The food packaging to sway consumers with its choose

The food packaging industry goes to enormous lengths to sway consumers with its products. Similar delights in appetising wrappers and allowing the product to speak for itself are no longer enough these days.

However, when jostling for position, it is best not to overdo it. Because making excessive use of materials and hence resources does not go down well with the consumer. But industry should do without overly flamboyant and elaborately produced packages for economic reasons as well as ecological ones. The cost not only of raw materials such as milk, cocoa and sugar, but also of energy and packaging materials is steadily rising.

To lastingly attract consumers who want sustainably produced goods and prevent the cost of materials and production from spiralling out of control, industry has no alternative but to economise on materials and above all avoid excessively extravagant packages while also reducing energy input in production.

As the consumption of confectionery and bakery products continues to rise, so do the expectations of consumers. Not only do they want to be wowed by the taste, but they are also becoming choosier as far as the packaging is concerned. The latter has to catch the eye and provide additional functions while also responding to long-term environmental requirements. And this is forcing manufacturers of confectionary and baked goods to be more creative and efficient.

As consumers continue to pay close attention to food safety

As consumers continue to pay close attention to food safety, retailers need manufacturers to provide high quality food products at all times and also need to find high quality packaging machine manufacturers in the food safety protection. If food producers provide retailers with sub-standard products, there is a high risk that the contract will be cancelled, with other manufacturers ready to take over.

Consequently, it is vital for manufacturers to find reliable packaging equipment to optimise product safety and quality, plus minimise the risk of contamination from foreign bodies.

The state of the food is then evident at a glance. One of the most frequent causes of food spoilage is breaks in the cooling chain. Intelligent time-temperature indicators are capable of indicating such discontinuities, usually with a colour change.

In addition to consumer expectations, the packaging industry is also exposed to the growing requirements of its customers. Responding to the desire for greater flexibility and efficiency, the sector reacts among other things with an intelligent and interlinked factory in which classical mechanical engineering efficiently networks with sensors, software and services.

Food packaging need to play a part in achieving this goal

By food packaging machine producing packaging in a wide variety of styles and sizes we are enabling food manufacturers and retailers to be flexible in their offering, catering to a wide range of markets. In recent years a greater variety of multihead weigher packaging sizes has fuelled the increasingly popular 'food-to-go' market, for today's work hard, time poor consumer.

The modern packaging industry helps to drive change, meet new environmental standards, and create products that are both eye-catching and lighter in weight. Retailers and manufacturers are always on the look-out for efficient packaging solutions which will stand out, provide convenience, as well as a longer shelf life in a bid to reduce food waste.

The 80s signaled the dawn of the convenience meal and, coupled with the introduction of the microwave, packaging evolved further to allow consumers to reheat their purchases. This also heralded an increase in the popularity of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in food packaging, both of which could withstand the changes in temperature without breaking apart.

With the onset of increased environmental awareness in the 80s and 90s, demand quickly grew for an alternative packaging material. Back in the 80s we had recycling, and in the 90s our 'here today, gone tomorrow' campaign for biodegradable packaging was ahead of the times! Today, however, the standards are high, and you can find a myriad of eco-friendly packaging materials on the market. From biodegradable, recycled, to fully compostable paperboard, even the rPET plastic lids used within our combination packaging are constructed from 50 per cent recycled material and window film is compostable. Every manufacturer of food packaging needs to ensure that their sustainable credibility is transparent.

Years ago packaging was just 'packaging'. It was simply functional and practical - a means to an end; a container that allowed people to transport their food and drink from one place to another.

why the multihead weighers widely used in the supermarket food packaging？

In the supermarket, The vast majority of food products are sold by weight, so measuring out precise quantities, quickly, time after time, with as little waste or giveaway as possible, is vital, and this is exactly what multihead weigher are designed to do.

The packaging equipment operate by having a number of hoppers arranged in columns, and each column is fitted with a weighing head. A portion of the product to be weighed is fed into each weigh hopper and the machine’s computer evaluates the optimum combination of hoppers to make up the target weight. These are then discharged together before the hoppers are recharged from above – ready to make the next weighing combination.

This method produces a high level of accuracy when weighing single products, and is used across a wide range of applications from snacks and confectionery to grated cheese, salads, fresh meat and poultry.

