Skin packaging is an inexpensive, effective way to display your product.
Why skin packaging rather than blister?
When your product hangs on a rack in the store, the first thing the consumer notices is your product when it’s skin packed. If it’s in a blister, the first thing the consumer sees is the blister. Either way, if you don’t have to destroy the package when removing the product, then it’s not an acceptable package. This is what carded packaging is all about!
Skin packaging provides product protection, product visibility and tamper evidence.
Skin packaging is extremely versatile because one piece of plastic can be drawn down around almost any shape, size or weight product. The plastic protects the product and the card backing from wear and tear. And since the product is immobilized, it cannot shift and multi-component products will not lose any of its pieces.
Skin packaging can be used to replace blisters, poly bags and folding cartons. In the industrial products protection segment, skin packaging can replace peanuts, cellulose wadding, bubble wrap, foam-in place, shredded paper and die cut corrugated. Low density polyethylene is the primary film used in the industrial protective packaging market.
The PROS of Skin Packaging
- Low Cost (cheaper than blisters)
- Versatility
- Sharp Card Graphics
- Machinery Easy To Operate And Maintain
- Excellent For Use In Shipping Areas And Allows You To Eliminate Peanuts And Other Fillers
The CONS of Skin Packaging
- Slower Cycle Time (20-50 seconds depending on the product and thickness of film)
- Scrap Waste (lack of recyclability)
Steps in Skin Packaging
- Product is loaded onto a skin card and placed in the platen or skinning area of the machine.
- A plastic film (Surlyn or skin packaging polyethylene) is pre-heated until it is softened and wrinkles are removed.
- The plastic film drapes (hangs down) over the product on the supporting card.
- The plastic film is drawn down tightly around the product using a vacuum pulled through the pores of the card.
- The film is bonded to the surface of the card.
- The postheat applies heat to the film after it has been vacuum drawn over the product.
- A cool-down cycle occurs. This is where the film reverts to a semicrystalline solid plastic state.
Steel Rule Cutting Dies
The cutting die is a critical component in a skin packaging operation. After a sheet loaded with product has been skin packaged, it is then loaded into the cutting die, face down.
There are several ways to complete the die cutting operation. One way is with motor driven rollers that compress the skin board into the knives of the cutting die which cuts the sheets into individual cards. At the same time, the hanghole is cut out and the corners are either rounded or square. Another die cutting method is with a hydraulic die cutter, manufactured by ZED Industries. This is the type of die cutting that we recommend.
Here the die cutter comes down with up to 110 tons of trim pressure and cuts the cards. This method is much quicker and quieter than die cutting with rollers. It also required less maintenance since adjustable controls make it possible to obtain proper pressure over.
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