Tag Archives: packaging

The Best Packaging Machinery Alternatives 

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Sometimes the universe just has it for you, where you’re about to launch a product, but you don’t have the funds to fund the packaging machinery needed to get the job done. Or maybe it’s old, and you can’t afford to replace it. You’re trying to figure out how to afford the product launch and new packaging. You might feel the urge to drop this completely but fear no. Here are some solutions for packaging machinery for those who don’t have the funds to invest in it at the moment. 

Option 1: Leasing 

For some people, they may just not have the funds to afford this. 

If you can’t, you can always lease it. This is basically renting where you pay smaller payments over a few years, and at the end, you can either trade it, or finance the remainder through different payments until you’re the owner of this. 

For some people, this is a bit of a scary step, because they don’t know if they can handle payments, but look to see if there is an affordable alternative to payments that you can have too. 

Buy Used or Refurbish

Then there is the option of buying it refurbished. This is good for companies that don’t want to invest heavily in a new machine but want something that does the job. 

Refurbish is a term where there is a bit of renovation required for it, and perhaps a tune-up or some new parts, and it runs like new, but at a fraction of what the new machinery might cost. 

Refurbish will give you the same options that a new one days, but you’re paying a fraction of it. 

Tune up your own 

Sometimes, you may want to keep the same packaging machinery, but you don’t really have the funds to invest in a new one.

Maybe take that money and tune-up or refurbish your own. 

A technician will have to come out, but the process is simple. It replaces the old with the new. 

This is a good one if you really are pressed for cash and you need something right away, but you don’t have the funds to buy something brand-new, so you go with the next best option, which is tuning up your old machinery. 

This is also good if the machinery does work well, you just don’t want to work with an older piece of machinery and want to renovate it. 

Outsource It 

Finally, if you’re really pressed, you could always outsource it. 

This is known as contract packaging, where it outsources all parts of a product line, including primary and secondary packaging, any logistics that are third-party, the PoP displays, and of course any reworking that’s needed. 

You’re essentially paying a company to deal with this so that you don’t have to. 

This is an option because it doesn’t require you to invest in the machinery, or to buy brand-new if you don’t have the funds to do this. 

Depending on how many packages that you’re sending out, this may be one of the less costly options. 

Contract packaging is a great option if you’re looking to just get a launch out, and you don’t want to deal with hunting down some machinery. 

It’s a fixed rate, and it might be cheaper as well than trying to just buy used. Plus, you don’t have to worry as much about it, it’s just all up there and then you go from there. 

With packaging machinery, there’s a lot of different options, and a whole lot that can come with this as well. 

How coatings Create a More sustainable packaging 

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Packaging does go through a lot of changes, especially with sustainability. 

With more packaging options that are arising from this, since people want to reduce the carbon footprint and are more recyclable for others. 

While there may be eco-friendly packaging materials, the coatings put over this can make a difference. 

Epoxies and polyurethanes are better for functionality and appearance, and the coatings are much better and give you a better way to reduce the packaging so that it can be recycled. 

Sustainable packaging is definitely influenced by coatings, and of course, the types of coatings impact how recyclable the item is. 

What Do coatings D? 

Coatings are applied to different flexible substrates, but the type of materials do vary.

It could be film, paper, or even aluminum foil. 

The substrate does depend on the type of packaging that you have and what it’ll be used for. 

Coatings make it look aesthetic and they’re functional too. 

They make the packaging look nice and get the brand message out, and also do offer better durability.

The most common coatings include: 

  • Varnishes, to make the surfaces transparent and glossy
  • Cold seals when you can’t use heat sealing
  • PVC which offers better protection and gloss

Coatings do offer an application with the printing press using machines that’ll laminate them. 

Others may use wax coating for food packaging and offer better recyclability. 

These different types of customizations are dependent on the product needs, so you want the right coating for your packaging, and that’s sustainable too. 

Why Sustainable coatings 

Recycling packaging is a hard one to make. 

There are many different packaging layers, and the inks and coatings do make recycling hard. 

You want to make sure that the product is able to be recycled, and that it doesn’t contain bans such as single-use plastic on this. 

