Packaging Machines for Tamper Evidence

Tamper evidence is used by a wide variety of companies in many different industries to protect both the company and their customers. For products such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, foods and beverages, where the customer will actually ingest or otherwise consume the product, this type of packaging ensures that the product reaches the user in the desired form. Tamper evident packaging can take many different forms depending on the type of package and product in use.

For some, tamper evidence will begin and end with the closure used on the bottle or other container. For example, bottled water, milk jugs and many other beverages will include a tamper evident band, the ring found around the bottom of the cap. A broken ring may indicate that the container has been opened between packaging and taking it off the shelf. This type of tamper evidence normally requires nothing more than a capping machine. The caps noted above are all continuous thread screw caps with the ring attached, so no special packaging equipment would be necessary to apply these closures.

However, other methods of tamper evidence are also popular across a number of different industries. One very popular method uses an induction sealer to protect against product tampering. Imagine a pill or other medication bottle that, when the cap is removed, also includes a foil seal over the container opening. An induction sealing machine will typically follow the capping machine on a packaging line. Most of the time, the caps will be supplied with the foil lining. After the cap is tightened on to the container, the combination will pass under the induction coil of the induction sealing machine. This coil creates an electromagnetic field, which heats the foil, allowing it to melt a wax, which in turn drops the foil from inside the cap. From there the foil will bond to the container creating the tamper evident seal.

Another popular method of creating tamper evident seals involves a neck band or other, sometimes decorative sleeve aroudn the cap and bottle neck. Normally, the neck bander will also immediately follow the capping machine on a packaging line. As sleeves or bands are wrapped around the cap and container, the combination moves through a heat tunnel, with the heat causing the bands to shrink and tightly wrap around the cap and container. A number of beverages, and especially teas and distilled spirits, will take advantage of a neck band and heat tunnel to provide a product with tamper evident seals. Unlike the cap rings and induction seals, neck bands and sleeves allow a packager to add some aesthetic value to their package while also creating the tamper evident seal.

Whether for protection or to add a little flair to a package, these packaging machines help many different companies provide a safe product to their customers. For more information on capping or sealing any product, contact a Packaging Specialist at Liquid Packaging Solutions, Inc. today.