The primary objective of package integrity testing is to detect packaging issues and to prevent any form of damage to the product before being dispatched to customers. The packaging also has an immense impact on the perception of quality by the consumers. In food and pharmaceutical industry, the presence of leaks could lead to product deterioration and taint product branding and business image. Therefore, there is a need for an effective package integrity testing to be in place, particularly for food and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
In any case, the presence of even a small amount of leak in the packaging will indicate product failure. This can cause material leakage and foreign materials from the environment can also contaminate the products. Moreover, the products are subjected to destructive forces such as manual handling, vibrations and stacking during transportation and packaging process.. To maintain conformance to specifications, it is essential to test the structural integrity of the packaged products to prevent leakage. This will ensure that the strength, quality and robustness of the package is maintained when it reaches the consumers.
Providing high-quality assurance is fundamental to the success of any business. With the right integrity testing procedure, you get to identify the problem areas and accordingly figure out a solution. The process of package integrity testing includes the following two elements:
- Seal strength testing
- Leak Integrity testing
With seal strength testing, you can be confident that the contents do not escape and the sterile barriers are maintained under stress situations, preventing contamination of foreign materials. Several testing methods are available and have been extensively used to determine seal strength, such as burst testing, creep testing, peel test and creep to failure testing.
Leak testing of a package commonly utilizes the pressure decay method. This will identify the possibility of the leak under a specified pressure condition, commonly selected as the pressure experienced by a package under the most extreme condition during transportation. Conventional leak testing method used an underwater bubble leak testing method which enables the operators to visually locate leak through bubble formation from the package. Although useful, this method is heavily reliant on the operators and have disadvantages due to the inability to return the tested package to the production line. Currently, modern leak testing method is fast, efficient, and less operator reliant. They also provide the traceability feature to backtrack the testing data for analysis and continuous improvement. Some of the high-end products are automated and can be integrated directly into the production line.
Choosing the testing method:
Selecting the suitable testing method for your products is extremely important for determining the integrity of a package. Several factors need to be considered, such as packaging design and material, process line and environment.. Considering the following factors may assist in finding the right method.
- Do you need to test only the seals or the entire package?
- The porosity or non-porosity of the barrier materials
- Is it possible to conduct an expensive test or do you have budget constraints?
With careful analysis, you can determine a package integrity testing method that best works for your product. Product packaging directly reflects on the branding and business images. Therefore, it is essential for any manufacturers, small or large, to invest on their packaging development.
Are you looking for a reliable and high-performance leak testing equipment?
At Sealtick, we understand your need for an effective leak testing equipment. We have a complete range of equipment for quality leak testing for various industries. We supply from conventional under-water leak testing machine to high-end flexible package integrity testing machine.. With our high-quality testing equipment, you can meet rigorous quality standards and be confident that customers are satisfied with your brand. If you wish to know more about Sealtick Leak testing devices, feel free to reach out to our team. One of our application engineers will contact you to assist with your applications. Alternatively, you can also email us at sealtick@bestech.com.au or call us at +61 3 9540 5100.
