Leak detection Setting help

Hello all,

My company makes granola and protein bars that we package in film using a flow wrapper (Think, bars go in a conveyor belt, the film is wrapped around them and then sealed and cut by the machine. We just bought a new leak detector (water submersion, vacuum chamber) for testing our seal integrity. It is a significant upgrade from the previous tank that we previously had, which was made in house by our maintenance team.

We have a single internal document that reference's the leak detection standards and there is no accompanying documentation about how the 20psi setting was determined. Can anyone provide me with some advice, or any reference documentation I could use to determine if this is the correct setting to perform this packaging test? Or is this just the kind of thing where we will need to do a bunch of trial and error and just pick whatever setting we think is going to be best? Is there any kind of industry standard or guidance for these types of tests?

Thank you!

Is your product sealed in a protective atmosphere or not?

What does the manual for your new leak detector say on the matter?

We are not using a protective atmosphere at this time. 

The instructions with the tank basically says to put it at the lowest setting and then turn it up until you start blowing seals, repeat, and use that data to make your set point. Which generally makes sense to me, but the issue is that we are struggling with our seal integrity that our previous testing process was not sufficient to identify (part of why we invested in this new test equipment and some other equipment that has not arrived yet) and so I'm worried that if we start with this method, we would basically be calibrating our testing process to a bad seal.

... The instructions with the tank basically says to put it at the lowest setting and then turn it up until you start blowing seals, repeat, and use that data to make your set point. Which generally makes sense to me, ... I'm worried that if we start with this method, we would basically be calibrating our testing process to a bad seal.

Catastrophic failure and a leak should look very different if you're slowly raising the pressure.  The manufacturer's instruction sounds about right to me.

18-20 inHg works well for a lot of packaging, and the film company reps I've talked with tend to think that's the normal range.  We run ours at 25 inHg, but we have robust film and a product that will spoil rapidly (relative to shelf life) if even a small 15-20um channel leak is present.

Catastrophic failure and a leak should look very different if you're slowly raising the pressure. 

Thank you, I think these were the words I needed to get me thinking right about this. We started trying to do the gradual testing recommended by the manufacturer, and everyone wigged (including me, lol) over the bubbles from our end seals. I was like.... "but its leaking at 10psi, so if we just turn it down till its not leaking this will not be an effective test!" We were already planning to reach out to our packaging manufacturer to get some more information about our packaging specs.

We are a small, but growing company and everyone in QA and Maintenance management have been here under a year. Our predecessors often only documented decisions and not the data and reasoning behind them, so we are constantly looking for information and working our butts off to create extensive documentation and end the era of tribal knowledge. I appreciate your input!

Channels or wrinkles in formed seals will usually produce bubbles at steady volume or pace if the pressure remains constant.  It might take a few seconds at first, but once it gets going it will hold to X uL/s

A blow-out or catastrophic failure will usually increase in volume (sometimes rapidly) and exhaust the headspace in seconds as it either peels or tears the package open.  Depending on your package specifications though, some kinds of peeling defects might be considered a leak too - often the result of low seal temperature.

Hello, intelligent packaging has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it's great to hear that you're working on developing methods specifically for the poultry meat sector. xxxxis a company that provides leak detection machines for packaging, which can be helpful in ensuring the quality and integrity of the package -xxxxx.As for suggestions for intelligent packages, there are a variety of options out there such as those that can monitor temperature or freshness, those with anti-microbial properties, and those that can provide information on the product and its origins through QR codes or other labeling methods. I'd love to hear more about your work on intelligent packaging for the poultry meat sector and any insights you've gained along the way.