Category: Blog

Toys have long been not exclusive to children. With the increase of age, different groups of people have different needs for toys, and toys suitable for adults are also emerging in endlessly. If you pay attention to your friends, maybe you will find that there are many people who are obsessed with toys.

The benefits of toys

All kinds of data and facts tell us the influence of toys on human growth and development. Toys can always bring many benefits to human development.

Humans have been in contact with toys since childhood. From the very beginning, the various abilities of infants and young children were exercised through the colors of toys and the sounds they made. This was an important tool for them to understand the world.

When children are playing, they will “communicate” with toys, which gives children the opportunity to express their thoughts in words. Toys can also encourage children to use their senses to touch the world, such as stimulating their sense of sight, hearing and touch, and helping them to cooperate with their body’s various sensory responses to contact and recognize the novelty and all things in the outside world.

Whether it is the toy itself or the packaging of the toy, their design is brightly colored. This can directly bring visual excitement to the children.

As a child grows up, various physical functions such as hand-foot coordination, hand-eye coordination, etc. need to be trained and gradually established. And toys are one of the best training tools.

Design

Graphic elements

The graphic elements of toy packaging mainly refer to the information that can be conveyed directly and effectively to consumers on the packaging shell, mainly including the specific shape of the toy printed on the package. The graphic elements of packaging are mainly taking into account that customers cannot intuitively understand the internal goods, and this defect can be compensated by graphic printing on the packaging. The graphic elements of toy packaging are the most important component in the entire toy packaging. This increases the possibility of products being selected by customers to a certain extent, and acts as a salesperson.

Nowadays, most of the toys we can see on the shelves of shopping malls use cartoon graphics on their packaging. Cartoon images can make it easier for consumers to understand the products inside the packaging, and also add a certain degree of vividness and interest. Cartoon images have gradually become the mainstream in toy packaging, which can have a visual impact on consumers and stimulate their consumption of toys.

Color element

Toy packaging is usually decorated with bright colors. The color selection of toy packaging is mainly based on the color characteristics of the products in the packaging. In addition, it is necessary to fully consider the consumer psychology of consumers.

Bright colors not only play the role of attracting consumers, but also leave a deep impression on customers, can make people aftertaste, and play the purpose of secondary consumption.

The color selection of children’s toy packaging is also regular. The color contrast of children’s toy packaging is strong, and low-brightness and low-purity colors are rarely used. In view of children’s psychological characteristics, high-brightness warm colors are often used in the color selection of children’s toy packaging. This kind of color contrast is stronger, and the visual experience is more vivid.

Personality element

The main consumer of toys is still children, so when designing toy packaging, it is inevitable to consider children’s psychological characteristics. While taking into account the consumer group, it also pays attention to the individuality and design of the packaging.

Take the packaging of Barbie dolls. Collectible and limited edition Barbie doll sets are mainly used by consumers for collection and decoration. Therefore, the packaging of this type of toy is usually a small display box. In view of the characteristics of this toy, its packaging will pay more attention to the selection of packaging materials and the originality of packaging design, which is to reflect the collection value of the toy. The packaging of Barbie dolls for people to play is usually designed with an open window, and the toys are wrapped in transparent materials to attract the corresponding consumer groups.

The packaging of toys is an important means of protecting and promoting toys. When designing a successful toy packaging, it is necessary to carry out design innovations from the toy’s packaging graphics, packaging colors and packaging personality to make the toy attract consumers’ attention.

Packing

Window frame

Window frame packaging allows consumers to understand the contents of the box through the plastic spacers on the box. The window frame of some toy packaging is completely opened, that is to say, there is no plastic diaphragm that separates the consumer from the toy. This style of toy packaging can play a role in fixing the toy.

Plastic shell

The plastic shell mentioned here refers to the plastic clip that can be opened by sandwiching the toy in the middle, just like a clam, which can be opened and closed. There are two ways to seal the clip plastic shell. One is completely sealed. If consumers need to open the package, they need to destroy the package itself. The other is a way that can be opened and closed repeatedly, and the corresponding position is provided with a buckle to realize multiple opening and closing. Not only toys are clamped by the plastic shells on the front and back, but also related instruction cards. Consumers can also see the above related content more clearly.

This packaging method can ensure the safety of the product and facilitate the storage of toys.

Blister

Blister is the most common toy packaging shell. It is to glue the plastic shell of the toy to the cardboard printed with toy information, brand promotion and other materials. The product itself is tightly wrapped, which can effectively prevent the movement and damage to the product in the package.

Blind box

Blind boxes have become very popular in recent years. Whether children or adults, blind boxes are absolutely attractive to them. The love of surprises may be the reason why more and more people choose blind boxes. Therefore, blind boxes are sometimes called surprise boxes.

The blind box is to seal the toy in an aluminum foil bag or a plastic bag and put it in a square box. The outer box may be printed with the image of the series of toys in the blind box, but consumers will never guess what the inside really looks like. Blind boxes can bring 100% surprises to consumers and are very suitable for collecting toys.

Packaging Machine

Based on the variety of toy packaging, many types of packaging require specific packaging machines, but there are also some packaging machines that can solve most packaging solutions, such as skin packaging machine, vffs.

Skin Packaging Machine

Many time, you can see a kind of packaging, with transparent plastic clinging to the surface of the toy. It is likely that a technology called Skin Pack is used to complete the packaging.

HFFS

Horizontal Form Fill & Seal Machine, also known as HFFS, is a general solution for packaging in many cases. You just need to arrange the packaging on the conveyor belt. The following video demonstrates how it packs cards.

Jewelry packaging and jewelry design are becoming more and more sophisticated in terms of the selection of materials and the development of styles.

Today’s consumers are more and more interested in personalization, which makes them look forward to the products they buy. The packaging of jewelry is different from ordinary packaging. Most consumers will store jewelry packaging for a long time. For consumers, this is not only packaging, but also a good container for storing jewelry.

The packaging of jewelry can well become the added value of jewelry, and can also provide a good first impression to the consumer. The packaging design of jewelry is also part of the product attributes. It can even be said that a quality packaging can be a plus for jewelry.

Material

There are many types of jewelry packaging styles.

A part of the jewelry packaging box will use a paper box to act as the packaging for placement. The main material of this type of packaging is paper, but it does not affect the hardness of the box. The low cost and light weight of this type of box makes it ideal for jewelers who sell online.

