An important part of the design process for any product is creating the special packaging that surrounds that product and just about every item needs at least some packaging. Materials for packaging come in several forms including plastic, paper, cardboard and some other metal-type materials. Read on for more information about the basics of packaging.
The most common thing we hear about purchasing soup or chili is that they are packed in tin cans when in truth they are not cans produced from the material "tin." It is tinplate steel that was used for decades to store canned items like sauces, vegetables and soups. Records reveal that the most common source in making canned goods since the late 1950s is good old aluminum.
Compared to tinplate steel, aluminum is more advantageous being less expensive and not as difficult to make however it still is corrosion resistant. Add the fact that this is the most abundant metal on Earth. Do you know that aluminum is so recyclable that in fact two-thirds of all aluminum produced is still being used and reused as of today? The sad part though is that only half of the material ever makes it to the recycling bins.
Take a look around and surely you'll find plastic to be the most commonly used material for packaging. Even when you look inside those products you see with cardboard boxes you will find the foods are wrapped in waxy plastic bags, such as cereal, cookies and crackers. A resin code, typically identified by a number in a triangle, will tell you which type of plastic was used for your plastic packaging.
There are several different types of plastic that are used to make food packaging, including polyethylene terephthalate, which is often used to hold liquid products, such as soda and water. High-density polyethylene is another type also used to make plastic bottles, milk jugs, plastic bags and many types of food storage containers. Low-density polyethylene also is used to make plastic bags and well as plastic wrap and the plastic rings used to hold together cans of soda.
These plastics are transformed into products through a process known as thermoforming. Large, thin sheets of plastic are heated to a specific temperature and then forced into molds either using injection molding or vacuum forming. Once the plastic has cooled, the excess plastic is trimmed away and recycled to make new thermoformed products. The finished product is then removed from the mold.
The most common thing we hear about purchasing soup or chili is that they are packed in tin cans when in truth they are not cans produced from the material "tin." It is tinplate steel that was used for decades to store canned items like sauces, vegetables and soups. Records reveal that the most common source in making canned goods since the late 1950s is good old aluminum.
Compared to tinplate steel, aluminum is more advantageous being less expensive and not as difficult to make however it still is corrosion resistant. Add the fact that this is the most abundant metal on Earth. Do you know that aluminum is so recyclable that in fact two-thirds of all aluminum produced is still being used and reused as of today? The sad part though is that only half of the material ever makes it to the recycling bins.
Take a look around and surely you'll find plastic to be the most commonly used material for packaging. Even when you look inside those products you see with cardboard boxes you will find the foods are wrapped in waxy plastic bags, such as cereal, cookies and crackers. A resin code, typically identified by a number in a triangle, will tell you which type of plastic was used for your plastic packaging.
There are several different types of plastic that are used to make food packaging, including polyethylene terephthalate, which is often used to hold liquid products, such as soda and water. High-density polyethylene is another type also used to make plastic bottles, milk jugs, plastic bags and many types of food storage containers. Low-density polyethylene also is used to make plastic bags and well as plastic wrap and the plastic rings used to hold together cans of soda.
These plastics are transformed into products through a process known as thermoforming. Large, thin sheets of plastic are heated to a specific temperature and then forced into molds either using injection molding or vacuum forming. Once the plastic has cooled, the excess plastic is trimmed away and recycled to make new thermoformed products. The finished product is then removed from the mold.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys writing about how stuff is made. For further details about custom packaging solutions or to find out more about food packaging design, please go to the Indepak site now.
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