Powder Packaging: About the Packaging Process of Powders

Powder packaging is a particular process that presents many challenges. The packaging process has an impact on the stacking, storage, and shelf life of the product to be packaged. In the powdered milk and cement industry, for example, it is important that certain products are properly ‘deaerated’. At Arodo we have already been working on packaging airy products for many years.
 

Powder packaging: deaerating the product

Some products contain a lot of air when they arrive from the silo or production process. These products practically feel like water. If you simply package these products without removing the air, the bags will be practically impossible to stack. If you lay the bag flat, the air moves to the top of the product in the bag with a sort of balloon effect at the top. These types of bags obviously result in an unstable stack when stacked on a pallet.

And stacking is not the only problem. The air in the bag also has consequences for the shelf life of various products, as well as air- and moisture-sealing and storage. So deaeration seems to be the answer in the process of powder packaging, but how?

Powder packaging: choosing the right bag

In the process of packaging powders, there are different ways of deaerating a product. You can use bags with perforation or subsequently make holes in the bags so the air can escape. This works excellently for sand, gravel, synthetic granules, and materials that are not sensitive to moisture. However, with many powdery products, you do not want any (micro)perforation or holes in the bag. They are hygroscopic, meaning they draw moisture from the air with the formation of lumps. Dust can also pass through the holes. These are scenarios that are better to avoid.

At Arodo, we fully understand these sensitivities in the market, and that’s why we have been carrying out far-reaching research almost since our launch 30 years ago, initially in the powdered milk industry. Since 2000 we have also been using these powder packaging techniques for other powders. After a great deal of testing and development, we came up with two effective solutions: AROVAC® vacuum technology or packaging in labyrinth bags (venting bags).

Powder packaging: maximum protection, carefree transportation

For perfect powder packaging, we have also developed suitable bag filling machines for both technologies:

• Production in labyrinth bags (venting bags): here the product is already deaerated to the extent possible when put in the bag. The bag is sealed and the remaining air further escapes during transport to the palletizer and particularly on the pallet itself.
• AROVAC® – for production in bags in standard PE foil: this process takes place in two stages. Firstly, probes are used when the bag is suspended at the filler opening and the product is poured into the bag. This is to optimally the fill bag. Secondly, the vacuum chamber is put to work to remove sufficient remaining air from the product and the bag so it can be nicely stacked as soon as the bag comes out of the machine.

The AROVAC® vacuum technology is the only technology in the world that allows the hermetically sealed packaging of hygroscopic powders. What's more, powders in bags that are difficult to package can be stacked perfectly. There is simply no greater security.

Experience teaches us that AROVAC® offers the most advantages for products in the cement industry, building materials, and the food industry. During packaging, you are also less dependent on differences in density of the product because the length of the bag is ultimately determined under the flattener.

So, the perfect bag time after time!

Powder packaging: a complex interplay

Packaging powders is an operation that requires specialized packaging technology. After all, it involves a complex interplay: on the one hand, the accuracy of the system and the reliability of the packaging, and on the other, logistical performance and cost-efficiency. Our team of specialists focuses on the development and production of customer-specific powder packaging lines for producers of high-quality powders. It is thanks to this unique focus that we can now call ourselves the market leader.