Using more recycled content does improve flexible packaging, and it gets rid of the use of plastics, allowing for alternatives that do circulate the plastic and improve recycling. 

With the plastic focus, the coatings definitely don’t fit in. 

Businesses do want to give more sustainable products, and a lot of the industry is being green washed. 

While businesses do play a big part in the product sustainability, and you want to make sure that the product doesn’t counteract the product recyclability. 

If the coating is not communicated, they’ll assume it’s totally recyclable and it’s considered a sustainable product.

But that isn’t true. 

While coatings do help because they offer better functionality, it still does ask for how eco-friendly the packaging is. 

So what are the most sustainable types of coatings on this? 

Well, the alternatives are: 

  • Primers 
  • Varnishes 
  • Heat seals 
  • Barrier coatings 

Water-based coatings are stronger, can withstand a lot of wear and tear, and is a protective element, just like other coatings that aren’t sustainable would be. 

With the other technology coming up, it offers more innovation, and sustainable coatings do offer more sustainable packages. 

The options 

So what other options are? 

Polyvinyl alcohol or POH, and vinyl alcohol or EVOH are good alternatives that are used in food and drink packaging and are different alternatives. 

You can use aqueous coatings to offer a solid film after it dies. This is non-porous, good for food uses, but the downside is they don’t offer good resistance to water. 

Biopolymers are another option, and they’re made from plants, and they offer a plastic barrier that allows you to apply this without many modifications, but the biggest downside is that it doesn’t withstand heat, but it works as a coating for you too. 

How to measure box Dimensions 

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Measuring boxes may seem simple, but in the realm of custom packaging, it’s crucial for the safety and quality of your product. 

The dimensions of a box are critical for all packages since they oftentimes do have an impact on the materials and costs, along with shipping and costs for storage at warehouses. 

But if you do know the dimensions of a box, you’re able to give a little bit of room, reducing the overall costs, and by accurately measuring this, you’ll definitely be able to provide full and accurate boxes. 

But how do you do it? Let’s go over this now, including just what types of measurements are needed when choosing packaging boxes. 

The Three Measurements 

First, we have three measurements to take, since this does play a part in how to accurately measure a box. 

So what are the dimensions? 

They are length, depth, and width. 

Length of course is the longest side of the box. 

Width is the shorter part of this when you look at the top, oftentimes directly to the right and to the left. 

The depth is the height, which is the side that’s perpendicular to the length along with the width, and really is where most of the contents get filled. 

Usually, depth is the largest when you have a box that’s taller and more upwards, such as maybe a box that has a bigger product. 

But for items such as clothing racks, the depth is usually the smallest, while the length is very long, and the width is quite smaller too. 

Square boxes are a little bit different. 

They have equal sides, but for packaging, that’s not necessarily true, and it’s partially why you must measure every dimension for your product. 

For a lot of longer boxes, the width and the depth are a lot smaller than the length. 

The kind of box that you use is dependent on the size and the shape of it too. 

But you must repot all of these measurements when producing custom boxes, regardless of the boxes that you have and all of them of course will be in length, width, and the depth too. 

Internal Dimensions 

The big thing to understand though is that the box dimensions that you see are not based on outside measurements. 

But instead, internal ones. The external ones are good for packaging, but for the product, you want the internal dimensions to fit that better. 

Remember, this is where you’ll cushion most of the product, so if the internal dimension is too small, it’ll crush it. Too big, and it’ll get jostled about during transit. 

Calculating volume 

Then when you’ve done that, you need to calculate the volume of this. 

This doe smoke distribution a lot better, and it’ll tell others how exactly the box will fit within the packaging. 

This is integral for structural engineering and optimization of the packaging too. 

So make sure you do not skip over this step. 

Now that you know the dimensions of the box, both external and internal, you need to understand the volume of the box. 

This is simple multiplication, which involves length, width, and depth, all of those multiplied together. 

If you need it, get a calculator to properly do the measurements of this. 

And there you have it, all that you need to know in order to measure a box, and of course how you can apply the dimensions to all sorts of packaging. 

This does work for everything, and that’s why when you’re looking to get boxes, you definitely measure the costs of these as well.