Packaging Testing
Packaging protects your products from dynamic, static and climatic influences. There are international standards and norms which test packaging and packaging units. By testing packing and packaging materials and packaging itself along with transport tests, we ensure that the requirements are complied with.
To ensure the smooth storage and logistics of your products and by extension an adequate product protection, a range of packaging tests exist. These cannot be recommended as standard, but are customised to the requirements and functionalities of each specific packaging unit.
For example, during the storage of a corrugated cardboard packaging unit this can only absorb moisture to a certain extent. This water absorption influences the technical properties, the printability and the adhesion properties of cardboard. If the outer packaging layers are also stacked on top of each other, it is recommended that the stacking crush resistance be measured. Influencing factors also include climate conditions, load-bearing products (e.g. drinks cans, detergent boxes, wine bottles) and non-load bearing products (e.g. crisp bags, bakery products).
Requirements and functionalities stipulated in packaging planning are crucial determining factors when it comes to the necessary packaging tests. In order to be in a position to make realistic and standard-based statements, the packaging sector operates according to international standards and DIN norms. We have summarised a few laboratory services for you:
Material Tests
One example of testing the resistance of packaging materials is the bursting strength of papers. Determining the bursting strength according to John W. Mullen is a typical toughness test and is used to determine strength parameters. Burst pressure is described as the resistance against which a paper sample opposes a unilateral, consistently increasing pressure until bursting. Bursting strength can be reduced through increasing waste paper portions and/or through mechanical damage. To determine a realistic value ten tests are carried out (five times from the top side and five times from the wire side of the papers). The standard is DIN EN ISO 2758. Bursting strength can also be tested for cardboard and is described in standard DIN EN ISO 2759.
Packaging Tests
Two examples of packaging tests are the edge crush test and the drop test.
Edge Crush Resistance provides information on the resilience of a particular cardboard to machine direction (vertical/standing flute). Internationally this test is also known as the Edge Crush Test (ECT). The ECT value is one of the most meaningful tests for corrugated cardboard packaging. It is specified in kilonewtons per metre.
A drop test simulates the freefall of package on its corners, edges and surfaces. To achieve this the packaging is filled with the envisaged products and dropped from a defined height. This enables realistic conditions encountered during shipment to be simulated.
In addition to this vertical shock test, a horizontal test can also be performed, for example, to simulate braking processes and handling loads.
Storage and transport simulations under climatic conditions
These tests simulate transportation via HGV, rail, ship or aircraft as well as the respective handling and/or storage. The vertical vibration test in the transport test, for example, provides information on the transportation stresses on the packaging and on the product.
The BCT value, on the other hand, measures packaging stability. This Box Compression Test (BCT) states the force in kilonewtons which a packaging unit can absorb before it buckles. In the test laboratory we determine the BCT value in a compression-tension testing machine or in a universal testing machine.
Climate conditions during transportation also affect your packaging. To simulate transport conditions we temper the test objects in climate-controlled chambers. Then you receive certified results in order to avoid damage to your products.
- Implementation/monitoring and evaluation of inspection results by our packaging engineers
- Independent support, for example, in the event of complaints
- Certifications from independent testing institutions
