Kenray Forming Set Refurbishments – a sustainable and cost effective solution

 

In today’s short video. I’d like to talk to you a little bit about refurbishment and how we can take your old set and turn it back into a new one. Once we receive your former we identify it, tag it and give it a serial number to keep track. We’ll look at the former and identify any obvious problems with it.

 

In this example, you can see there is damage to the forming shoulder. Once the engineers have collected all the information and establish what needs doing, we’ll get in touch with you and send you a quotation.

Once quotations been accepted we will produce a Kenray job card, so we can proceed with the work. The next step in the process will be to disassemble the former to ensure it’s completely clean and replace any parts that are required.

Once that has been complete, we will reassemble the former and check it over to make sure everything is correct.

The final step in the process will be to machine test the former on one of our in-house testing machines.

So there you can see, we can take your old forming set and turn it around and return it to you. So, it’s as good as new for more information about how we can help you.

Please email us at [email protected] or give us a call on +44 (0)1530 400 100

Kenray announces our latest Strategic Partnership – Zanon

 

Kenray is delighted to announce its new strategic partner, Zanon Forming, who are located in the Lupari region of Northern Italy.

This move is designed to allow both companies to expand their product ranges and geographical span and to give better support to the customers.  This allows both companies to specialize in their various areas of expertise, within the forming sector.
For example, Kenray specialises in highly complex doy and quad sets and formers for the snack industry. Whilst Zanon specialises in formers for the cereals, produce and agricultural sectors.
As with all Kenray products, each former is machine tested for quality control and verification purposes before dispatch.
This exciting new partnership allows the Kenray group to maximize its technical expertise by combining its increased high quality manufacturing capabilities.
Kenray Zanon Partnership
So there you have a short video on our new strategic partnership. I hope you found that useful. If you need more information, please either visit our website or give us a call on +44 (0)1530 400 100 or email [email protected]

Thank you very much.

Troubleshooting Front Drive Belt Issues – Solutions from Kenray Forming

 

Mark Evans from Kenray. Today’s short blog is talking a little bit about some of the common problems experienced with front drive belt formers.

Here, you can see a typical former that’s been returned for some refurbishment work.

Typically, you’ll see burn marks on the center of the PTFE strip. Either side of the PTFE strip you’ll see grooves that have been warn by the drive belts.

Here you can see the comparison between the old and the new PTFE strip.

We recommend you change these frequently as the uneven surface will compromise the back seal.

We would also recommend that when you change the PTFE strip, you change the drive belts at the same time. At Kenray,

we’ve developed many variants of the TNA back seal to ensure, proper sealing, particularly with Matt and paper film.

In the example, shown the PTFE is replaced by stainless steel, which also assists in keeping the tube stable.

The insert in the center can be replaced with different materials to seal different films.
So there you have a short video on front-drive belt formers. I hope you found that useful. If you need more information, please either visit our website or give us a call on +44 (0)1530 400 100 or email [email protected]

Thank you very much.

Troubleshooting Creasing Issues – Solutions from Kenray Forming

 

So it is a short presentation would like to talk to you a little bit about bag creasing.

One of the reasons for creasing is the age of the shoulder, as the shoulder becomes older, it gets worn by the film as it’s constantly going over the lip. This causes what we call sharks teeth the shark’s teeth that we just described causes the film to rock up as it goes over the lip, this, in turn, causes jagged lines to form down the bag.

Another cause of creasing is when the tube is too close to the shoulder and causes the film to pinch. You can see the consequences of that on the slide shown.
Another cause of creasing can be the role of position which is incorrect and too far back here. You can see that as a consequence of the incorrect role of position. We have creasing on the outside of the bag, which looks like a herringbone
shape and also on the inside of the bag.
So there you can see. Creasing is not only a problem for exterior marks on the bag, but it also breaks the seal inside, and this, in turn, reduces the product shelf life.
So there you have a short video on creasing. I hope you found that useful. If you need more information, please either visit our website or give us a call on +44 (0)1530 400 100 or email [email protected]

Thank you very much.

Kenray Film Snapping Troubleshooting Solutions

 

So in this short video, I’d like to talk to you a little bit about film snapping and what causes it?

The film can snap for a number of reasons. Usually, it’s because there’s too much tension.

This could be the result of poor geometry on the shoulder. It could also be because the tube is too close to the shoulder which you can see here. You can see the film is actually peeling rather than ripping.

Sharp edges or the crossover point being too close could also be a key cause of film ripping.

Here you can see the film actually ripped because the gap between the shoulder and the tube is too tight.

So there you have a short video on film snapping. I hope you found that useful. If you need more information, please either visit our website or give us a call on +44 (0)1530 400 100 or email [email protected]

Thank you very much.

Kenray Onsite Training Facilities

 

Hello again, Mark Evans from Kenray.

Today, we’re in the training room and I would like to show you some of the facilities we have available for training in our dedicated training facility.

You can either come here in person or we can do it via the Internet on the large screen TV. The TV itself is kitted out with a zoom lens and we can schedule training for any time during the day.

The room itself is kitted out with fixtures, jigging and tooling and we can produce any type of training that you require for more information visit our Training page for more information.

Thank you.

Open Back Seal Solutions from Kenray

 

Today, I’d like to talk to you a little bit about open back seals and the things that cause them. One of the reasons for the open back seal is that the former is not correctly positioned on the machine as seen on the video above.

You can see that demonstrated. Another reason for the open-back seal could be the tube alignment, in this example, you can see that the tube is offset left to right and in this scenario, the tube is offset front to back.