The design sense of the wooden jewelry box will be stronger and is a choice of high-quality packaging.

The wooden shell of the wooden jewelry box is usually polished. This gives the packaging an appearance that is flat and smooth. Wooden jewelry boxes are a one of the most excellent choice for the premium packaging market and can give the user a premium feel.

Jewelry boxes made of artificial leather are a classic and enduring style of gift boxes.  It has always been a best seller in the sales of gift boxes.

The artificial leather material jewelry box combines high quality and very high class shell, and is also very competitive in terms of price, thus becoming the first choice of packaging for many high-end jewelry brands such as pendants, rings and earrings.

Artificial leather jewelry boxes and wooden packaging boxes generally have a soft protective base placed in the box. This not only increases the aesthetic appeal, but also protects the jewelry inside the device. Generally speaking, there will be some cuts on the protective base, which can be used to fix the jewelry inside the device.

Style

The jewelry industry has been developing for more than a century, and some people’s demand for jewelry has long since shifted from a single wear to a collection. Although the development of the jewelry industry is getting better and better, but on the contrary, jewelry packaging design is not much development. Whether it is a high-end jewelry brand or low-end jewelry brand, they choose a similar jewelry packaging design. The simple and single jewelry packaging shell is basically not innovative. Although each brand will have a difference in materials when choosing a packaging box, the experience is the same for consumers.

In order to make your jewelry brand more competitive. Some jewelry brands are beginning to be more concerned about the design of jewelry packaging. Attempt to attract and grab the attention of consumers through distinctive jewelry packaging.

In addition to the traditional square and rectangular shapes of common packaging boxes, manufacturers will also incorporate more new elements into the jewelry packaging. Nowadays, jewelry packaging has a variety of shapes and colors.

Some niche jewelry brands have begun to try to combine the design of jewelry packaging boxes with daily life, and some design series of different styles have also appeared one after another: pumpkin carriage series, palace bubble series, bouquet series, etc.

In order to maintain the characteristics of their own brands, some well-known jewelry brands will still use simple packaging box designs, but will choose colors that can represent their brand image to match.

Publicity

A high-quality, distinctive jewelry packaging can also play a role in improving brand awareness for jewelry brands. Jewelers and jewelry designers can also reflect some of their own visions through the packaging. The development of the jewelry industry has led to a boom in the jewelry packaging industry.

The distinctive packaging allows consumers to think of the jeweler behind the packaging box as soon as they see the packaging. This is also one of the main reasons why some well-known jewelry brands do not change their packaging styles all the year round. However, the packaging boxes of these brands are not completely featureless, they will have a unique brand color. After years of use, that color has also become one of their brand’s representative business cards, such as the orange and blue that are familiar to some well-known brands. Of course, this is also one of their important channels for brand promotion.

With the upgrading of consumption, consumers are paying more and more attention to the material and design of jewelry packaging, and the packaging design of jewelry is also developing in a variety of directions.

The content and opinions of this article come from external authors and do not represent the company. In case of errors or copyright questions, please send to echomachinery@echomachinery.com

IP is the abbreviation of ingress protection. It is an international marking system used by manufacturers to indicate that the product shell and the inside of the shell are protected. The source is the standard IEC60529 of the International Electrotechnical Commission. Different regions may have different protection standards: British Standard BS EN 60529:1992, European Standard 60509:1989 and internationally, they meet EN 60529 certification.

Common and familiar smart devices or machinery have a protection standard, and the protection standards are different for liquids and solids.

The common standard of protection is usually in the form of IP plus two numbers, such as: IP45. The meanings of these two numbers are different. Generally speaking, the first number refers to the solid protection level, the second digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against harmful of water.

Businesses usually describe how their products are dustproof or waterproof. But how to let consumers know, you need the help of IP rating.

IP rating is very important for manufacturers. To obtain the IP rating of the product, a formal and professional company certification is required. After the test, the certification company will provide a digital IP rating for the product based on the test result. This can provide consumers with a reference basis for product selection.

The first number after IP represents different solid protection requirements. The solid protection is mainly to prevent the intrusion of external particles.

The number 0 is no protection against solids. Expose the solid product directly to the air without any protective treatment.

1 is to block particles larger than 50 mm in diameter. Under this protection, it can effectively prevent large-area contact of the human body, but for small areas of tissue, such as palms and backs of hands, it cannot provide protection.

2 is to protect objects with a diameter greater than 12.5 mm. This can effectively organize any part of the human body.

3 means to block dust particles above 2.5 mm in diameter. This number indicates that an object the size of a screwdriver can be prevented from entering.

The protection of the number 4 can block up to 1 mm of dust particles. Most wires, slender screws, and even some larger ants can be blocked from the outside.

5 and 6 indicate that protection can achieve the effect of dust prevention. The protection effect of 6 is better, which can completely cut off dust. Meanwhile, the protection effect of 6 will apply vacuum to achieve complete protection. The 5’s protection may not be as complete a barrier as the 6’s. But the solid protection represented by the number 5 can also keep out most of the dust in the air. Perhaps the rest of the dust may enter the shield through the gap that people can not notice, but such errors and omissions will not have any effect on the product itself.

Water and excessive humidity are deadly enemies of the normal operation of electronic equipment and machinery. Rainy weather and normal running water cleaning will affect the internal components of the device, and short-circuit failures may occur.

The second number after IP represents different liquid protection requirements. Liquid protection is to block the entry of liquid to prevent the phenomenon of deterioration due to moisture.

0 indicates that no precautions have been taken.

1 is to prevent dripping. The precautionary standard is that when the product is installed vertically on the turntable and rotated at 1RPM, the water droplets that drip vertically will not affect the product.

2 indicates that the drops fall at an Angle of 15 degrees with the product, but it will not affect the use of the product.

3: Spray protection. Set the sprayed water column and the machine at an angle of 60 degrees, and observe the use of the product at this time.

4 is splashing. This number requires the liquid to be splashed on the product at any angle without affecting its use.

5 is able to withstand low pressure water column test. When the liquid is sprayed on the equipment shell from any angle through the water column from the 6.3 mm nozzle, it will not produce negative effects.

6 is able to withstand high-pressure water column tests. The pressurized water jet ejected from the 12.5 mm powerful nozzle can be sprayed onto the equipment from any angle without affecting the use of the equipment.

