Manufacturing is one of the nation's most important basic industries, and the foundation of manufacturing. It is the mother machine for many mechanical manufacturing industries, and its level of development is directly related to the production capacity and manufacturing precision of the manufacturing industry, which is related to the development level of the nation's machinery industry and the manufacturing industry as a whole. It is the carrier of the basic units of advanced manufacturing technology, and quality, update speed, adaptability to the market, production efficiency, and other mechanical products largely depend on their efficiency. Therefore, the manufacturing industry plays a vital role in a country's economic development. China is the world's largest manufacturing country. According to statistics from the German Engineering Association (VDW) in 2000, China ranked fifth in the world among major manufacturing nations. However, it still has a relatively low level of competitiveness in the international market. Even in its domestic market, it faces a severe situation: on one hand, there is strong demand for various products, while on the other, there is significant domestic overcapacity and foreign products are flooding the market.
Classification and Functions of Packaging
There are many classification methods for packaging. According to the distribution channels of packaged products, there is industrial packaging and commercial packaging. According to the form of a product's packaging structure, there is inner packaging and outer packaging; it can also be classified by the variety of materials or packaging containers, as well as by the name of the packaging object or item, and so on. It is meaningful to classify according to the form of the packaging structure. Primary packaging is the basic form of packaging structure, which includes direct and intermediate packaging. Direct packaging is a form of packaging that directly wraps or contains a product using a packaging material or container: the packaging material or container maintains direct contact with the packaged item and is the smallest packaging unit. For direct packaging, it is necessary to select packaging materials or containers, develop the packaging process, and select or design packaging machinery and equipment according to the physical properties of the packaged item and packaging requirements. Intermediate packaging is a form of packaging in which a number of directly packaged products are combined and then repackaged. Such as boxing goods after bottling or packaging; strapping after packaging cigarette packs; packaging toothpaste items after sealing and tube sealing.
With the diversity of consumer needs, especially the development of supermarkets, the importance of inner packaging has become increasingly prominent. The demand for the machines and equipment required to complete inner packaging is the highest in the packaging industry. Outer packaging is the packaging structure in which a quantity of products, after being inner-packed, are placed into a shipping box. Nowadays, corrugated cardboard boxes are commonly used for packaging. The primary purpose of inner packaging is to promote sales and provide convenience for consumers. In packaging design, in addition to ensuring the material requirements and the quantity of the packaging contents, the important role of packaging decoration must also be emphasized. The main purpose of outer packaging is to provide assurance for circulation, storage, and transportation, which requires strong and sturdy packaging.
Packaging is a protective measure taken on the material being packed, with the primary purpose of protecting the product's value for use. Therefore, in packaging, consideration must also be given to the convenience of transportation, unloading and unpacking, storage, and sale of goods in circulation; Additionally, packaging decoration also plays a role in beautification, promotion, and sales. Packaging processing is the final stage of product production and a crucial link that cannot be overlooked in enhancing the commodity value of the product.
Development direction of packaging machines
Currently, the countries with high levels of packaging and machinery abroad are primarily the United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom. German packaging machinery holds a leading position in design, manufacturing, and technical performance. In 2002, the output value of German packaging machinery reached 3.4 billion euros, with 771 TP3T of that output being exported. In recent years, the development of packaging equipment and machinery in these countries has shown new trends.
New Trends in Packaging Machinery Design in Germany
Germany, along with the United States, Japan, and Italy, is one of the leading countries in the world of packaging machinery. We are at the forefront in packaging machine design, manufacturing, technical performance, and other aspects. German packaging machine design is based on research findings and market analysis, with the goal of serving customers, especially large enterprises. To meet customer needs, German packaging machine manufacturers and design departments have taken various measures:
The level of process automation is increasing to enhance equipment productivity and flexibility. A robotic arm is used to execute complex movements. During operation, under the control of a computer-controlled camera for capturing data and monitoring, the robotic arm performs the specified actions according to computer instructions to ensure packaging quality.
(2) Increasing production efficiency, reducing production costs, and maximizing the fulfillment of production requirements. German packaging machinery is renowned for its expertise in filling and packaging machines for beverages and beer, characterized by high speed, complete configurations, a high level of automation, and good reliability. The beverage filling speed can reach up to 120,000 bottles per hour, and the small bag packaging machine's speed can reach up to 900 bags per minute.
(3) Integrating product machines and packaging machines. Many products require immediate packaging after production to increase production efficiency. The chocolate production and packaging equipment manufactured in Germany is controlled by a system. The key to integrating the two is to solve the issue of production capacity matching.
