Underwater Package Leak Tester
The tests are initiated by closing the lid of the testing chamber and putting the tested package under a vacuum. The vacuum level is adjustable, hence it can vary the amount of stress applied to the packages. As the exerted force can affect the test results, it is important to choose the right vacuum level to avoid over-stressing the packages. The level is generally preset based on the stress that the package may experience during its lifespan.
The underwater package leak tester is popular and widely used in the industry, especially with the food, beverage and pharmaceuticals manufacturers worldwide. This is because the instrument is easy to use and can be operated by simply by anyone the need for extensive training.
Why the underwater vacuum leak tester is outdated
Despite its popularity, using the conventional underwater vacuum leak testing system as part of quality control in your production environment presents a major setback in transforming the factory process into the factory of the future. There is a testing liability due to the operator dependency to validate the test results. The systems are also generally harder to be integrated for automation.
Automation
Water bath leak testers heavily rely on operators to visually observe the package to detect any leaks. Therefore, this method is unreliable as it is very likely for the operators to make poor judgments over the long hours of operations, this means that more packages that should fail the test will be judged as good. Subsequently, it incrementally increases the risk of the whole production batch being recalled if contamination is detected. Users may be able to incorporate automated system to unload and remove the packages, however, the test determination cannot be automated due to its reliance on manual observation.
Quality Traceability
As the underwater vacuum leak tester inspection process is manually done, there is also a limitation in collecting reliable, quantitative data that can be stored for analysis and quality control. Generally, Operators need to manually record both the batch number and the results in a spreadsheet. This method is inefficient as it heavily relies on the operators and the recorded data will only show either PASS or FAIL. These data do not give any insights on how the manfuacturers can improve their process to avoid the issue. The machine can only tell the operator whether the package leaks or not.
Waste
As the packages are compressed and pressurized during the testing, the tested packages need to be discarded after testing regardless of the results. If you tests a huge quantity of products per day, this will immediately generate a large amount of wasted products which negatively impact your cashflow and add enviromental burden. It is not advisable to reuse the tested package as it may have already been contaminated during the waterbath testing. It is impractical to swap the water after each test.
This conventional underwater package vacuum leak tester is as popular as ever for quality control in the production line. It is ideally used in a situation where the usersneed to identify the exact location of leaks rather than for continuous monitoring and quality check.
The underwater leak testers are most suitably used in conjunction with non-destructive, automated leak testers with the capability for generating quantifiable results for quality traceability. You can use the non-destructive leak testers as the primary test systems in the production line. The package that fails this test can then be plunged into the water-bath system to identify the exact location where it leaks, which gives you an insight of which machines are problematic. Then, you can make adjustments to the sealing machine to fix the issue.
Sealtick is an Australian-based company that specialised in the design and manufacturing of packaging leak testing systems for food, beverages and pharmaceutical industry. We have more than 30 years of industrial experience in developing a novel non-destructive leak tester that is capable of providing accurate, rapid testing in 5-20 seconds If you have any issues with your packaging seal integrity or want to know more, reach us at (03) 9540 5100 to speak with one of our engineers and experts.