The number 7 indicates immersion to a depth of about 1 m. When the enclosure is immersed in a liquid with a depth of 1 m under the specified pressure and time conditions, this number represents protection from harmful amounts of liquid entering the equipment.

8 indicates immersion of 1m or more. The number 8 means the device should be able to immerse for at least 1 hour.

9K is a high temperature and high pressure water column test. The equipment can withstand close-range high temperature and high pressure water column impact under the conditions specified by the manufacturer within 2 minutes of the test time.

There are also additional attainable ratings for specific protection:
D – Wire
F – Oil resistant
H – High voltage
M – Moving during water test
S – Standing still during water test
W – Weather resistant

Most electronic products such as smart phones and earphones have a protection level.

Take the smart devices we are familiar with, most smart devices can achieve IP68 protection level. This means that the electronic products under this protection level can be absolutely dustproof and excellent waterproof, and can be immersed in liquid for at least 1 hour.

The protection level of electrical sockets is generally IP54. Protection at this level can effectively prevent accidental entry of wires with a diameter greater than 1 mm.

In the medical field, improving the IP protection level is also an important matter. The cleaning of medical equipment requires that the equipment can withstand the sterilization process without affecting the next use of the equipment. Such protection requirements require the equipment to meet the protection requirements of IP54, IP65 or higher.

However, it is worth noting that any equipment that is said to have a waterproof effect is actually not 100% resistant to water penetration. Waterproof refers to the protection of the surface of the article so that it is not easily penetrated by water. Therefore, even if the level of liquid protection is higher, attention should be paid to reducing contact with liquids.

The content and opinions of this article come from external authors and do not represent the company. In case of errors or copyright questions, please send to echomachinery@echomachinery.com

We are all familiar with packaging. The items we come into contact with in our daily life and the products displayed in shopping malls are also inseparable from packaging. Clothing and luggage items may be manually packaged after purchase, but the packaging is not entirely dependent on labor. More products are packaged before they leave the factory. The coverage of the packaging machine industry has gradually expanded, and packaging machinery has gradually become popular, so the vast majority of packaging of that type of product is dependent on machinery.

The application of packaging machinery involves food, medicine, daily chemical, hardware, lighting, furniture and other industries. Powder, granules, liquids, etc. can be packaged in the packaging machine. The designer of the packaging machine will adjust the packaging machine according to market demand. By adding different auxiliary machines, the efficiency of packaging machinery is maximized. Through different auxiliary machines, different packaging purposes can be realized.

The competition of packaging machinery is becoming increasingly fierce, and the trend of packaging machinery with industrial automation is becoming more and more obvious. With the improvement of the level of packaging machinery, and the development of packaging equipment is developing in the direction of multi-function, high efficiency and low consumption.

Convenience

The intelligent development of packaging machinery has brought people a lot of convenience. Most packaging machinery can be controlled by smart devices. After the addition of smart devices, the use of machinery has become convenient and intelligent. Generally, the machinery manufacturer will debug the machinery before leaving the factory. After the user receives the machine, he only needs to perform simple routine operations to use the machine normally. The packaging equipment is connected to the mobile smart device through the network, so that the real-time status of the packaging machinery can be viewed on the mobile terminal.

Efficient

Packers and machinery manufacturers are paying more and more attention to the efficiency of machinery operation. The development of packaging machines also gradually tends to be flexible, efficient and multi-purpose. In addition, in order to save costs, manufacturers and packagers have begun to shift to a combination of machinery. In order to meet the expectations of consumers, a single packaging host will be equipped with different auxiliary machines. According to the characteristics of the packaged products, the appropriate coating will be selected on the part in contact with the product to achieve the ideal packaging line state. If you only pay attention to the main engine and ignore the choice of auxiliary equipment, the packaging main engine will not be able to exert the best packaging ability. This will also cause a certain amount of waste.

Automation

The development of packaging machines pays more and more attention to automation. The rapid development of the robotics industry can actually reveal the development trend of the mechanical packaging industry. Most industries are changing in the direction of liberating their hands and labor, which is also an inevitable trend in the development of the industry. On the packaging line, workers repeat the same work process, which will cause many problems over time. Automated machinery is also avoiding this situation, ensuring the efficiency of the production line and ensuring the safety of workers.

The competition between enterprises, the continuous innovation of machinery, the combination of emerging technologies and traditional machinery manufacturing, and other factors are urging the development of packaging machinery. The packaging machinery industry still maintains a lot of room for development. The cycle of innovation and replacement of packaging machinery has become shorter and shorter, making the requirements for packaging machines higher and higher. In other words, it is necessary to continuously improve the quality of the packaging machine, so that the packaging machine has good flexibility. Because only in this way, the development of packaging machines can meet the needs of market development.

Chocolate is a dessert made by grinding cocoa beans, often in solid and liquid forms. Chocolate products are attractive to people of all ages. From cocoa beans to chocolate, the production process is complicated. After fermentation, drying, washing, baking, grinding, heating and liquefaction and other complicated steps, it can become the most primitive chocolate slurry.

The finished chocolate has high requirements for storage conditions. The best storage environment is to keep the temperature between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius and the humidity below 50%. A cool and dry place is the best environment for storing chocolate. Like the hot and humid summer, the finished chocolate can be stored in the refrigerator. But at this time you need to pay attention, the characteristics of chocolate itself can easily make it contaminated with the smell of other objects. Therefore, the storage of chocolate needs to be sealed and isolated from the items outside the package to ensure the purity of the chocolate’s own smell.

Chocolate packaging requirements

On the market, candy chocolates are often plate-shaped and packed in plastic bags; chocolate sauce is a liquid with poor fluidity and is often packed in bottles or jars.

Among the rich and diverse packaging forms, it is not uncommon to use a combination of multiple materials, and there are also many requirements for the packaging of chocolate.

Oxygen barrier

Excessive contact with oxygen can cause the chocolate to oxidize and then develop an undesirable taste. White chocolate and milk chocolate are high in dairy products and low in cocoa, so they are more susceptible to the risk of oxidation than dark chocolate.

Moisture resistance

In a humid environment, the sugar in the chocolate will be dissolved. When the water evaporates, the sugar will recrystallize and form white particles on the surface of the chocolate. This is the phenomenon of chocolate frosting. The packaging with high moisture barrier reduces the probability of these phenomena and can keep the chocolate intact.

