heat Archives - Greener Corporation Technical Resource Blog

Adjusting Heat, Time, & Pressure: Quality Seals on Flow Wrappers & Vertical FFS Baggers

Matt Wojtech horizontal flow wrappers, sealing, vertical FFS baggers July 18, 2022flow wrapper, heat, pressure, sealing jaws, sealing theory, vertical bagger

The right combination of heat, time, and pressure is required to produce quality seals on form fill seal baggers and flow wrappers. These sealing elements are closely linked; adjusting one can change the others and cause unexpected problems. This post reviews the function of and relationships between heat, time, and pressure, so you can better understand and anticipate the full effects of your adjustments. Read more

Knife Adjustment on Flow Wrappers: The Cost of Quick Fixes

Mark Green cutting, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing May 30, 2022anvil, clearance, flow wrapper, heat, knives, pressure

When cutting problems delay production, quick fixes are often used to get flow wrappers up and running again. But instead of saving a few minutes of downtime, these shortcuts can cost you hours of production time.

This Greener Tech Bite identifies common quick fixes that bypass standard knife adjustment procedures. Their immediate and cumulative effects cause well over half of the cutting and sealing problems that we encounter. Read more

Package Diagnostics: Case 1 – Sealing Jaw Design

Matt Wojtech case studies, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing August 28, 2021Dura-Therm, Easy Seal, flexible sealing face, flow wrapper, heat, leakers, pressure, sealing jaws, sealing over extra film layers

This Greener Tech Bite is the first in a series of case studies on the Package Diagnostic Process.

When we work with clients, sample packages provide vital diagnostic clues for troubleshooting problems on flow wrappers or vertical baggers. And even when clients don’t report problems, we use sample packages to help them discover and implement improvements that they may have overlooked—from new knife, sealing jaw, and former designs to machine adjustments that optimize the whole packaging process.
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Case Study: Resolve Cutting & Sealing Problems with Standard Operating Procedures & Training

Matt Wojtech case studies, cutting, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing May 13, 2021anvil, downtime, flow wrapper, heat, knives, leakers, line evaluations, pressure, seal quality, sealing jaws, training

One of Greener’s Technical Salespeople discovered that knife purchases by their customer had grown by 35% over the past year, at an additional cost of nearly $10,000. It seemed unlikely that additional production had accounted for all of this increase, which indicated to him that the customer could be experiencing problems on their horizontal flow wrappers.
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Standardizing Knives & Sealing Jaws on Flow Wrappers & Vertical FFS Baggers

Mark Green cutting, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing, vertical FFS baggers February 10, 2021anvil, downtime, Easy Seal, flexible sealing face, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, heat, knives, leakers, product flow, seal quality, sealing jaws, serrations, vertical bagger

Do you run different makes or models of flow wrappers or vertical form-fill-seal baggers? If you do, you probably use a variety of knife and sealing jaw styles that you need to keep in stock. With different knife or sealing jaw designs, the seal quality and appearance of your packages may vary, depending on which machine, line, or facility produced them. Read more

Forming & Sealing on Vertical FFS Baggers: 6 Key Design & Set-Up Principles

Matt Wojtech forming, sealing, Tech Bites videos, vertical FFS baggers January 14, 2021drive belt, Dura-Therm, forming set, fractured end seal, gussets, heat, leakers, pressure, product flow, sealing jaws, serrations, wrinkles & creases

This Greener Tech Bite, with the help of our partner Kenray Forming, explores six key design and set-up principles to help you identify the source of forming and sealing problems and develop solutions for quality packages. Read more

Solving Cutting Problems on Flow Wrappers During Production

Mark Green cutting, horizontal flow wrappers May 12, 2018anvil, cleaning, clearance, downtime, flow wrapper, heat, knives, leakers, pressure, shim stock

When cutting problems occur on horizontal flow wrappers during a production run, what are the best procedures to get packaging lines up and running again and to keep them running? Minimizing downtime, producing consistent quality packages, and managing costs require a balanced approach that includes:

Knowing which “quick-fix” adjustments will get knives cutting without causing additional problems and downtime. (Faster and easier is not always the best solution.)
Broad-based, P³ Solutions that consider the entire packaging process to:
• Understand how each adjustment affects the whole system.
• Eliminate procedures that don’t work.
• Diagnose and correct the ultimate causes of problems. (Many issues stem from a combination of factors.)
• Implement solutions that help prevent cutting problems from occurring in the first place and help you Pursue Zero.

