Plastics and Packaging

SPC for Packaging

Consistent package performance, whether a carton or bottle, is a critical quality element that allows your customers to improve their filling line efficiency and minimize downtime due to package defects. A fact that is complicated by lines that operate at high speeds to produce high volumes of cartons or bottles rapidly. Any changes in the lines that result in defects could quickly lead to excessive scrap costs or eventually force them to run at slower speeds in order to maintain quality standards. Implementing real-time SPC on your lines can help answer critical quality and process performance questions, such as:

• Can I increase my line speed and ensure consistent quality?
• Which press or molding operation is most efficient at meeting specific customer requirements?
• Which process is producing excessive defective products over the last 24 hours?
• What processes have recently changed and are at risk of going out of control if no action is taken?
• How much is variation costing my company and how much could I save if I reduced variation by 10% on a specific quality function?

The Case for Real-time SPC

Through the years many carton and bottle companies have tried to manage their QC inspection results manually on paper or in Excel. This manual approach limits detection of packages that are out of specification until after they are made and only provides post-process SPC to show past performance. Maintaining this information manually is tedious work and does not generate the real-time results needed by various teams to detect trends or to find the answers to the questions mentioned above. Meanwhile, customers are expecting regular quality reports (e.g. COA, CofC) in their own unique formats that can put a heavy burden on your quality team to compile and produce on a regular basis.

Device Connectivity

Testing package and print quality in addition to measuring line performance can involve a variety of metrology devices and control systems at multiple stages throughout the process. The SPC system needs to capture measurement data directly from these various sources to provide operators immediate feedback on critical quality and process measurements.  For example, in forming and sealing tests on cartons companies may use scorebend and opening force devices such as Thwing Albert Testers or similar equipment, and stiffness checks done by Tinius Olsen or Taber devices, along with edge caliper test results that can be monitored in real-time with SPC updates. Many carton companies are also pursuing live process data from PLC’s or HMI/SCADA software that can now be linked or captured directly by the SPC system to monitor how line speeds, pressures, temperatures and other parameters effect their carton quality.

Additional Information for this Industry

• How Do I Know What Process Characteristics to Control

Customers in this Industry

• Leading Packaging Company Selects WinSPC as its Corporate Real-Time SPC Software Solution
• Webster Industries Selects WinSPC Real-Time Quality Control Software
• Marietta Hospitality Chooses WinSPC to Automate FDA Compliance Efforts