Banshee hi,
I think I posted that document before you did, and it mentions 'leak' once, and 'seal' twice, and it does not really go into much depth, on the different types of machinery available for sealing, or the problems of leakage and waste.
Of the machine types, heat sealing is top by a massive margin, and it is this method that will be replaced by Stanelco's RF. Film wrap is being replaced by tray lidding already, to save on the volume of film needed to wrap a tray, and instead use just enough film to cover the lid, also to get a better seal, as wrapped film still leaks, and lidding also enables the use of MAP.
In that document there is a lot discussed about MAP, Modified Atmosphere Packaging, where a large percentage of the oxygen is replaced with an inert gas, to keep meat fresh longer, and it is therefore VERY neccesary to have a 100% perfect seal, or the gas is lost, and the meat then starts degrading very quickly.
Heat sealing is the current norm for MAP packaging, BUT in the words of Stanelco ....
Stanelco's system utilises its radio frequency (RF) sealing technology in
conjunction with conventional plastics so that they require no laminating or
coating in order to be sealed. It provides a direct replacement for the
heat-sealing of laminated or coated plastics which is currently used to package
both cooked and raw products such as meats, fish and dairy products.
The application will offer major environmental and cost saving benefits for the
end user. By removing the sealing layers and specialist sealing coatings the
conversion waste can be recycled in the tray manufacturing process. In addition,
the RF process is significantly more energy efficient. The process allows the
use of recyclable materials that will provide at least a 20% saving through
allowing conversion waste to be recycled.
On our present estimates, this will translate into an average cost saving per
packaging machine in excess of £100,000 per annum. Total adoption of this
technology in the UK would result in the saving of over 10,000 tons of scrap
plastic going to landfill each year.
.... I do not see ANY other technology that can compete with this, so if Stanelco can commercialise it NOW worldwide, there is a fortune to be made, and with recurring licences that fortune will keep rolling in for many years, until maybe a better technology comes along, which will hopefully come from Stanelco's R&D, not someone else's !!!!
Cheers,
PM
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