Gentle product sealing technology from Sigpack Systems Improvement of machine efficiency through Ultrasonic sealing

The new ultrasonic sealing technology from Sigpack Systems, a Bosch Packaging Technology company, is a highly cost-effective and efficient solution for the horizontal packaging of solid products in pillow packs.

The new sealing technology means that the seals at the longitudinal and transverse seams are narrower, so less packaging material is required. Additionally, compared to conventional heat-sealing, the material itself can be of a lower thickness so energy costs are reduced. The agglutination of hot sealing jaws with foil leftovers causes a high maintenance effort associated with machine downtime. Ultrasonic sealing eliminates this challenge with sound-based sealing that removes heat from the sealing process. Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is increased significantly by the integrated process monitoring system and the non-heated sealing heads.

The quality of the hermetically sealed joints protects moisture- and oxygen-sensitive products. There is no deterioration of product quality during the packaging process. Unlike heat-sealing, where heat is applied to the film material from the outside, in the ultrasonic sealing process the energy and heat required are generated from the inside outwards. Heating of the sealing jaws is eliminated, so no unnecessary radiant heat is generated. The result is a marked improvement in energy efficiency. A very positive side-effect is the improved hot-tack performance of the pillow packs, because the temperature of the film material immediately after sealing is that at which the sealed joints have maximum strength. As a result, the securely-packaged products can move on to the downstream processes on the packaging line more quickly.

The wide range of suitable film materials means that ultrasonic sealing is ideal for a very broad spectrum of applications. “Ultrasonic technology provides a very precise, non-harsh and above all hermetically leakproof seal,” says Andreas Graf, Head of System Integration at Sigpack Systems. “The process means that the seams can be significantly narrower than in conventional heat-sealing, thus allowing the use of less complex film composites. These two factors provide our customers cost savings which, combined with the improvement in process reliability, highlights the strategic importance of this new sealing technology.”