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.
As several different types of plastic materials are used in packaging, you should be introduced to the one responsible for holding liquid products like water and soda - which is polyethylene terephthalate. When it comes to the production of plastic bottles, plastic bags, milk jugs and all sorts of food storage, high-density polyethylene is being used. Its counterpart, the low-density polyethylene is used for the manufacturing of plastic bags along with wraps or even the rings which hold your cans of sodas.
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.
As several different types of plastic materials are used in packaging, you should be introduced to the one responsible for holding liquid products like water and soda - which is polyethylene terephthalate. When it comes to the production of plastic bottles, plastic bags, milk jugs and all sorts of food storage, high-density polyethylene is being used. Its counterpart, the low-density polyethylene is used for the manufacturing of plastic bags along with wraps or even the rings which hold your cans of sodas.
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 likes writing about how stuff is made. For further info regarding product packaging design solutions, or to find out more about custom plastic packaging options, please visit the Indepak.com site now.
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