No Leak Fragrance Package – Sealed for Success
The next time you walk into the restroom at your favorite restaurant you might be triggering patented technology from F-MATIC. The company’s patented Passive Air System is designed to release high end fragrances in an environmentally conscious way. Its odor control technology doesn’t rely on batteries, fuel cells, or any other artificial means of power.
F-MATIC’s Director of Operations, Shawn Yeats, says, “Our Passive Air System combines high end fragrances from overseas with patented technology that optimizes their use.” Odor controlling fragrances are released based on room air flow. The fragrance mixture contains a molecular odor counteractant that effectively fights odors, rather than merely masking them.
To package the product, Yeats and his team have put together a custom packaging line that fills, caps and applies shrink sleeve labels to the 50ml containers. “With so many different odor control products we’ve had to be very innovative in developing our packaging lines for unique products.”
Users of the product remove the shrink sleeve label and “twist and click” the cap to ready the product for use. Inside of the cap is a knife which punctures an induction seal enabling the fragrances to be released when needed.
“We saved time and money by changing over to the Enercon sealer. Ever since we installed the Super Seal™ cap sealer, we have not had a single sealing issue. It’s allowed us to grow faster and we’ve completely eliminated any conversations about leaking.”
Shawn Yeats, Director of Operations at F-MATIC
Induction Seal Key to Preventing Leaks
It turns out the induction seal plays a key role in the package’s success. The hermetic seal is used to prevent the product from leaking as it makes it journey from F-MATIC to its final destination. “Eliminating leaks is critical as it not only ensures product integrity, but also provides confidence throughout our various distribution channels that the fragrances will not spill or be released before their intended use,” says Yeats.
When the company first started producing the product in small batches, they used a hand-held induction sealer from China. “We had a lot of inconsistent results with the sealer from China,” says Yeats. After efforts to improve the consistency did not work, F-MATIC consulted with Enercon Industries Corporation.
Enercon offered to seal sample containers in their laboratory to determine the best equipment for the application. Enercon’s hand-held sealer, the Super Seal™ Jr, effectively sealed the containers as did the production model Super Seal™ with a narrow sealing tunnel that optimizes the sealing energy into the foil liner.
The principles of induction sealing are the same for both the hand-held unit and system mounted over a conveyor. When energized by the power supply, the sealing head produces an electromagnetic current, called an eddy current. Capped bottles with liners enter this electromagnetic current and the foil of the inner-seal generates electrical resistance which heats the foil. The hot foil in turn melts the polymer coating on the inner-seal. The heat, coupled with the pressure of the cap, causes the inner-seal to bond to the lip of the container. The result is a hermetic seal.
F-MATIC opted for the Super Seal™ with narrow tunnel as it would give them more flexibility and capabilities to increase line speeds in the future. “We saved time and money by changing over to the Enercon sealer. Ever since we installed the Super Seal™ cap sealer, we have not had a single sealing issue. It’s allowed us to grow faster and we’ve completely eliminated any conversations about leaking. ” says Yeats.
The development of these unique packaging lines has prepared F-MATIC for new opportunities for expanding their company’s offerings. “Our diverse line of cleaning and odor control products has enabled us to assemble very niche packaging lines. We are now offering contract packaging services for companies who have developed products, but are unable to invest in packaging lines of their own,” says Yeats.