Low-temperature heat sealing

Chocolate is easy to melt when encountering high temperatures. If high-temperature heat sealing is used, the part of the chocolate close to the seal will melt when heated. Subsequent use affects the cleanliness of the packaging in the bag.

Good airtightness

Good airtightness are the basic requirements of all food packaging. Poor airtight packaging will allow air and moisture to penetrate in, It can affect the quality and eating of chocolate in the long run.

Several common chocolate packaging materials

The choice of chocolate packaging material usually also needs to consider the state of the finished chocolate.

aluminum foil packaging

Considering the characteristics of chocolate, many manufacturers will choose to wrap it in aluminum foil, no matter the size or shape of the chocolate, even if you eat a large piece of chocolate, you will not stain yourself. But the price is more expensive, and it needs to be packaged outside again for better sales, but as a high-end food, chocolate is completely acceptable.

PET packaging

With the development of chocolate technology and cocoa farming, chocolate has become a cheaper mass commodity, and through some adjustments of additives and ingredients, traditional plastic packaging is also acceptable.

Below is a video of packaging chocolate using our HFFS:

This is actually a general-purpose packaging solution for a single block, widely used in bakery, candy and other industries, so the cost is low and suitable for those cheap chocolate products.

PET aluminized packaging

PET aluminized packaging is a type of packaging that has been used on a large scale in recent years. By using multi-layer films including aluminum and other metals and adjusting the proportion of them to obtain better packaging bag characteristics, there are many PET aluminized suitable for chocolate. film. Our customers, for example, use this type of packaging and further pack it in a bag-in-bag format.

As early as more than 7,000 years ago, the original residents of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River had mastered rice planting technology and began to use it as a staple food. Humans have mastered rice technology for more than a thousand years. Since the endosperm of rice is directly exposed on the outside, it is susceptible to deterioration due to external influences. Therefore, the application of vacuum form in rice packaging is becoming more and more.

Advantage

Extended shelf life

Rice is in contact with the air for too long and it is easy to cause deterioration. In dry areas, the storage time limit of rice is 6-12 months, while in humid areas, rice can only be stored for 3 months. If vacuum packaging is used to isolate the air and the rice is stored in a sealed bag, it can be stored for 4 years.

Save storage space and improve transportation efficiency

Vacuum packaging greatly reduces the volume of the finished product and saves storage space by evacuating the air inside the packaging to the greatest extent. The increase in space utilization allows businesses to transport more vacuum rice at one time, saving the cost of transportation time. Based on this idea, a kind of brick-shaped vacuum packaging form has been produced, and its square shape greatly saves the space occupied when stacking.

Keep it fresh

Rice is easily affected by the temperature and humidity in the air. Especially in summer, the internal moisture of rice grains exposed to the air will be reduced by high temperature, which will affect the taste of the rice grains. In severe cases, the rice grains may crack. Vacuum packaging will vacuum seal the rice when it is in good condition to isolate it from the air. Even after a long time, when the package is opened again, the rice still retains its fresh taste.

Give a person edible peace of mind feeling

Vacuum-packed rice is mostly small-capacity high-end quality rice. The weight of this kind of bagged rice is generally below 5kg, and the price is relatively high. Consumers generally have extra expectations when choosing such products. The use of vacuum packaging gives people a safer and healthier look and feel of food, which can meet this consumption expectation, thereby reasonably increasing the premium and increasing sales.

Reduce pest infestation

Rice sometimes attaches some insect eggs that are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. If vacuum packaging is used to isolate the air, the eggs will lose the conditions for hatching. It can solve the problem of rice worms, and provide a certain degree of safety for the consumption of rice.

Deficiency

The cost of packaging bags increased

Vacuum packaging will compact the loose rice in the packaging bag. During this process, the pointed parts of the two ends of the rice will often puncture the packaging bag. Therefore, the bag used for vacuum packaging of rice needs to be thicker than ordinary bags, which undoubtedly increases the cost of vacuum packaging of rice.

Packing machinery costs more

Vacuum packaging requires an additional step of vacuuming. Whether it is manual or automatic, additional labor or machine costs are required. If you want to pursue a better vacuum packaging effect, you also need more professional and expensive machines, such as our vacuum packaging machine. Compared with the bag-type packaging machine, the price difference is more than 70%, so the cost of the vacuum packaging machine will be much higher than that of ordinary packaging.

Serviceable range

In the past 10 years, the price of rice futures has not changed much, but the terminal price has continued to rise. It can be seen that with the improvement of the market and the improvement of people’s food quality requirements, the demand for high-end rice is also increasing, so the vacuum-packed rice market Also getting bigger. In addition to eating this kind of high-end rice, it is gradually becoming a popular gift-giving method. I believe that with the expansion of the high-end market in the future, vacuum-packed rice will become more and more important.

Maintenance of the machine can maintain its efficiency and extend its life. For the convenience of customers, we have compiled a “Machine Preventive Maintenance Schedule” according to the parts of the machine to help customers understand maintenance issues:

The above schedule is applicable to our Premade Pouch Packaging Machine and Automatic Vacuum Packaging Machine.

Read More

We also wrote other articles on maintenance:

Packaging Machine Maintenance Guide
Operation Process & Jobs Division of Packing Machine
Guidelines for safe winterize of packaging machines

Visit our Warranty Service page to learn more about our warranty service policy.

The operation of the machine is not done once and for all, and it is necessary to pay special attention to the state of the machine during each packaging process. In order to effectively manage and maintain the packaging machine and control the product quality, in addition to regular maintenance, the auxiliary personnel and feeding personnel of the equipment also need to follow the following operating procedures.

Auxiliary personnel

• Turn on the power switch.
• Check whether the air pressure is sufficient (must reach 0.6Mpa).
• Click the host to start, and check whether each action is working properly.
• Check and clean up each box room.
• Put the bag, load the material, put the material box.
• Click the host to start.
• The product that is packaged in vacuum for the first time should be checked whether the seal is firm, whether the suction is tight and through the water check(Must check vacuum chamber 1-10).
• During the production process, check the product sealing and pumping conditions continuously.
• Every 2 hours after the machine runs, must be the top cover of the machine, bag clip, and funnel mouth, carried out with an air gun clean.
• The bag or material dropped on the machine, should be hooked out with a hook, do not take it by hand.
• The relevant “parameter settings” on the display screen shall not be changed without permission.
• When the machine is running abnormally, report it to the monitor or maintenance personnel in time, and do not continue to operate.
• Turn off the power after the work is over, disassemble the material tray and measuring cup for cleaning and disinfection.

