Lancashire, UK-based heat seal machinery specialists Seal-it-Systems (SIS) have recently launched a compact vacuum chamber designed specifically for the testing of sealed containers such as yogurt pots and other products that require an air-tight seal.
According to SIS the vacuum chamber is ideal for quality control or product development and is easy to operate and suitable for containers of different heights and sizes.
"We are often approached by heat seal machine customers asking how they can test the quality of seal in order prove to their customers that the packed product is 100 per cent sealed,"said Frank Whelan, managing director of SIS. "With this in mind we decided to design a manufacture a simple and low cost burst-strength unit that can be used for a wide range of packs including pots, bottles, blisters and even pouches."
To use the machine the operator places the sealed component inside the bell jar and switches on the vacuum until the test is complete or a pre-determined pressure has been reached. All parts are stainless steel or hard anodised aluminium.
The burst strength unit follows hot on the heels of a new MK1 heat seal machine that has been fitted with a manually operated rotary table. According to SIS, the addition of a rotary table has increased the MK1's output and allowed easier insertion and removal of the container.
SIS also revealed it is planning to introduce a range of reel fed, cut and seal in place machines along with a small rotary filling machine that will fill the gap between the current hand operated machines and large scale production equipment that is often to expensive for small 'start-up' companies.
Seal-it-Systems' full range of equipment will be on show early next year at the Total Processing & Packaging exhibition on 29 March - 1 April 2004 at the NEC, Birmingham in the UK. For further information contact: info@seal-it-systems.co.uk.