Pouch Packaging: The Value of a Stable Process

Heat SealingThe value of a stable process

Scott A. FullerProduct Line Manager

CMD Corporation

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Have you ever tasted, seen or heard something from the past and thought . . .

“That’s just the way I remember it !”

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From DVD “Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage”Thanks to Neil Peart & Hudson Music, LLC for permission to use this clip

Memorable Because It’s Consistent

• An epic drum fill, played by an iconic drummer

• Still as recognizable today, as it was in 1981

• Wouldn’t sound anything like that if I were to play it

Consistency is the Goal

In Package Converting, success is achieved through consistency…

…package after package

…from lot to lot

Consistency is Focused

Consistency in the ability to provide pouches that perform as specified…every time!

Consistency is Valuable!

• Consistency in the way “Tom Sawyer” was played by Rush at every concert made the song one of the most recognized and replayed rock songs of all time…

Replays = Purchases = Value

• Pouches that perform as specified, every time = Repeat Business = Value

The Purpose of the Pouch

• The Pouch has 5 main jobs to do:o To contain the product insideo To protect the product insideo To transport the product from one location to another intacto To identify the product and the brando To inform the consumer

• Our focus will be on the top three functions

• A consistent seal is vital to each of those three functions

3 Why’s and a How

• Why is a stable sealing process valuable to the Consumer?

• Why is a stable sealing process valuable to the Brand Owner?

• Why is a stable sealing process valuable to the Converter?

• How can I achieve this stable sealing process?

Value to the Consumer

Value is like a snowball rolling down a hill• To the individual Consumer, a failed seal is inconvenient

o Time consuming to clean the messo Relatively low monetary loss

• The greater loss is the loss of confidence in the product and possibly the brand itselfo Is the product safe?o Has it been tampered with?o Can I trust it in the future?

Value to the Brand Owner

Now, the snowball gets a little bigger…• To the Brand Owner, a failed seal starts to get costly

o Seal failure in the retort chamber could contaminate the whole batch

o Seal failure in transport could result in rejection of a pallet, or even a full truckload

o In extreme cases, product spoilage or contamination due to seal failure could result in product recalls

o Much higher monetary loss• Loss of confidence is also an issue at this level

o Even if the failure doesn’t make it to the consumer, loss of confidence in a product at the store level can become very costly to the Brand Owner

Value to the Converter

At the Converter level, the snowball can become devastating• The Converter has invested significant money to be able to produce a

pouch:o $2MM - $3MM USD for 3-layer extruder…$5MM - $6MM USD for 7-layero $2.5MM - $3MM USD for a 10-color presso $1.5MM USD for a laminator

• By the time the material reaches the pouch machine, it is the most expensive it can be

• To prevent the issues we spoke of earlier, it is critical that the pouch machine be consistent and efficient

• Yet, many Converters gamble on a pouch-making process that is neither consistent nor efficient. Some lose. That loss can be devastating, even resulting in bankruptcy

Value to the Converter

It All Comes Down to Confidence

The expectation is that a finished pouch will perform as specified

• How confident are you that it will?• In what are you basing that confidence?

o “The pouches have always performed well in the past.”o “That’s why we test and inspect.”o “We plan for a certain percentage of failures in the market.”

Technology is now available to Pouch Converters, which can provide a confidence that is fact-based, supported by data, and driven by the process

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The Trinity

• Temperature, Time and Pressure remain the key ingredients to creating a seal

• Temperature control in Fusion-Sealing has, historically, had the most profound impact on seal quality

• Today, remarkable control over temperature can be achieved

Time

TemperaturePressure

Seal

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The New Focus

• Structures are becoming ever more sophisticated • Time and pressure play a more important role

• Converters are now shifting their focus from simply ‘dialing-in’ the temps, to closely monitoring the effects of time and pressure

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Observed Performance

• Eight individual sealers

• Identical input pressures

• Different measureddownforce

• The operator is required to ‘tweak’

Input Pressure to Dow nforce Profile

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Sealers

Dow

nfor

ce in

Pou

nds

25 psi 30 psi 35 psi 40 psi 45 psi 50 psi

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Inherent, seemingly insignificant, system differences combine to produce a significant force differential:

• Variability in gauges, regulators and air-cylinder condition

• Variability in spring force

• Variability in mechanical tolerances

Why the Difference?

19Copyright 2010

The Solution

Intelligent Sealing Technology combines mechanical simplicity with advanced, closed-loop controls technology to provide a sealing process that minimizes variation, and provides access to real-time data to be used for process validation

• Eliminate lost motion

• Minimize mechanical linkages

• Design for structural integrity under the mostdemanding conditions

Simple Mechanics

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Advanced Controls

• Precise, closed-loop position control

• Precise, closed-loop force control

• Real-time process data outputfor Time, Temperature, andPressure--each time the sealermakes contact with the substrate

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‘Intelligent’ Force Management

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• Simplified mechanics, like a fixed anvil design, can minimize sources of variation

• Sophisticated, recipe-based controls take much of the process out of the hands of the operator, providing lot-to-lot consistency, regardless of which operator ran the product

• Closed-loop feedback, coupled with newer controls applications, provide a more consistent sealing process from pouch-to-pouch and lot-to-lot

Consistency and Control Are Achievable

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• Consistency in the application of Temperature, Pressure and Dwell-Time has a profound value

• The heat-sealing of today’s substrates is becoming more and more complex

• Adopt the philosophy of improving and controlling the sealing process

• Reduce risk by minimizing reliance on the human element

• Never stop seeking ways in which to improve your entire process!

Take Aways

CMD CorporationScott Fuller

Intermittent-MotionProduct Line Manager

2901 E. Pershing StreetP.O. Box 1279

Appleton, WI 54912-1279

+1 920 380 8350scott.fuller@cmd-corp.com

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