RDM Launches new Hot Tack Track Tester to European Market unit measures 'Hot' seal strength in form-fill-seal Applications

New to the European market, RDM Test Equipment is now marketing a hot tack tester which is loaded with features and is available at a significantly reduced cost to others on the market.

The HT1-XS Hot Tack Tester from U.K.-based RDM Test Equipment Company measures the strength of the heat seal in typically vertical form-fill-seal applications. This defines a hot tack index which is the optimum heat-seal strength over a range of temperatures.

Because product is dropped into a bag from a significant height in the form-fill-seal process, there is a possibility of the bottom seal peeling open if the optimum heat-sealing parameters are not met. Consistently achieving the correct temperature range positively affects both heat-seal strength and equipment operating speed.

The HT-1XS Hot Tack Tester allows the user to change the temperature and record results from multiple readings on the same graph. This reporting system follows the guidelines established in a recently published ASTM F-1921-98 standard. A touch screen display allows the user to enter set up parameters and see results more easily.

Further, the HT-1XS tester enables results that are repeatable and free from operator error while being less laborious and expensive when compared to other units. The tester also is lighter and more compact.

To conduct the test, sample strips are loaded via a pneumatic clamp at each end of the mechanism. The clamps are designed to prevent slipping or premature release. Controls within the hot tack tester automatically pull the sample away from the heated jaws. The force required to separate the seal is then measured by a sensitive and accurate load cell. The resulting hot tack force can be presented in either grams or newtons by customizing the software.

The computer interface and the specifically designed software captures the data and graphically displays it. Along with test criteria for each material batch, the HT-1XS offers a powerful recording system. Data can be sent to a printer, exported or stored on a hard drive.

Cold peel testing also can be performed on the same instrument, thereby making it possible to study both the hot tack and cold-peel performance of seals. This enables the packager to obtain information both in production and in use.

The unit is ideally suited for food manufacturers, film converters and producers and resin manufacturers who are striving to shorten form-fill-seal equipment cycle times. It tests heat seals on a wide variety of flexible structures including monolayers, laminations, foils, coextrusions and non-wovens.

RDM Test Equipment is a leading provider of instrumentation and laboratory services to medical, pharmaceutical, food and other industries worldwide.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to: uncertainties relating to competition and technological change, setbacks in product development program, slower-than-anticipated customer acceptance of new products, dependence on certain key industries, risk associated with the Company’s acquisition strategy and international operations, and other factors set forth in the Company’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.