Feeding personnel

The main responsibilities of the feeding personnel are as follows:

• Sterilize the elevator, material tray and measuring cup with alcohol.
• Put in materials according to regulations;
• Staff needs to complete the packaging of the existing materials on the machine, pull the remaining materials back to the cold storage, and clean up the remaining debris on the machine, then they can rest.
• When the delivery of materials is abnormal, press the emergency switch in time, do not continue, and report to the monitor or maintenance personnel in time.
• During the feeding process, if any material falls, needs to be stopped and taken, do not take it while the machine is running.
• Do not feed or take material above the poke cylinder.
• Clean and disinfect the machine after work.

All operators must abide by the above operating procedures to ensure safety.

Correct operation mode will maximize the value of the equipment, but also can extend the service life of the equipment to the greatest extent, to ensure the quality of the equipment, so the equipment should be used in accordance with the operation process.

Other

This guide applies to our premade pouch packaging machines and automatic vacuum packaging machines.

In order to better let customers understand the subsequent maintenance and repair of the equipment, we also briefly listed the related matters that maintenance personnel should pay attention to in the article Packaging Machine Maintenance Guide.

In addition, we have also written the Machine Preventive Maintenance Schedule, which can be used as a reference for work content.

In 2019, the market for Premade Pouch has exceeded 9 billion USD, It is still growing at a rate of 4% every year. Maybe you have found that the goods on the supermarket shelves are beginning to have more and more exquisite and practical packaging bags. In fact, most of them are premade pouch. Premade pouch occupies a large part of the packaging bag market.

There are many reasons why premade pouch can occupy the market. The main reason is that more and more people have met their basic needs for food and clothing. After casual snacks began to rise, consumers began to pursue products with exquisite appearance and good consumer usability. In addition, due to the maturity of packaging automation, the overall cost of the premade pouch packaging line has been reduced. The rise of the concept of green and environmental protection makes the company more inclined to use premade pouch that saves materials and waste to cater to the public’s preferences.

For our research on green packaging, you can read The Future of the Packaging Industry —— Green Package

Productive Material

Although the types of packaging are dizzying, the materials of the packaging bags are similar. Most companies on the market use plastic as materials for cost and performance considerations. Sometimes companies use paper as materials to highlight their products’ organic and natural characteristics. A small number of companies use metal materials (not Complete metal, metal is only used as a plating), which makes it look different, but it also greatly increases the cost.

Market

The largest application market of the premade pouch is the food industry, followed by medicine, agriculture, cosmetics, etc. According to geographical division, Europe and Asia are the two largest markets. The European market accounts for about 25% of the global market of premade pouch due to the long development time of the industry and high penetration rate. In Asia, due to its large population, and many regions also have complete industrial chains, its market accounts for about 30% of the global market. The industry generally believes that Southeast Asia has great potential in the future growth of the global premade pouch market. According to the closure type of packaging, about 45% of the overall market uses tear notch, about 35% uses spout, and about 15% uses zipper. The remaining 5% is other types.

The current packaging machine market has not yet seen a large-scale monopoly manufacturer, but many small and medium-sized manufacturers are forming a series of end-user-based alliances through acquisitions and partnerships. This’s because more and more complex packaging methods involve more and more components so that this industry more and more complex. Many companies use cooperative mergers and acquisitions to stabilize supply and control prices, resulting in the trend of oligopoly.

Type

As the market of premade bags expands, its demand is also in an increasing trend. Premade bags are the most widely used bag type in packaging machinery. Most of the bags that can be found in daily life are premade pouches. Subdivide the premade bag, there can be many different names.

Stand-Up Pouch

One of the biggest advantages and main features of the stand-up pouch is that the pouch can stand. Any bag that can stand can be classified into a stand-up pouch. The bags standing on the merchandise shelves can be more easily selected and noticed by consumers, the external conditions of the stand-up pouch and its uniqueness in product printing and promotion, merchants and enterprises can carry out product promotion printing or corporate culture promotion on the front, back and bottom of the stand-up pouch according to actual needs. Stand-up pouches are widely used in the packaging of granules, powdered food, and beverages. This packaging form makes it stand out among many ordinary packaging bags. On a global scale, people’s demand for stand-up pouch is also increasing day by day.

Stand-up pouch is a general designation, it in the form of many, the most common is with zipper spout and tear notch. They are all reusable. In North America and Europe, the green environmental protection concept more thorough popular feeling, so there is a higher demand for reusable prefabricated bags. People’s market demand for ordinary sealed bags is also increasing year by year.

Manufacturers are increasingly choosing biodegradable and recyclable materials to make bags. With the gradual development of urbanization and industrialization, people realize that environmental protection is imminent. With the improvement of living standards and the growth of per capita disposable income, reusable packaging is more and more popular among people. In various industries, the advantages of premade bags have been discovered by people, which is also an important reason for the gradual expansion of the premade pouch market. In the Asia-Pacific region, especially China and India, the demand for premade bags is gradually increasing.

Pillow Pouch

Pillow pouches and stand-up pouches have always been the two giants in the global flexible packaging market, occupying a major position in the flexible packaging market, and pillow pouches account for slightly higher proportions in this market than stand up pouches. The market for pillow pouches has always been large, and many products around us are also packaged in pillow-shaped packaging.

Pillow pouches can pack a lot of objects, liquids, powders, and solids can all be packed in pillow pouches. It can be applied in a wide range of fields, such as the food industry, and pharmaceutical industry. Common products around us can be packed in pillow-shaped pouches.

Europe and North America produce more PET materials, so there are mature pillow bag packaging markets in Europe and North America. In recent years, the growth rate of the pillow bag market in the Asia Pacific region is higher than that in other regions. In China and India, the pillow bag market has been showing steady and rapid growth. This is mainly due to the increasing tendency of consumers in these two regions to use convenient and attractive packaging, rich and colorful printing, and easy-to-use packaging makes pillow bag packaging more and more popular in these two countries. Of course, the low price is also a factor that cannot be ignored.

Pillow pouches are sealed at the bottom, top, and back, which reduces the use of packaging materials compared with other packaging forms.

