Companies able to “test drive” packing test instruments at new labs
The firm, which makes package analysis instruments, has opened the facilities at its US headquarters in Minneapolis, Neuwied, Germany and the Chinese city of Shanghai. These new laboratories give potential purchasers the opportunity to test drive equipment according to individual company objectives prior to buying.
“Capabilities include headspace, water vapor, leak rate and hole size determination, burst, creep, seal strength, heal sealing, hot-tack, coefficient of friction, vacuum decay and shelf-life analysis,” said a Mocon statement
Detailed reports
A Mocon spokesman told FoodProductionDaily.com that its instruments are “specifically aimed at determining and validating package integrity and shelf-life” by analysing “headspace and test for leak rates, pin hole and channel leaks, seal and strength tests and other shelf-life factors”. The company’s range of products includes in-line sensors, bench-top and hand held instruments. Mocon also produces permeation instruments to provide data to measure transmission rates of oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor and organics. They are used in both research and development to determine the best package and quality assurance during production, added the spokesman.
The tests are conducted by the firm’s technicians and provide a detailed report showing the number of packages tested, how many samples were taken of each, and the package size. It also gives the type of instrument used to conduct the test(s) - including the serial number - and the results from each sample.
Try before you buy
The report includes photographs of the customer’s package attached to the instrument while the testing was being conducted. Notes on how best to conduct the testing and their conclusions as to the quality and repeatability of the process are part of the service, said Mocon
Marketing manager Guy Wray said: “More than 50 companies from multiple countries have taken advantage of this option during the few months that the laboratories have been operational. We believe that this service is unique within the package testing industry. The opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ establishes that the instrument you are evaluating is the correct solution for your specific situation.”
