How to Seal Ready Meals Safely & Reliably
Are you also affected by reject rates as high as 6 to 14 percent? Rejects often result from contamination in the sealing area or the use of unsuitable systems for increasingly demanding and sensitive packaging materials.
With ultrasonics, you benefit from a sealing process that significantly reduces your reject rates:
- Reliable sealing through contamination
- Gentle, precise process for sustainable materials
- Automated & digital process control
Seal your ready meals with ultrasonics and become #valuetainable by increasing the safety and sustainability of your packaging process!
White Paper: 5 Success Factors for Hermetic & Sustainable Seals
Our new white paper provides clear, practical examples to show how ultrasonics can eliminate the most common causes of rejects while also increasing the sustainability of your packaging process.
Learn how you can:
- Significantly reduce your waste over time
- Package in a PPWR-compliant and sustainable manner
- Implement automated quality control options
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FAQ – The Most Important Questions and Answers about Sealing Food with Ultrasonics
Ultrasonic sealing is suitable for a wide range of packaging applications. The most common include:
- Stand-up pouches
- Chained bags
- Bags
- Cardboard packaging
- Spouts and valves
- Capsules and tea bags
- Switches, blister packs and trays
You can find an overview of the most frequently solved applications for ready meals here.
The high voltage created by the generator is converted into mechanical vibration (ultrasonics) in the converter. The welding tool (sonotrode) transfers this vibration to the film to be sealed. Frictional heat is generated, heating and melting the film inside within a very short time.
The mechanical vibration of the sonotrode causes the joining and simultaneous cooling of the seal, as the welding tools do not heat up. Therefore, ultrasonic sealing is also considered a cold welding process.
You can learn more about it here.
Thermoplastic materials can be quickly, securely and firmly connected using ultrasonics.
Applications can consist of several layers of plastic, while mono-materials or paper-based packaging materials with a thermoplastic layer can also be sealed reliably and with a perfect appearance.
Ultrasonics can also be used to apply valves or screw caps to coated cardboard packaging or films.
When developing a sealing solution, we focus on consulting. First carry out feasibility tests with your application in our ultrasonic laboratories and examine its weldability. Next, we determine the ideal welding parameters for your individual packaging. Once these are available, we can conduct further test series in your production system.
We are already familiar with many materials, so meaningful results are usually available after just a few test series.
Our space-saving modules can be integrated into both new and already existing systems.
We coordinate closely with you every step of the way and are available to answer any questions during all phases of our partnership.
Ultrasonic sealing offers several advantages, including:
- Air-tight seals without additional joining agents or aluminum layers
- Hermetic seals even with contamination or product residue in the sealing area
- Lower material consumption thanks to particularly slim seals
- Up to 80 percent less energy consumption without heating or cooling the modules and packaging
- Fast process cycles of 100 to 200 milliseconds
- Precise controller enables reliable and repeatable seals with a near-perfect appearance, even with narrow process windows for sensitive materials
- Cold welding tools prevent burns to the material and thermal effects on the packaging contents
Ultrasonics can help you meet key requirements of the PPWR, including:
- Using recyclable materials:
Cold sealing tools and precise controllers allow safe sealing of sustainable materials such as mono-materials or paper-based materials. Our application experts can advise on switching to these sensitive materials.
- Reducing packaging size:
Ultrasonics reliably seals through contamination in the sealing area, allowing for a significantly smaller seal width compared to conventional technologies. This can save 5 to 10 millimeters per package, reducing packaging size, material consumption, and costs.
We would be happy to conduct initial feasibility trials with you in our ultrasonic laboratory and test your application. Simply make an appointment and contact us here.
Ultrasonics is suitable for a wide range of packaging applications, but not all. It is important to us that our solution provides real, measurable added value. If this is not the case, we will communicate this transparently and openly.
Please contact us, and we will be happy to consult with you to see if we can help.
Frequently solved packaging applications for Ready Meals
White paper: 5 Success Factors for Lower Reject Rates
Our new white paper provides clear, practical examples how you can use ultrasonics to eliminate the most common causes of rejects.
Learn how you can:
- Significantly reduce waste over time
- Package in a PPWR-compliant and sustainable manner
- Implement automated quality control options
Blogarticles - get more information
Sealing through contamination
High reject rates present a significant opportunity for reducing costs in the packaging line. Switching to our ultrasonic welding technology offers a simple solution for hermetic packaging:
- Sealing through contamination
- No risks of burns or film shrinkage
- Clean sealing tools
Learn how ultrasonics can help you achieve a safer packaging process and permanently increase your efficiency.
Ideal for sustainable materials
Mono-materials and paper-based packaging materials only have narrow process windows, necessitating a gentle welding process. Ultrasonics is ideal for sealing even these challenging materials, offering:
- Air-tight seals
- Visually flawless seals
- Repeatable, reliable processes
Discover how ultrasonics can help you switch to more sustainable materials for a PPWR-compliant packaging process.
Automated quality control
During ultrasonic sealing, direct contact between the sealing tools and materials allows for valuable data collection. With this technology, you benefit from:
- Real-time quality control
- Up to 150 data points per sealing process
- Data-driven process optimization
Digitize your packaging process to achieve a new level of quality control and process improvement!
