premises; guaranteeing maximum confidentiality and dedicated closed boxes for material storage. The area, hosts a state of the art pouch-forming machine, based on HFFS technology, and complete testing equipment, which customers can rent and use at their discretion to analyze their material, make pouches and test the quality of the product, all in a controlled environment, counting also on Volpak’s technical expertise. In fact, the Company can further support the users thanks to its long-standing experience in the field of pouch processing and packaging, expressing a unique know-how in such fields as new materials applications and energy saving procedures.
Inside the lab
Pouch forming
equipment provided by PouchLab, namely a new generation HFFS machine, serves
for both flat sachets and stand up pouches. Customers can
control and monitor seal temperature, seal pressure and seal time, also
monitoring the film tension. It is also possible to measure film stretch in the
forming area. Other tools provided in this area include:
an electrostatic charge measuring tool, to accurately
measure and provide the electrostatic charge of any material; a stress test
machine, to obtain clear, accurate and manageable information about pouches
stress resistance; a high-speed camera
for root cause investigation of any issue and a powerful microscope to analyze
the quality of the seals.
For more information contact: Michael Lindsay, Managing Director, mlindsay@buckham.co.uk
Tel No: 01420 593680. visit: www.buckham.co.uk