Theegarten-Pactec Develops Sealing Technology For Sustainable Packaging Of Chocolate Products

Coming up with the optimal packaging for sensitive chocolate products is no easy task. It requires an effective combination of technical precision and the ideal packaging material. Drawing on decades of experience, the Dresden-based company Theegarten-Pactec has now developed a special process called “suction supported sealing”. This not only allows chocolate products to be packaged more carefully, but also saves material to the benefit of the environment and makes processes more stable.

A European study on consumer preferences for packaging carried out in March 2020 revealed that almost 70 percent of respondents were actively trying to reduce their use of plastic packaging (Two Sides: “The Packaging Report 2020”). Particularly in the market for flexible packaging, i.e. the primary packaging of products offered to the end consumer in retail outlets, sustainable and recyclable packaging is becoming increasingly important. This has led to a corresponding interest among brand owners, and thus among players in the packaging industry, to switch to sustainable materials such as recyclable mono-materials and to packaging processes that have been designed precisely for these materials.

Suction supported sealing technology – integration into the packaging process and machines

The sealing station developed by Theegarten-Pactec is located directly after the actual wrapping or packaging station. As soon as a product has reached the sealing station, the sealing tool moves to the product to be sealed at a distance of 0.5 mm to 1 mm. Negative pressure then causes the package to be sucked onto the sealing stamp. In this way, there is no direct contact between the packaging and the product during the sealing process.

After sealing for approx. 50 – 60 milliseconds, the contact between the packaging material and the sealing jaw is terminated when the sealing stamp moves away – which may be assisted if required by switching off the vacuum.  The packaging material detaches from the sealing station and once again rests directly on the chocolate product which has now been completely packed. The sealing seam only comes into contact with the product again after it has sufficiently cooled.

Sustainable alternative: material-saving, cost-reducing and environmentally friendly

Theegarten-Pactec’s innovative technology offers numerous advantages: Material costs can be reduced by eliminating the need for aluminium laminate to dissipate heat and protect the chocolate. At the same time, negative environmental influences caused by the production of the material are reduced. In addition, there is no need for an unwinding unit for aluminium paper or aluminium-PP composites in the packaging machine. This saves set-up and adjustment times and makes the packaging process more stable and therefore less susceptible to faults.

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