Stick pouch is a special form of pillow pouch. This is a longer and narrower pillow pouch, shaped like a stick, which is often used to pack small items such as instant coffee and brewed milk tea.

Spout Pouch

Spout pouch, as the name shows, is a bag with a spout. Also called fitment pouch, because the spout part usually needs to be made separately and used in conjunction with the bag body. 

Spout pouches are widely used in liquid packaging. Compared with glass bottles and plastic bottles, bags with spouts save more space in transportation and storage, can transport a larger number of bags. Because of the softness of the bag, it also reduces the possibility of breakage of the outer packaging during transportation. For example, glass bottles must be shatter-proof during transportation, which increases the cost of packaging and transportation. As for the spout pouch, it can be said that there is no such problem in this regard.

Spout bags are more popular when packaging liquids with weaker fluidity. When packaging liquid materials such as ketchup and mayonnaise in a bottle, when the remaining amount in the bottle is reduced, the remaining sauce is always not well and completely taken out. In the long run, this will inevitably cause food waste. At a time when Green Action is becoming more and more popular, such a phenomenon is obviously not what we want to see. The body of the spout bag is made of recyclable materials, and the body is soft and easy to squeeze so that 99.5% of the material in the bag can be taken out. In addition, compared with ordinary plastic bottles, bag packaging uses less plastic, which means that bag packaging can be more environmentally friendly.

Nowadays, more and more liquid beverages are packaged in spout bags. Because compare with bottle, the spout pouch is occupied less space, and it is more suitable for people to carry around.

In the global market for spout bags, North America and the Asia-Pacific region account for the two most important parts. They are the two largest markets for spout bags, followed by Europe.

Paper Pouch

Looking around life, more and more paper packaging appears around us. Fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s and Burger King have long used paper to package food. Some roasted nuts and roasted foods also use paper packaging. Bakeries also choose to use paper packaging to store freshly baked bread. The application range of paper packaging is gradually expanding, and the advantages are gradually being known. More people choose to use paper packaging instead of plastic packaging bags. Environmental protection and degradability is an important breakthrough in the form of packaging.

Paper pouch is directly made from wood, so it is also more expensive. The increase in cost and the increase in profit cannot form a good balance and coordination. It is for this reason that paper packaging is not as widely used as plastic packaging.

Kraft pouches are an important category in paper packaging. There are many types of Kraft paper, including natural Kraft paper, colored Kraft paper, printed Kraft paper, and so on.

Kraft paper pouches are different from the paper packaging of food in fast-food restaurants. Kraft paper has better strength and durability and is more suitable for packaging some items with a certain weight. The increase in strength and durability has increased the number of repeated uses of kraft paper, which is more in line with the requirements of environmental protection. Like ordinary paper packaging, kraft paper is made of biodegradable material, which provides packaging manufacturers with unparalleled opportunities in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. The increase in tear resistance allows manufacturers to increase their interests, and make consumers feel better.

The Asia-Pacific region is the largest user of Kraft paper pouch and has always occupied a dominant position in the Kraft paper pouch market. Japan, China, and India are the three main markets. In recent years, the demand for Kraft paper in Europe and the United States has also increased significantly. Driven by regulations and urbanization, people’s awareness of environmental protection has increased. The U.S. government has implemented more stringent regulations on environmental protection. In Europe, the government has initiated many environmental protection programs, which have increased the use of Kraft paper year by year.

Flat Bottom Pouch

The biggest distinction between the flat bottom pouch and other stand-up pouch is the bottom of the flat pouch is a flat surface. This design allows the bag to stand more stable.

For food manufacturers, the bottom design of the flat bottom pouch allows more items to be placed in the pouch, and this design is more cost-effective. For pouch manufacturers, compared with ordinary standing pouches, the flat-bottom design saves more raw materials for manufacturing.

The width of the flat bottom pouch is narrower than most ordinary standing pouches on the market. Therefore, when flat bottom pouches and other stand-up pouches are placed on the shelf together with the same capacity, the flat bottom pouches will always be higher. On the same shelf, the number of flat bottom pouches that can be placed is relatively large.

The design of flat bottom pouch has an advantage that other pouches don’t have: the flat bottom pouch has 5 planes that can be printed, which can make the type of flat bottom pouch more plentiful. Another reason that flat-bottom pouches are so attractive to manufacturers is that the open mouth of the flat-bottom pouches makes it easier to fill products. The larger receiving opening allows materials to enter the bag more quickly and conveniently, which is an advantage that other types of bags are difficult to achieve.

On the whole, when customers are faced with choosing a product in front of the shelf, the flat bottom pouch has more chosen by customers because of higher and richer forms. The flat-bottom pouch is square and more beautiful, so it is always selected by the high-end food industry. However, the cost of manufacturing flat-bottomed bags is relatively high.

Flat bottom pouches are mostly made of plastic or paper and are used in food and pharmaceutical industries. North America is the largest market for flat bottom pouches and will continue to maintain a relatively large growth rate for a period of time in the future. The utilization rate of flat bottom pouches in the Asia-Pacific region is also relatively high. In the future, the Asia-Pacific region will continue to grow at a rate higher than the average growth rate.

Gusseted Pouch

The appearance of gusseted bags is somewhat similar to that of flat bottom pouches, and they have certain similarities. The difference is that the connection of the gusset pouch will be stronger. Therefore, the gusseted pouch can bear more weight. The bottom of the gusseted pouch is also flat, like a flat bottom pouch, the gusseted pouch can also contain enough materials and can be placed on the shelf steadily.

Gusseted pouches are mainly made of plastic or paper with plastic film. Both ordinary packaging and vacuum packaging are suitable for gusseted pouches. Gusseted pouches are also suitable for the installation of some dry materials, such as coffee beans, tea, rice, and other baked products.

Gusseted pouch, as a pouch type, can also be divided into two types: side gusseted pouch and bottom gusseted pouch.

We simply understanding that the side gusseted pouch is to reinforce the side corners of the package, and the bottom gusset pouch is to reinforce the bottom of the pouch. One of the biggest differences is that when we disassemble the pouch, we will find that the side of the side gusseted pouch will present a shape similar to a triangle, while the side of the bottom gusseted pouch will have a shape similar to a quadrilateral. In other words, when the manufacturer wants to enrich the packaging style, the side gusseted pouch can have 5 sides for the manufacturer to create, while the bottom gusseted pouch has only 4 sides. Due to these characteristics of the bottom gusseted pouch, it will be larger than the side gusseted pouch.

