Perfect stretching of films even in cycle operation

The variety of packaging solutions in the food sector is enormous. Due to the wide variety of shapes, dimensions and contents, machine builders have to respond to producers' every wish and find attractive solutions. Our customer designs and manufactures filling systems for the food sector. In a system for filling products such as yoghurt, quark, cream, mayonnaise, ketchup or similar products, thermoformed plastic cups are filled, sealed with a barrier film at a sealing station and then sorted into outer packaging.

In the sealing station, the cup is sealed with the film. For this purpose, the appropriate tabs are punched out depending on the shape of the cup, which are sealed to the cup in the same step. A grid is then left over from the remaining web.

A wrinkle-free web is essential when the barrier film is fed into the sealing station, and the same applies to the outfeed after the station. As the grid film is now very unstable and can produce wrinkles retroactively, our customer approached us to discuss a solution, as otherwise an airtight closure of the cup could not be guaranteed. The task was therefore to realize a wrinkle-free infeed of the complete product web and a wrinkle-free outfeed of the punched lattice in a cycle operation.

The EcoStretchRoll spreader roll is the perfect solution for this application. Thanks to the patented design of the spreader elements, the film is stretched with every new contact, as they react independently of each other and stretch the material even with the slightest web tension and movement. This allows the material to be fed through the sealing station without creases in stop-and-go operation. The EcoStretchRoll can also be used with a die cutting grid, as it exerts enough effect on the remaining contact points of the film and can therefore be rewound without creases.

Another major advantage for the user is that the EcoStretchRoll from DRECKSHAGE can also be used for a wide range of film thicknesses >4 µm. This means that the same spreader roll can also be used for higher layer thicknesses such as 150 μm, saving the user having to convert to other spreader solutions. The EcoStretchRoll from DRECKSHAGE can be used universally for a wide range of layer thicknesses, web tension and speeds and is suitable for media such as film, nonwovens, textiles and paper.

When used in the food sector, FDA approval is of course always available as standard.