Vacuum Packing Machine
Spoiling occurs when food, such as fish, poultry or cheese, is in contact with atmosphere, which creates a favorable environment for the development of mold and fungi. To avoid spoiling, vacuum packing is used to ensure that the food will have as long of a shelf life as possible. When it comes to the food industry, there is a governmental Food Standards Agency that has regulations in order to ensure sanitary conditions. Additional industries that benefit from the use of vacuum packing machines include electronics, in order to protect fragile electrical equipment from moisture or oxidation; industrial manufacturing, to protect equipment and components from the atmosphere and various toxic elements; automotive, for the protection of various motor parts that may be disposed to oxidation; and commercial, for a broad range of applications including clothing, blankets, coins, pictures, ammunition and more. In addition to added protection, vacuum packaging a product allows for a fixed product position and reduced volume when packaging air-filled parts such as fabrics or foams.
There are three main types of vacuum packaging: traditional vacuum packaging, shrink packaging and skin packaging. Traditional vacuum packaging is the kind that is typically brought to mind; the product is packaged under a vacuum and then hermetically sealed before exposure to atmospheric oxygen. The main difference than the traditional style and shrink packaging is packaging that has been manufactured from a material with shrinking capabilities such as polyolefin shrink film,
polyethylene shrink film or polyvinyl chloride (
PVC) shrink film. The packaging is then shrunk through the application of heat, creating an air-tight package. Skin packaging is different from the other two types of vacuum packaging in that the product is set on either a film or a pre-formed
plastic tray. The atmospheric oxygen is then removed by way of a vacuum, and the film (or tray) is then sealed using a special skin film such as Surlyn skin film or polyethylene skin film. In addition to three different types of vacuum packaging, there are three different types of vacuum packaging equipment, including thermoformers, tray sealers and vacuum chamber machines. Thermoformers manufacture the packaging but can also fill and seal the packaging as well. Tray sealers typically provide skin packaging and are used to seal two sides of a tray together to create one vacuum packaging. Lastly, vacuum chamber machines are the traditional type of machine used for vacuum packaging. Requiring the whole product to be placed in the machine, the lid is then sealed shut and all the air is removed, packaging and sealing the product in the chamber before unsealing the lid.