(4) Adapting to changes in production products with good flexibility and adaptability. Due to fierce market competition, product update and replacement cycles are becoming increasingly short. If cosmetic production changes every three years, or even every quarter, and the production volume is large, packaging machines are required to have good flexibility and adaptability so that the service life of the packaging equipment exceeds that of the product, in order to meet economic requirements.
(5) Widespread use of computer simulation design techniques. With the continuous acceleration of new product development, computer simulation design technology is widely used in the design of German packaging machinery, greatly shortening the development and design cycle of packaging machinery.
The design of packaging machinery must not only focus on its capacity and efficiency but also on its economics. The economics in question are not entirely the cost of the mechanical equipment itself but, more importantly, the operating costs, since equipment depreciation accounts for only 61% to 81% of the cost, with the remainder being operating expenses.
Development Status and Trends of Domestic Packaging Machines
The packaging machinery industry in China began in the 1970s and expanded rapidly in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. It has become one of the top ten industries in the machinery sector, achieving outstanding results in both output and diversification. These achievements have provided strong support for the rapid development of China's packaging industry.
At present, China has become the world's leading packaging machine manufacturing country, one of the major industrial production and consumption nations. As a product, the concept of a packaging machine is not only the material meaning of the product itself but also includes three layers of meaning: formal products, invisible products, and extended products. Formal products refer to the specific form and basic functions of the packaging machine itself; invisible products refer to the actual utility provided by the packaging machine to users; extended products refer to the quality assurance, usage guidance, and after-sales service of the packaging machine. Therefore, the design of packaging machines should include: market research, schematic design, structural design, and construction drawing design, user manual writing, and after-sales service plan, etc.
The main categories of packaging machinery design include: copy design, development design, improvement design, and series design. The production capacity of a beer filling production line is between 16,000 and 40,000 bottles per hour, and the number of filling valve stations in the filling machine is between 48, 60, 90 to 120, which fall under series design. The design transition from a conventional beer filling production line to a draft beer filling production line falls under the category of improvement and development design. For packaging machines operating at medium to low speeds, we can currently carry out independent design.
High-speed packaging machines, especially some advanced models, are mostly reviewed and copied from similar foreign models for domestic design and series production. The main reason is: (1) Most designers do not truly master advanced design methods, such as dynamic design theory and high-speed packaging machinery techniques, and cannot simulate or solve problems like dynamic accuracy analysis of mechanisms under high-speed operating conditions; (2) The integration of industry, academia, and research is not close enough, and the achievements of theoretical scientific research cannot be applied to practical design in a timely manner. Designers lack timely technical training. (3) The entire industry lacks macroeconomic regulation, and beneficial resources cannot be reasonably allocated and coordinated.
In the field of packaging machinery design, most designers still use the following design methods: (1) searching for a similar model as a prototype based on design task books; (2) referring to the prototype to develop various technical performance indicators and scope of application; (3) designing the working principle diagram and the transmission system diagram; (4) Design of major components and parts; (5) Design of assembly drawings and action-cycle diagrams; (6) Component design drawings, assembly drawings, and parts drawings; (7) Perform strength and stiffness checks on major components in the main assembly; (8) Design control schemes, construction drawings, etc. Currently, some design software from local universities can perform finite element analysis and optimization design on mechanisms commonly used in packaging machines. The CAD/CAM software they developed for cam-latch mechanisms can already meet the industry's ability to independently design cam-latch mechanisms, but its application in the actual design of packaging machinery is not yet widespread. New packaging machinery is often an integrated device of mechanical, electrical, and gas components. By fully utilizing the latest achievements in information products and adopting isolation transmission technologies such as pneumatic actuators and servo motor drives, the machine's overall transmission chain can be greatly shortened, the structure greatly simplified, and the accuracy and speed of operation improved. One of the key technologies is the use of multi-motor-driven synchronous control technology. In fact, mastering this technology is not difficult; it's just that some designers do not understand the development of packaging machinery. If in the past, packaging machinery design in China was at a stage of imitation and learning, then now we should have an innovative design awareness.
The achievements of technology and machinery in China's packaging industry in recent years are remarkable. It began in the late 1970s, with an annual output value of only 70–80 million yuan and just over 100 product varieties. The technical level was also relatively low. It was not until the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s that rapid development was achieved, with an annual growth rate of 20% to 30%. By the end of 1999, there were 40 major categories of packaging machinery and 1,700 varieties. In 2000, the output value increased to 30 billion yuan, and the technological level also reached a higher level. The trend of scale and automation began to emerge, and equipment with complex transmission and high technological content also began to appear. Many packaging machines, such as liquid filling machines, have begun to be exported in sets.
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