Flexible LS for Tetra Pak C3/FLEX
(2003)Innovation
- Abstract
- Tetra Pak is developing a new flexible packaging machine called Tetra Pak C3/FLEX. With this machine it will be possible to manufacture packages of different volumes with the same cross sections. A volume change denotes that the repeating length of the packages changes. This results in a variation of the web velocity through the machine. When the web velocity changes, the emitted amount of heat to the packaging material also has to change, to receive an approved the longitudinal sealing (LS).
The objective for this project is to analyze and develop a solution that fast (less than 5 seconds) will be able to change its emitted amount of energy and that fulfills the demands that a volume change has on the LS. Furthermore should today’s... (More) - Tetra Pak is developing a new flexible packaging machine called Tetra Pak C3/FLEX. With this machine it will be possible to manufacture packages of different volumes with the same cross sections. A volume change denotes that the repeating length of the packages changes. This results in a variation of the web velocity through the machine. When the web velocity changes, the emitted amount of heat to the packaging material also has to change, to receive an approved the longitudinal sealing (LS).
The objective for this project is to analyze and develop a solution that fast (less than 5 seconds) will be able to change its emitted amount of energy and that fulfills the demands that a volume change has on the LS. Furthermore should today’s solution also be analyzed and improved.
The project is focused on the LS but the solution should also be possible to use in the strip applicator (SA).
Twenty-three ideas to solve the problem were created. All ideas were evaluated according to a number of different criteria’s. The final selected idea became: adjustable airflow.
Three imaginary energy changes were tested: temperature change, pressure change and a combined temperature and pressure change.
With today’s temperature regulation it takes 25.6 seconds to decrease the temperature from 320°C to 270°C at 12 kPa.
- With the suggested improvements of the temperature regulation it takes 10.4 seconds to decrease the temperature from 320°C to 270°C at 12 kPa. The theoretical fastest time to decrease the temperature from 320°C to 270°C is 9.2 seconds at 12 kPa. To further improve the temperature regulation is therefore not possible.
- If the suggested pressure regulation is used the required energy change can be done in 0.8 seconds.
- A combined temperature and pressure regulation can change the required emitted energy in about 7 seconds.
In these tests the air pressure were regulated with an oblique seat valve. This valve type doesn’t fulfill the hygienic demands and therefore another valve type, a diaphragm valve is recommended in the final solution.
The cost for the needed equipment in the final solution (diaphragm valve with a trigger unit and a pressure sensor) is about 10000 SEK. This gives an estimated additional cost of about 7000 SEK compared with today’s solution.
The conclusion is that the suggested pressure regulation fulfills all the demands that a volume change has on the longitudinal sealing and that it can change its emitted energy in about 0.8 seconds. This is faster than the required 5 seconds, which was the goal for this project. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1514814
- author
- Andersson, Mikael and Ballovarre, Björn
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2003
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 1514814
- date added to LUP
- 2009-12-07 15:29:42
- date last changed
- 2010-02-01 14:40:06
@misc{1514814,
abstract = {{Tetra Pak is developing a new flexible packaging machine called Tetra Pak C3/FLEX. With this machine it will be possible to manufacture packages of different volumes with the same cross sections. A volume change denotes that the repeating length of the packages changes. This results in a variation of the web velocity through the machine. When the web velocity changes, the emitted amount of heat to the packaging material also has to change, to receive an approved the longitudinal sealing (LS).
The objective for this project is to analyze and develop a solution that fast (less than 5 seconds) will be able to change its emitted amount of energy and that fulfills the demands that a volume change has on the LS. Furthermore should today’s solution also be analyzed and improved.
The project is focused on the LS but the solution should also be possible to use in the strip applicator (SA).
Twenty-three ideas to solve the problem were created. All ideas were evaluated according to a number of different criteria’s. The final selected idea became: adjustable airflow.
Three imaginary energy changes were tested: temperature change, pressure change and a combined temperature and pressure change.
With today’s temperature regulation it takes 25.6 seconds to decrease the temperature from 320°C to 270°C at 12 kPa.
- With the suggested improvements of the temperature regulation it takes 10.4 seconds to decrease the temperature from 320°C to 270°C at 12 kPa. The theoretical fastest time to decrease the temperature from 320°C to 270°C is 9.2 seconds at 12 kPa. To further improve the temperature regulation is therefore not possible.
- If the suggested pressure regulation is used the required energy change can be done in 0.8 seconds.
- A combined temperature and pressure regulation can change the required emitted energy in about 7 seconds.
In these tests the air pressure were regulated with an oblique seat valve. This valve type doesn’t fulfill the hygienic demands and therefore another valve type, a diaphragm valve is recommended in the final solution.
The cost for the needed equipment in the final solution (diaphragm valve with a trigger unit and a pressure sensor) is about 10000 SEK. This gives an estimated additional cost of about 7000 SEK compared with today’s solution.
The conclusion is that the suggested pressure regulation fulfills all the demands that a volume change has on the longitudinal sealing and that it can change its emitted energy in about 0.8 seconds. This is faster than the required 5 seconds, which was the goal for this project.}},
author = {{Andersson, Mikael and Ballovarre, Björn}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Flexible LS for Tetra Pak C3/FLEX}},
year = {{2003}},
}