Sealing Over Extra Layers of Film at the End Seal (part 4 of 4): Optimizing Crimper & Sealing Jaw Design

Matt Wojtech horizontal flow wrappers, sealing, vertical FFS baggers January 15, 2018crimpers, downtime, Dura-Therm, Easy Seal, flexible sealing face, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, heat, leakers, mooning, packaging film, pressure, projects, sealing jaws, sealing over extra film layers, sealing theory, vertical bagger

NeedThere is no one-size-fits-all solution for the design of crimpers and sealing jaws on horizontal flow wrappers and vertical baggers; they should be specified according to the packaging film, products, and conditions of your packaging operation.

This post, the last in our four-part series, reviews design options for crimpers and jaws. The optimal combination of serration patterns, materials, and special features can dramatically improve seal quality and productivity when sealing across extra film layers at the end seal. Read more

Troubleshooting Extra Layers of Film at the End Seal (part 3 of 4): Optimizing Set-Up & Adjustment of Crimpers, Sealing Jaws, & Knives

Mark Green cutting, forming, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing, vertical FFS baggers September 18, 2017backlash, cleaning, clearance, crimpers, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, heat, knives, leakers, pressure, productivity, seal quality, sealing jaws, sealing over extra film layers, vertical bagger

The first two parts of this series explored the potential problems created by end seal wrinkles and creases and ways to eliminate or reduce them on horizontal flow wrappers (Part 1) and vertical baggers (Part 2). In some situations wrinkles or creases are unavoidable, and, even without those issues, most packages have the inevitable transition between multiple film layers created by either a fin or a lap seal. This can make it more difficult to achieve quality seals, and attempts to do so can lead to additional issues:

• Excess pressure can easily crush or split the end seal.

• Overheating distorts the seal and can cause poor hot tack, where the film springs back open, or “moons,” before the seal can set.

The operating window for creating quality seals can be elusive, resulting in packages that leak or are distorted and either fail to protect the product or have little appeal to consumers.

This post reviews some of the detailed solutions in Greener Corporation’s Knowledge Center that will help you seal over extra layers of film at the end seal by refining the set-up and adjustment of crimpers, sealing jaws, and knives.

Troubleshooting Extra Layers of Film at the End Seal (Part 1 of 4): Refining and Eliminating Wrinkles and Creases on Horizontal Flow Wrappers

Matt Wojtech forming, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing February 14, 2017crimpers, fin wheels, flow wrapper, heat, leakers, packaging film, pressure, seal quality, sealing jaws, sealing over extra film layers, serrations, wrinkles & creases

Varying thicknesses of film at the end seal can cause sealing problems, especially at the transition point between two and four layers created by the fin seal, gussets, wrinkles and creases, as well at the corners. Applications of pressure and heat (if applicable) must be great enough to cause the sealant layer to flow into and seal off these voids. Excess pressure can easily crush or split the end seal, while overheating distorts the seal and can cause poor hot tack, where the film springs back open, or “moons,” before the seal can set.

Package Quality Issues_Greener Corporation

The operating window for creating quality seals can be elusive, resulting in packages that leak, are distorted, and have little appeal to consumers.

An important step in troubleshooting these issues is to eliminate unintended wrinkles and creases. This post, the first in a four-part series, will examine this process on horizontal flow wrappers; Part 2 considers these issues on vertical baggers.