Another reason for the bag opening up could be the geometry of the shoulder which may be incorrect or the crossover point may be in the wrong position. This is an example of a shoulder where the patterns have been predetermined by forward-engineered models. It will require testing, but this will be minimal.

So here you have a little insight into open back seals to find out more or to let us help you fix some of the problems you may have please either give us a call or visit our website.

Thank you for watching.

Visit – www.kenrayglobal.com or email [email protected]

6 Key Principles for Forming, Filling & Sealing Quality Packages on VFFS Machines

Welcome to the latest Kenray Blog looking at the 6 Key Principles of forming, filling & sealing quality packages on VFFS Packaging machines. We are delighted to be joined by our Corporate Partners Greener Corporation.

1. Product Flow

Let’s start at the beginning with Product flow. Problems occur most often when the product is:

 large in relation to bag size
 inconsistent in size or shape
 lightweight
 oddly shaped
 or with rough outer surfaces

Bottlenecks occur when product strings out as it moves from the inlet cone into the narrower confines of the forming tube. In extreme cases individual product “charges” can bridge together. These product flow issues slow down production speeds, create blockages, and cause leakages when product gets trapped in the seal.

On forming tubes with integral cones, the product dose is slightly staggered, so it passes through the bottleneck faster and stays more compact.

2. Forming Set Design

Forming sets should be designed according to your product, package design, machinery, and film specifications. Make sure that this optimal design is accurately and consistently replicated when you order replacement parts or specify formers for multiple machines, lines, or locations.

3. Roller Position

Machine adjustments are also critical for producing quality packages. Misaligned film rollers prevent the film from making full contact with the forming shoulder, causing wrinkles, creases, and package distortions that reduce shelf appeal and cause seal problems.

4. Film Drive

Poor package quality is caused by film drive issues such as belt adjustment and forming tube alignment

5. Former Wear and Damage

Wear or damage to the former lip or shoulder can also distort the package.

6. Sealing

By fine-tuning your forming and filling operations you will improve both package appearance and seal quality.

Leakages
The end seals on packages produced by vertical baggers typically vary in thickness. Most have a lap or a fin seal, and some are designed with gussets. Unintended wrinkles or pleats may, at times, be unavoidable. Leakages, when they occur, often follow channels at the intersections between two and multiple layers of film and at the corners.

Sealing Jaws
Sealing jaws must transfer enough pressure and heat to seal across these channels without crushing, cutting, or distorting the end seal.

• Pressure

In order to create uniform sealing pressure, the serration profile of your sealing jaws should be designed according to your package specifications, machinery, and running conditions.

• Heat
Sealing jaw temperatures are often increased to improve seal quality, but this can create hot spots that overheat and distort the package.

Jaws manufactured from Dura-Therm material provide more responsive, consistent heat transfer across the package to help seal off-channel leakages without overheating the film.

• Wear and Damage
Jaws that are worn, damaged or contaminated with products also create inconsistent pressure and heat transfer that cause seal problems.

To learn more about forming and filling on vertical packaging machines, contact Kenray Forming on +44 (0)1530 400 100. We can also offer remote training and consultancy to help you optimize your packaging operations.

Kenray Forming_sets formadores para envasadoras verticales

For more details on sealing  Jaws, consult the wide variety of Greener “Tech Bites” posted on their P3 Solutions Blog, or contact Greener Corporation.

For further information, please contact Mark Evans on +44 (0) 1530 400 100 or email [email protected]

 

Kenray Add Horizontal Folding Boxes Capability to its Portfolio of Products

Kenray is delighted to announce that we have added a range of equipment and tooling that has allowed us to launch our design, manufacture, testing and verification of forming solutions for the horizontal packaging market and have invested in new machinery to further enhance this capability.

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This is an exciting new addition to the Kenray portfolio. For the past 18 months, our Engineering Team has been working hard to develop in-house capability to supply leading food manufacturers with forming solutions and a range of applications, including sustainable & compostable film structures that will help ensure packaging is more environmentally friendly. This development will facilitate the use of environmentally friendly film whilst enabling manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint.

During development, Kenray has become the partner of choice for a number of global manufacturers to design, manufacturer, test & verify solutions for the horizontal folding box market and further investment has been made to widen our capabilities for further testing & verification.

Mark Evans, Commercial Director, and Andrew Dennis, Technical Director said:

“As the packaging sector changes, machinery capabilities need to change in order to offer an efficient solution that is eco-friendly, reduce carbon footprint, and keep machines running at their optimal performance. We have been delighted to be chosen as partner of choice to help design and develop solution’s over the past 18-months and with the future expansion plans in place, this capability can only strengthen our product offering. Exciting times ahead and we look forward to sharing more news over the next few months.

For further information, please contact Mark Evans on +44 (0) 1530 400 100 or email [email protected]

 

Cost-effective Refurbished TNA Strippers

KENRAY are delighted to confirm that they have developed a robust method to refurbish TNA strippers in a cost-effective, reliable manner. Having developed sophisticated bespoke jigging and production techniques, the team at Kenray can now refurbish TNA strippers to the original, exacting standards.

Kenray confirm that a TNA stripper or bag closer repaired by Kenray, will provide the performance of a new bag closer at a fraction of the cost. The refurbishment process of the TNA stripper sees the parts completely taken apart, cleaned and re-assembled. During the assembly process Kenray use a specialist bespoke jig to ensure all components are accurately aligned and checked, enabling the refurbished bag closer and stripper to operate as new.

Full details are on our solutions page around bags and strippers.

If you need to replace your bag closers and strippers on a regular basis contact Kenray to see how refurbishment could save you money and provide you with greater value.