Gusseted pouches are also called quad seal pouch or box pouch in some cases.

Sachet Bag

Sachet bag is a general term for a kind of simple small bag, at present, disposable tea bags, instant coffee, shampoo, cosmetic samples, etc. are all packaged in sachet bag. This form takes advantage of people’s consumer psychology, especially in countries and regions with lower income levels. Low income makes it impossible for people to afford higher-priced items, and sachet pouch is rapidly gaining a certain advantage in the packaging market of these countries and regions due to its advantages of small quantity and low price.

In Egypt, 20% of the people live below the poverty line, and people are more inclined to choose a small-sized product. Local retailers are seizing this consumption characteristic and seizing the opportunity to open the sachet pouch market in the local area.

Plastic is the most common manufacturing material in sachet pouch. The weight, low price, compression resistance, and tensile strength of plastic are all good choices for the manufacture of sachet pouch. Plastics can also be printed to enrich the shape of the packaging so that more consumers can choose it.

Zipper Pouch

A reusable zipper is provided at the sealing of the packaging bag. Consumers can seal multiple times during use. At the same time, the zipper can also lock the materials in the packaging. Because of the moisture-proof and waterproof functions of zipper pouches, they are becoming more and more popular all over the world. At present, the largest contribution to the global zipper pouch market is the North American market. It is expected that in the next few years, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region will also make a significant contribution to the zipper pouch market. In China and India, where the food packaging market is becoming stronger, the demand for zipper pouch is increasing due to the influence of environmental protection concepts. In Europe, people who have a higher standard for food safety and hygiene are affected by relevant environmental protection policies and regulations. Driven by the green and healthy market, the demand for zipper bags will also have a higher level in the next ten years.

There is also a special form of the zipper pouch, which is the Inno-Lok bag. The difference is that the zipper installation position of the Inno-Lok bag is located inside the bag. When the user opens the zipper, he generally needs to tear off the wrapping paper on the outside of the zipper according to the prompt on the outside of the packaging bag. Inno-Lok bags are generally larger in volume and size.

Three/Four Side Seal Pouch

The three side seal pouch is simple to manufacture and has various forms. The size and capacity can be customized according to the different requirements of customers. At the same time, three side seal pouches are used for printing and marketing that conforms to the public’s aesthetics. As a result, more and more people use three side seal pouches. North America and Western Europe have always been the main market for three side seal pouches. The utilization rate of three side seal in the Asia-Pacific market, dominated by China and India, is also increasing.

Four side seal pouches are used more in the food and personal care fields. In the beverage manufacturing industry, the market valuation of four side seal pouches is expected to reach 5.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The growth rate of the four side seal pouch market in the personal care industry is expected to exceed 7% in 2024. Consumers and product manufacturers continue to increase their demand for four side seal pouches, which has driven the growth of four side seal pouches.

The growth of the tourism industry has increased the demand for food in small bags. Four side seal pouches have replaced the rigid packaging of traditional cans and have become a new form of travel for many people.

Degassing Valve Pouch

The degassing valve pouch is a pouch that has a small application range but can play an important role in a specific field.

The degassing valve pouch was originally designed for coffee packaging. The roasted coffee beans will generate a lot of gas in the confined space. The design of the de-air valve is to keep the pressure inside the bag approximately the same and at the same time isolate the air from outside the bag to ensure the freshness of the coffee beans in the bag.

When the material in the pouch produce gas, the air pressure inside the bag will be slightly higher than that outside the bag. At this time, the de-air valve will be opened to discharge the gas in the bag. Don’t worry about the gas outside the bag entering the bag when the degas valve is opened. The de-air valve is a one-way exhaust port, and the gas can only go out but not in.

Now the degassing valve bag is mainly used in coffee, pet food, and other items that are prone to fermentation to produce gas.

Twin Bag

At present, there are not many twin bags made of plastic film. Twin bags are more often made of canvas in our daily lives. With the improvement of living standards, people began to have higher requirements for hygiene. As a result, twin bags made of plastic film have gradually increased. Now, some of the facial masks launched on the market begin to separate the facial mask essence and the facial mask paper to seal the two objects used at the same time in two different spaces; in the food industry, the food and the sauce are also beginning to separate of packed twin bags. Merchants claim that this kind of packaging will be more hygienic. The two bags are connected together, if it is not deliberately removed, the two bags will not be easily separated. This design is also for the convenience of consumers to carry.

Flat pouch

Flat pouches have very little space and can hold a limited number of items. Flat pouches are commonly used as preservatives in food packaging.

Of course, it is not to say that the size of the flat pouch is as small as the preservative packaging. Flat pouches can also pack small items. For example, product samples, etc. In terms of marketing, the flat pouch has two sides that can be printed, which is equivalent to the entire visible side of the flat pouch that can be used for promotion.

Doypack Pouch

Doypack Pouch refers to a standard standing bag, also known as Doyen Pouch. When the bottom is sealed in a “K” shape, it is also called K-seal pouch. In fact, Doypack Pouch is a trademark registered by an early French company, and its name is taken from DOYen PACKaging.

Double Doy pouch is a newer bag. The bag can stand on the top and bottom, similar to a cylinder, and is used more in the North American market. Double Doy pouch is very different from other packaging, it is easy to stand out and be chosen by consumers when placed on the shelf.

Perforation Pouch

Perforated pouch is a general term, the main sign is that there will be a hole left by the perforation in the seal of the bag. This hole will not affect the material in the bag, nor will it affect the use of the bag. In the process of shopping malls, this kind of hole is generally used for hanging, saving the space of the bag on the shelf.

Top Seal Pouch

As the name describes, the top seal pouch is a type of packaging bag that is sealed at the top of the packaging bag. Most of the stand-up pouches on the market are top seal pouches. The material in the bag is accumulated at the bottom of the bag, so the top seal pouch can make the bag stand more stable.

Therefore, the application of top seal pouches is still very wide, and consumers and manufacturers are more willing to choose top seal pouches.

Tear Notch Pouch

A tear mark refers to a gap in the seal of the package, which can be easily opened by the user. The range of tear notch pouches is very wide, as long as there is this gap in the package, it can be called a tear notch pouch.

