What Is a Deep-Draw Press Machine?
A deep-draw press machine is a device for vacuum packaging food and medical products for hygienic preservation.
A plastic sheet is formed to fit the packaging object, the object is placed on the sheet, and then the sheet is placed over the object. A vacuum is created inside, and the sheets are joined together by heat treatment to create a hermetically sealed package.
The packaging method is characterized by the fact that the interior is vacuumed, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and enables hygienic preservation of products. Products can be offered to consumers with peace of mind. In addition, the use of plastic sheets improves the appearance of the product because they fit the packaging object.
Deep-draw press machines are widely used in the food and medical product industries, and are highly reliable equipment for quality control and hygiene.
Uses of Deep-Draw Press Machines
Deep-draw press machines are used in a wide range of applications in food factories and medical device manufacturing plants.
1. Food Factories
In food factories, deep-draw wrapping machines are used for packaging foods with low shelf life, such as ham, sausage, and raw seafood, whose taste deteriorates when exposed to air. This allows them to maintain the freshness and quality of food products and provides them to consumers with peace of mind.
2. Medical Device Manufacturing Plants
Medical device manufacturing plants use this packaging for medical devices that require hygienic transportation. Equipment packaged in the clean environment of the plant is guaranteed to be transported hygienically to the medical site.
Several factors must be considered when selecting a deep-draw press machine. Specifically, they include packaging accuracy and speed. Selecting equipment that provides high precision and rapid packaging will improve production efficiency.
Flexibility in equipment functionality is also important, and equipment that can accommodate products of various shapes and sizes is desirable. Ease of maintenance makes it easier to maintain and manage.
Principle of Deep-Draw Press Machines
A deep-draw press machine consists of a plastic sheet feeding section at the base, a forming section, a wrapping object insertion section, a sheet feeding section, a vacuum heat treatment section, and a cutting section, which work together to achieve efficient vacuum packaging.
First, the roller-wound foundation plastic sheet is fed from the supply section. Next, the sheet is formed into a shape suitable for the packaging object in the forming section, and then the packaging object is placed on the formed sheet in the insertion section before proceeding to the vacuum heat treatment section.
In the vacuum heat treatment section, plastic sheets are fed from the top and placed over the packaging object to release the air inside, while heat is used to bond the four corners of the sheet and seal it. After adhesive packaging, the sheet is cut into pieces of appropriate size in the cutting section.
Between the cutting section and the vacuum heat treatment section is a plastic sheet winding section, where the sheet is wound at the optimum timing for smooth movement along the packaging line. In many cases, a device for printing best-before dates and production dates is also installed after the vacuum heat treatment section.
Other Information on Deep-Draw Press Machine
1. Advantages of Deep-Draw Press Machine
Food Freshness Can Be Preserved
Because deep-draw packaging is capable of vacuum packaging, it can keep food fresher for longer than usual by blocking oxygen in the product. Food deteriorates through oxidation when exposed to air.
Taste is lost, leading to foul odors and discoloration. In addition, mold and bacteria can easily grow in the presence of oxygen, which can cause food poisoning. Along with storage temperature, oxygen deprivation plays an important role in maintaining a long shelf life.
Seasoning Liquid Easily Permeates Foodstuffs
Vacuum cooking, in which food and seasoning are vacuum-packed and heated, allows the seasoning liquid to penetrate into the food evenly at a low temperature and in a short time. Since air has poor thermal conductivity, heat is difficult to transfer to foodstuffs when air is contained in the product, resulting in dryness and loss of flavor due to heating at high temperatures.
Vacuuming the product facilitates heat transfer and increases the osmotic pressure in the food’s tissues, allowing even a small amount of seasoning solution to soak into the food and make it soft and juicy.
Easily Integrated Into Production Lines
Deep-draw press machines can be easily integrated into production lines in food and medical plants, reducing manpower and costs. Vacuum packaging machines, such as chamber-type machines, require additional processes, such as bagging, vacuum packaging, and transportation.
With deep-draw press machines, on the other hand, the film is formed to fit the mold. Furthermore, since the products are automatically discharged after packaging, basically all processes other than feeding the products into the mold can be done unmanned.
2. Film Suitable for Deep-Draw Packaging
There are two types of film: bottom film (bottom material) and top film (lid material).
Bottom Material
Non-oriented film with excellent flexibility and heat-sealing properties are suitable for deep-draw packaging because it is formed to fit the mold.
Top Material
Stretched film, which has excellent elasticity and durability and is suitable for printing, or non-stretched film, which is used in the same way as the bottom material.
Stretched film is produced by stretching the film lengthwise or crosswise during the manufacturing process. The molecular arrangement changes between stretched and non-stretched film, resulting in significant differences in film properties, such as flexibility, durability, and transparency.