Snacking without hesitation - with PVDC-free sausage casing with ripping aid!

Packaging concepts based on PVDC are often used for sausage snacks. Now there is also a PVDC-free solution with tear-open aid - produced on the seal-clip machines from Poly-clip System!

How do you get the sausage from the skin?

Poly-clip System is known worldwide for its clipping machines, which are used for a variety of sausage products. But how do you snack a clipped sausage? How do you get the sausage out of the skin without cutting the clip? The answer is simple - the sausage casing must be designed so that it can be opened by hand.  There are a number of concepts for this, often based on PVDC. The disadvantage of these concepts, however, is that PVDC plastics pollute the environment during production and disposal and form harmful dioxin when incinerated. In addition, this group of plastics, unlike polyethylene, must be made elastic with plasticisers. And these, including ATBC (acetyltributyl citrate) and ESBO (epoxidised soya bean oil), tend to migrate into fatty foods due to their fat solubility. The problems associated with this have not yet been finally clarified.

New packaging concepts with easy opening

New packaging concepts are based on heat-sealable composite films with PE (polyethylene) and PA (polyamide). The PE outer layer with easy-peel is required for heat sealing with an overlap seam. The internal PA ensures calibre stability. The tear aid (easy opening) is already provided during the production of the flat film. Firstly, one edge of the flat film is provided with defined incisions at regular intervals, which serve as flags for tearing the film. On the other hand, the plastic used must be produced in an oriented manner so that the film tears in a straight line around the sausage. Meanwhile there are some film manufacturers who have such composite films in their product range.

Production on the machine

On the machine the flat film is formed into a film tube by means of a special forming shoulder and closed with a longitudinal seam by heat sealing. The film edge with the intended incisions is guided so that it lies over the second film edge. The sealed seam is produced in the area where both film edges overlap, with the edge with the incisions protruding as a tearing aid. With the integrated clip unit, the film tube is securely closed using the double-clip method. Due to the continuous sealed seam and the bacteria-proof R-ID clips, a 100% stable closure of the film without weak points is achieved on the one hand, and on the other hand the consumer can simply grasp the tear aid and tear open the film across the sealed seam.

Seal-clip machine from Poly-clip System

For the production of such sausage snacks with easy opening, a TSCA 120/160 seal-clip machine from Poly-clip System is used. Up to 3,300 metres of flat film ensure that more than 4 hours can be produced in one piece. No operator intervention or correction of the film length is required, thus ensuring constant automatic production. The end of the film and clip as well as a missing output of the filling unit are automatically monitored. The degree of automation of the TSCA also allows a high degree of process monitoring, e.g. of the parameters stored in the recipe management. In case of deviations, the TSCA 120/160 automatically displays a warning. The WS Food Standard interface for production data acquisition via the customer's own network is optionally available. The high degree of automation of the TSCA is also evident in the consumption-oriented central lubrication system. This important work step is never forgotten since it is carried out automatically and saves working time. This ensures maximum process reliability and investment advantages, because wear is reduced, maintenance and downtimes are minimised and thus the service life of the machine is "automatically" extended and the value of the investment is maintained.

Outlook

The production of the new easy opening packaging on the TSCA 120/160 from Poly-clip System creates a win-win situation for operators and consumers. Operators can produce products for the snack sector with maximum cost efficiency and long-term investment security. Consumers get a product that contains no hidden risks and can "snack healthily" as they please.
The first products are already on the market. It is only a question of time until more will follow.The production of the new easy opening packaging on the TSCA 120/160 from Poly-clip System creates a win-win situation for operators and consumers. Operators can produce products for the snack sector with maximum cost efficiency and long-term investment security. Consumers get a product that contains no hidden risks and can "snack healthily" as they please.
The first products are already on the market. It is only a question of time until more will follow.