Construction Details Make Tubular Heaters For Skin Packaging A Success

Situation:

The contents of a package are visible, yet protected, when using skin packaging. This system immobilizes the product(s) under plastic film and seals them from contamination.

To do this, a radiant heater bank is energized to soften a plastic film to a pliable, thermoformable state. This plastic film is then applied by:

1. A frame holding the film descending over the product(s)
2. A vacuum drawing the film into tight conformity with the product(s)
3. The film frame being lifted and the packaged product(s) automatically discharging from the machine, which rethreads the film
4. The equipment is then ready for the next packaging cycle

Problem:

This customer was relying on a competitor's tubular heater, which failed rapidly. The sales representative of the competition blamed the failure on excessive moisture in the manufacturing environment.

Solution:

The Watlow sales representative inspected the failed units and discovered the problem was a result of spot welding the resistance wire to the cold pin. The Watlow tubular heater had a 360-degree fusion weld between the resistance wire and cold pin. The customer chose the superior Watlow tubular once he understood the reason for his heater failures. Watlow tubular elements were mounted onto an aluminum reflector that was rectangular in shape. The products to be packaged were then automatically conveyed under the heater/reflector assembly.

Value Added:

Product expertise