GEA POWERHEAT: NEW MATRIX HEATING SYSTEMS FOR RECYCLABLE PACKAGING AS A MILESTONE IN SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING

In terms of sustainability, the new system also impresses with energy-saving heating, without compromising on the high standard of packaging quality and product safety. The new matrix heating system in the GEA Thermoformer was developed in close cooperation with technology partner Watttron and tested for market launch with the Wolf Group, a food manufacturer and pilot customer of GEA.



GEA PowerPak PLUS thermforming packaging machine with new matrix heating system GEA PowerHeat M Source: GEA

Zone heating system
Mono-materials place special demands on heating systems. The GEA PowerHeat Z zone heating system evenly regulates the temperature in different zones of the heating plates independently of each other, ensuring that each individual package is evenly formed – right up to the edges. The benefits of energy-efficient heating really come to the fore when using mono-packaging materials such as mono PP or mono PE.



A cold cut packaging made of resource-saving mono-materials from the Wolf group of companies Source: Wolf

Matrix heating system
The GEA PowerHeat M matrix heating system can be used to set customized package-specific temperature profiles. It is a solution that proves particularly effective when using multilayer films as well as mono-materials. This is because the film thickness of the packaging materials can be significantly reduced without negatively impacting packaging functionalities such as residual film thickness and barrier properties. In addition, energy costs are considerably reduced since long heating times are eliminated and operating temperatures are rapidly reached. Extremely fast control processes and precise adjustment of temperature fields avoid the temperature overshoots of traditional heating systems, which are detrimental to many packaging materials. The new heating systems can also significantly increase packaging output and capacity.

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