Hidden faults

In the past the packaging of a product was a means to an end but today it is becoming increasingly important as a way of diversifying a product. In other words: contents are judged in accordance with the appearance of a container.

In order to increase the advantages, which using a product has, a container is no longer used just for transporting or storage but it is also a "tool". For example a detergent bottle must not just look good and bring across an advertising message but it must also apply the detergent onto the surface to be cleaned either as a spray or as foam (or even both). Special closures consisting of several parts are used for such tasks.

In addition these closures must ensure that the container does not leak before it is opened for the first time. A leaking bottle of window-cleaner can be regarded as a nuisance but there are much worse, even dangerous, everyday scenarios.
A bottle of engine oil can cause a comparatively harmless stain and an unpleasant smell in a car but by comparison a can of antifreeze can be a real fire hazard.

If you examine a bottle with such a closure closely (e.g. spray, dosage or safety closure) it becomes quickly evident that only the exterior completeness of the closure can be checked using a system based upon camera technology. Other methods must be applied to check its tightness. The closure can cover up a number of faults which are therefore not visible to the eye. In this case the HEUFT squeezer QA demonstrates its strengths.

Conveyor belts guide the container through the device and apply a controlled force to it. A comparative measurement taken with the container in a pressurised and depressurised condition detects even the smallest leaks in a closure as well as in the container itself. This measurement is carried out using the latest high frequency or X-ray technology according to the product. With food packaging it checks that the product is protected from its environment in order to avoid it going off etc and in the non-food sector it ensures the environment is protected from the product. This is even possible with specialized closures or containers with different shapes.

This safety factor also pays off as far as packaging for transport is concerned. If a leaking container on a top pallet empties it could render a complete consignment unsuitable for sale. The HEUFT company knows from its customers that such incidents are not unrealistic and with the HEUFT squeezer QA they have put another inspection device on the market which aptly typifies a HEUFT guiding principle: "real world solutions for real world problems".