Each ingredient within a mix can be assigned to a specific section of weighing heads within the machine. They will measure out the required amount of each ingredient and then release them, in most cases simultaneously, via the multihead weigher’s discharge chute into the pack.

Multihead weighers offer packaging machine manufacturers a vital edge as they strive to meet the requirements of their customers. With supermarkets and the food service sector insisting on ever more exacting specifications, it is crucial that food manufacturers maintain consistent quality on their production lines.

Informed knowledge of the significance of weight feeder

In today’s tough global economy, the pressures for proper maintenance, increased longevity of process equipment, and optimal performance are higher than ever before.

Feeders are typically engineered to address a specific material at a specific discharge rate. Changes in material, operating conditions (such as ambient or material temperatures), plant vibration levels, as well as changes in material characteristics, can all affect feeder performance. Choosing a feeder that can be easily reconfigured in your plant to handle new conditions can help you solve these problems.

Unlike the volumetric screw feeder, a continuous loss in weight feeder (LIW) is a gravimetric feeder that directly measures the material’s weight to achieve and maintain a predetermined feed rate that’s measured in units of weight per time. The LIW feeder, consists of a hopper, refill device, weight-sensing device (typically either a digital or analog scale or load cells), material-discharge device (typically a volumetric screw feeder powered by a variable-speed motor), and a controller.

The bulk material or liquid is discharged from a hopper with a constant weight per unit time by weighing the hopper and regulating the speed of the feeding device depending on the rate of weight loss. The weighing control system compensates for non-uniform material-flow characteristics and variations in bulk density, thus providing a high degree of feeding accuracy.

Proper installation, ideal weighing configurations, and appropriate choice of weighing controls can result in the avoidance of a variety of future feeder problems.  Informed knowledge of the significance of these influences is key to optimizing its performance. 

Automation advances revolutionize manufacturing

As automation advances revolutionize manufacturing, it’s imperative for packaging engineers to keep up with the latest technologies. By implementing a fully automated system, manufacturers eliminate significant levels of workforce on the production line. These processes are especially suitable for the pharmaceutical and meat and poultry industries.

Weigh the needs of your packaging operation as it relates to workforce interaction and skill, quality, safety, productivity and profitability when deciding to use semi-automated or fully automated packaging machines on your production line.

Not all applications require the high speeds or positioning accuracy of fully automated packaging systems. Sometimes a semi-automatic solution provides the right level of flexibility and affordability. Photo courtesy of Piab.

In the meat and poultry industry, manufacturers focus mainly on quality and sanitation. By removing the human element, food processors can help decrease the risk of product contamination. Fully automated lines can help ensure that manufacturers are complying with the latest Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations and help improve product quality and safety.

Additionally, fully automated lines can help to guarantee safety of the workforce on the manufacturing floor. As automation equipment design improves to allow for safer employee interfaces, the workforce can increasingly interact with equipment without compromising safety and skilled workers are able to interact with automation equipment remotely. Fully automated equipment can help increase employee safety on the line without compromising product quality.

Loss-in-Weight Screw Feeders of Screw Trough

Many loss in weight feeder incorporate a screw as the feed device due to its wide feed range capability. Each selected feed device has a range of available screws with different diameters and pitches. Each feeder manufacturer provides a range of models capable of providing feed rates over the entire range of normal applications.

Screw feeder. Flexible Walled/External Paddle: The screw trough is constructed of a flexible material, normally polyurethane, in a wedge shape on two sides and near vertical on the other two sides.

The screw trough is a critical component of a screw feeder. It converges dimensionally from the inlet, attached to the extension hopper, and into the screw. It transitions the mass of dry ingredient contained in the feeder from the larger dimension extension hopper into the smaller dimension screw. Most dry ingredients (powders, granules, pellets, fibers, and flakes) do not flow reliably through converging transitions.

There is friction between the particles and an interlocking tendency that restricts or stops the flow. When the flow stops it is called a "bridge." All dry ingredients have a minimum bridging dimension. Flow stops and a bridge forms at this cross section dimension. The reducing cross section dimensions in the screw trough eventually reach the bridging dimension. An agitation device is incorporated in the screw trough in order to prevent the bridge from forming.