Think it's time to contact a packaging machine manufacturer for a price quote? Great, let's talk. But first, take some time to make sure the high-level parameters of your project are defined. Here's why.
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Packaging machine manufacturers need to know very specific details of your project in order to provide the most accurate recommendations and pricing. Packaging equipment is not usually 'off-the-shelf'; each machine is tailored to the unique specifications of the customer. What this means for you: Be prepared for a bunch of questions when requesting a packing machine quotation.
To help you get started, here's a list of 5 common questions you can expect, and tips for arriving at the answers.
A flexible packaging machine can either form your bags from a large roll of plastic film (called rollstock), or it can fill and seal bags that are already made.
Both packaging material types are purchased through a film supplier, which is a company that specializes in creating or converting packaging films and bags.
Here's the difference between the two formats:
Many different bag styles can be produced on flexible packaging machines. Below is a short summary of the most popular types:
are stand-up pouches with an oval-shaped base
Packaging machine speeds represent how many finished bags can be completed by the equipment in a certain period of time.
Speeds are usually given in bags per minute (bpm). This number represents how many finished bags the machine can complete per minute.
The packaging machine speeds achievable for your particular project will depend heavily on your product and its properties, your plant environment, your bag type, the skill of equipment operators, and how much you are willing to spend.
If you have a goal of a certain number of bags per hour, day, week, or year, run the math to calculate the equivalent bags per minute. In general, if your production requirements are intermittent or are only a handful per minute, you would likely be better served with a semi-automatic or manual packaging process. A fully automated solution would be overkill, both in speed and cost.
Knowing the exact specifications of your bags is vitally important to spec the appropriate equipment and provide you with an accurate packing machine quotation.
Each packaging machine has pre-defined parameters, and your bag sizes and types will be what informs the recommendations of the packaging machine manufacturer. Here's the information your OEM will ask for:
Most global packaging machine manufacturers represent their parameters in metric units (usually mm or mL), but imperial units in inches, ounces, and pounds are fine as well.
An automated packaging system must also be tailored to the specifications of your product. Apart from a general description of your product, expect the following questions about its physical properties:
Preparation is key! Learn everything you need to know before purchasing your first packaging machine. Download our free first-time buyer's guide:
Originally published 1/15/, updated 4/14/.
Pressure-sensitive adhesives. PSAs. Peel-and-stick tapes. Sometimes pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, sometimes simply tapes. Adhesive tapes are designed to stick using surface contact and only the pressure we put on them when applied.
No matter what you call them, pressure sensitive adhesives are all around us.
In this post &#; Part 1 of what we hope will be a much more extensive pressure-sensitive adhesive tape FAQ &#; we'll provide short answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about pressure sensitive adhesives their applications.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Goodi.
Don't expect long-winded answers here; just short and sweet. Not to worry, though. We'll link you to additional information wherever we can. We'll also take some time to share with you how a world-class materials converter like JBC Technologies uses adhesive tapes in custom die-cut solutions to convert design concepts into reality for our customers.
So without further ado, let's answer some frequently asked questions about pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes.
A pressure-sensitive adhesive is any adhesive designed to adhere to a surface without needing heat or extended curing times but with only surface contact and minimal application pressure.
A pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is any sticky tape - with or without a liner material (think paper or plastic film) - that is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. For example, masking tape is a PSA tape without a liner.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes are generally grouped into four main construction categories: adhesive tapes, single-coated tapes, double-coated tapes, and transfer tapes. They are broken down even further regarding their end-use applications (i.e., automotive, medical-grade, EMI/RFI shielding).
Making pressure-sensitive tapes involves applying a liquid PSA to a carrier material, after which it is either left open and then rewound onto itself (e.g., Scotch tape) or covered with a protective, removable liner (e.g., stickers and labels) and then rewound.
A great video all about how adhesive tapes are made - Adhesive Tape | How it's Made
There are four main manufacturing processes to make pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes: hot melt, solvent-based, emulsion (water-based), and ultra-violet (UV) cured. Each is dependent upon the type of adhesive being used.
PSA tapes typically use one of three main types of pressure-sensitive adhesive: rubber (synthetic or natural), acrylic, and silicone.
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Most people use a PSA tape instead of a liquid adhesive because they are thin, lightweight, easy to work with and form quick bonds that don&#;t require extended cure times.
PSA tapes are great for custom die-cutting. Generally, adhesive tapes are easy to cut, and we can often help you find a tape that will work with nearly every material and substrate. PSA tapes are an excellent option for adding bonding and joining capabilities to your custom die-cut parts.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes have many advantages; most notably, they can reduce assembly time, bond dissimilar materials without incompatibility concerns, reduce vibration and noise, and eliminate the need for mechanical fasteners.
Adhesive tapes can fail to do their jobs properly for several reasons, but most can be traced back to (1) the application environment and (2) the bonding substrate. Your PSA tape may disappoint you if you don&#;t consider the end-use environment (things like temperature and humidity) or the substrate and its surface energy (Some plastics are difficult to bond to.).
Like most industrial adhesives, pressure-sensitive tapes have a recommended best-by date, often given by the tape manufacturer. If the tapes are not stored in a relatively cozy environment (free from extremes of temperature and moisture), their performance may suffer.
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Want to find a creative way to eliminate mechanical fasteners, apply adhesives to your seals, gaskets, and insulation materials to aid with assembly, or mask out an intricate shape to speed production on your line? Or source die-cut components for your remote patient monitoring product? JBC Technologies has you covered.
JBC Technologies is a 3M Preferred Converter and an Avery Dennison ADvantage Converter Network member. We have over 30 years of materials converting experience, 4 locations, and a wide variety of state-of-the-art converting equipment, and we're ready to help create your custom die-cut solution today.
We'll work with you and our adhesive manufacturer partners to determine the suitable pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes for the job, along with the right die-cutting processes and automated assembly systems to enable us to integrate our adhesives onto your die-cut parts in the most efficient manner possible.
Contact us so we can learn more about your custom application. We'd also love to share more about our expertise in adhesive tape and the different adhesive tapes we can use to make custom die-cut solutions for you today.
For more information, please visit Tape Converting Equipment.