To meet increasing customer demand, Bonded Pac, the contract packaging division of Bonded Logistics, has upgraded its facility in Charlotte, NC, with a facility remodel and the installation of its second steam tunnel.
The new steam tunnel, a 6.5 foot-long Model ST175, along with a 30-foot conveyor, was purchased from leading shrink sleeve systems manufacturer Tripack. It sits adjacent to its sibling, a Tripack ST275 model, and handles flexible film application and sleeving of products such as household cleaning products and other consumer goods, as well as multipacks.
“We realized when we built our first sleeve applicator and tunnel the unique capabilities of steam,” according to Jon Hayward, Vice President of Bonded Pac. “It presents a clean, pristine appearance and works well with odd shapes. We have customers with high-end products that deserve the best packaging solution and only steam provides that.” He added that the company seeks to use steam instead of conventional heat "for any type of flexible film application or sleeving."
To handle the moisture that accompanies steam, the company also installed a standalone air knife (pictured to right of tunnel cabinet) with a Spyder manifold—named for its polyethylene arms—from ITW business unit Paxton Products. This unit removes moisture to ensure that products are dry before packaging. The manifold is flexible, literally, to allow it to be used for drying tips, sides and under the rim of cans, bottles and jars, as well as spot drying for hard to reach areas needing extra attention, such as holes.
