Industrial Packaging is proud to announce that we are now using one of the most advanced core blast dryers in Europe. This innovative technology has already allowed some clients to reduce the amount of packaging used for their products. This saves money and contributes to corporate environmental sustainability goals, both for us and for our customers.
How does it work?
Manufacturers of labels, textiles and flexible plastic film, as well as many other manufacturers, use environmentally friendly, laminated cardboard tubes and cores, in the storage and packaging of their products.
Until now, these cores, made of layered cardboard laminated with specially formulated adhesives, were left to dry naturally once they came off the production line. Industrial Packaging now has the ability to blast-dry these cores quickly and directly off the line. The method guarantees a consistent level of moisture throughout the tube, increasing radial crush strength. As a result, customers can, in many cases, decrease core thickness specifications, thus reducing the amount of packaging material and cost of their products.
Research-based development
The technology was commissioned last year, after over a year of research and development undertaken by our in-house engineering team Gerard Maher and Joe Kois.
A touch-panel interface allows operators to enter a specific drying solution for each client’s needs (depending on the thickness, diameter and length of the tubes they need). The interface also facilitates quality control, showing real time data for three important control elements: air flow, air temperature and humidity levels.
Temperature and humidity instrumentation, as well as bespoke actuators, were commissioned as part of the build. Sophisticated aerodynamic modelling was used to ensure that cores and tubes placed in any part of the chamber received the same amount of drying, which ensures consistency throughout the load.
Contribution to sustainability goals
A key element of our corporare sustainability goals is to keep waste down, by taking action to ensure consistent, high-quality product every day. Investing in infrastructure like this contributes to hitting our waste reduction targets in the area of production.
Award-winning innovation
Ivan Walsh, a student of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), worked with the engineering team during his final year work experience and wrote about the development for his final year project. The project was subsequently nominated by DIT for an award from the International Society of Automation (ISA), which it won. Industrial Packaging is delighted with this international recognition of what we believe is a first-of-its-kind technology.
Contact us for more information
Our new process, incorporating the blast-drying technology, is now fully operational and is already providing quality improvement and cost savings to our existing clients. If you would like to discuss how this innovation in packaging and storage could bring savings to your business, please contact Mark Fleming: markf@industrialpackaging.ie