Window Pouch

Ordinary premade pouches are completely sealed and opaque, and consumers cannot see the shape of the internal materials through the bag. In order to meet this demand of consumers, premade pouches with windows have been produced. Open a small opening on the ordinary prefabricated bag and supplement it with a transparent plastic film so that you can see the inside of the bag.

Bag Label Pouch

In order to make customers notice, and to increase product sales, promote the product, or for other purposes, manufacturers usually put a striking label on the bag of the product. Such a bag is a bag label pouch.

New types of bags are always produced in continuous updating. The selection of pouches needs to consider many factors, combine the characteristics of different materials and the sales effect that the seller wants to achieve, and then choose a suitable pouch type in order to achieve the fastest conversion of benefits.

Every customer who purchases machinery, in order to minimize damage to the equipment you purchase, and to bring you the most comfortable user experience, the operators you equip the machinery with should understand the repair and maintenance of the equipment, according to their maintenance, repair capabilities and the familiarity with the equipment, we can divide it into junior technicians and intermediate technicians.

Junior Technician

Junior technicians are mainly responsible for the daily maintenance and simple repair of equipment.

Equipment Maintenance

After the equipment is unpacked, before the first use, and during the daily use of the machine, junior technicians need to inspect the machine. The main inspection components are the whole machine clamp, bag feeder, vacuum chamber, filling system, and trays, etc. Junior technicians need to ensure that these parts are free from foreign matter, noise, loosening, and other unusual phenomena before use, at the same time, check that the protective cover is intact and that the safety device is sensitive and effective. This is the prerequisite for the stable and smooth operation of the machine, and it is also a very important procedure to ensure the safety of personnel when the machine is used.

Vacuum turntable and bag feeding turntable are two main parts of packaging machinery, which directly affect the final packaging effect. Therefore, these two parts should be subjected to daily maintenance work such as inspection of movable bushings and Joint bearing, lubrication, and tightening of screws. In addition, the gears and guide rails of the vacuum turntable should also be taken care of and regularly lubricated. If there is a problem with these two parts, the effect of the packaging will inevitably be affected, and it will further affect the income, which we do not want to see.

In addition, junior technicians also need to check the oil level of the pneumatic triplet and the blockage of the filter. Also, check each compressed air pipe to ensure that there is no air leakage, that the cooling water pipe does not leak water and the pressure is normal, and that the water level of the cooling water tank is normal and there is no leakage.

A huge machine is composed of many small parts. Even a small screw plays a decisive role in the normality of the machine. Loose screws are the easiest to solve but also the most common problem. Usually, we need to pay special attention to the condition of the screws to ensure there are no mistakes at the critical moment of mechanical operation.

The above are the daily inspection items that junior technicians need to do before using the machine for the first time and before using the machine daily.

Simple Maintenance

In addition to daily inspections, junior technicians also need to perform simple maintenance on the equipment according to the inspection, such as timely replacement of suction cups, heat sealing sheets, and silicone strips, etc. And adjustment of the tightness of the conveyor belt. The vacuum chamber is very important for the tightness of the vacuum product. If the sealing strip is damaged or aging will affect the normal operation of the machine, the vacuum packaging effect will also be problematic.

The mechanical equipment needs to adjust the various parameters of the mechanical operation through the size of the packaging bag in time, this also requires the participation of junior technicians. According to the requirements of the product packaging bags, adjust the machine clamping, bag feeding, turntable speed, filling speed and capacity and heat sealing, etc.

According to the responsibilities of junior technicians, it is also necessary to check the safety measures and performance of the protective cover of the equipment, and install the missing external screws of the equipment. Junior technicians need to adjust and modify various parameters according to product requirements.

Intermediate Technician

In addition to the equipment maintenance and repair duties, corresponding to the junior technicians, the intermediate technicians also need to be responsible for the annual or quarterly maintenance of the equipment, and they also need to be responsible for some more complex repairs.

Equipment Maintenance

Regarding the equipment maintenance of intermediate technicians, it is mainly about two aspects. One is the first-level maintenance during each vacation; the second is the second-level maintenance once a year.

First-Level Maintenance

Throughout the year, the equipment is always used day after day, so the rare three to five days vacation is an important time for major maintenance of the equipment, just like people under long-term stress need vacations to relax and adjust the state. Maintenance of the machine during the holidays is very important and must be done.

During the holidays, the main things that intermediate technicians do are:

• It is necessary to check the oil level of the main drive motor and reducer. If it is insufficient, replenish it in time.
• Check the main transmission bearing and cam of the machine body, adjust the screws in time, and tighten them. At the same time, add oil to lubricate the parts.
• Check and replenish the oil level of the vacuum pump, check and tighten the vacuum pipe joints.
• Check and adjust the sealing performance of the air distributor, if there is a problem, add vacuum silicone grease in time.
• Check the various parts of the equipment, such as trays, machine clamps, vacuum chamber, conveyors, chillers, etc.

The above inspections and adjustments are all in order to allow the machine to operate normally in the next working cycle and reduce the occurrence of faults and problems. For some models, we are also equipped with automatic maintenance functions, such as automatic lubrication system

Second-Level Maintenance

Second-Level maintenance is recommended at least once a year. The main content of the Second-Level maintenance is to replace the oil of the main engine, reducer, and tray. Replace the vacuum pump oil and the filter includes air filter element and exhaust filter element.

Equipment Repair

In addition to First-Level Maintenance and Second-Level Maintenance, intermediate technicians also need to repair the equipment. The main contents are:

• Deal with and replace the air leakage of the air distributor and vacuum exhaust pipe.
• Adjust and repair the material box, filling system, and air cylinder.
• When the failure of the heat-sealed parts is not caused by the failure of electrical and mechanical parts, intermediate technicians need to troubleshoot and deal with problems such as insufficient air suction and poor sealing of the heat-sealing.
• Replace the damaged cooling water pipe joints, air joints, and air pipes.
• Handle simple the machine running, emitting, dripping, and leaking faults. When high temperature and high pressure are involved, professional maintenance personnel are required to participate.

Other

Besides, some special climate also require special maintenance, for which we wrote —— Guidelines for safe winterize of packaging machines. In addition to correct operation, the normal use of equipment also requires attention to daily maintenance. This is the best way to save costs.

This guide applies to our premade pouch packaging machines and automatic vacuum packaging machines.