PKSC 1020 Test 2 Batt

Important dimensional-analysis interpretation

"15 lb of polyethylene to the web" means 15 lb per 3,000 ft², or 15 lb/ream.

How to calculate polyethylene coating thickness

Use Volume = height × length × width. For a ream, length × width = 3,000 ft². Find PE volume from mass ÷ density, then solve for height.

PE volume example

For 15 lb of PE with density 60 lb/ft³: 15 ÷ 60 = 0.25 ft³ of PE.

PE coating thickness example

0.25 ft³ ÷ 3,000 ft² × 12 in/ft = 0.001 in = 1 mil.

Four packaging levels

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Quaternary

Primary package

The package that contains the product.

Secondary package

A package that contains one or more primary packages.

Tertiary package

boxes stacked on each other that all have boxes inside em

Quaternary package

cargo ship crate with a load of boxes w boxes w boxes inside

Three basic areas of package testing

Quality, environmental, and shipping/abuse testing (also called transportation and distribution testing).

Quality testing

Uses standard methods and machines to determine the quality of materials or combinations of materials.

Environmental testing

Uses a fully made and approved package and subjects it to real-world or simulated real-world conditions. It measures the effects of the environment on the product/package and the effects of the product on the package during storage.

Accelerated aging

A process of elevating environmental conditions to speed up testing.

Shipping and abuse testing

Tests how a package stands up to the rigors of shipping, storage, and handling.

Why simulated transportation testing is used

Simulation makes testing easier and provides shorter testing time and uniformity.

ASTM

American Society for Testing Materials.

TAPPI

Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industries.

FPA

Flexible Packaging Association.

ABA

American Boxboard Association.

ISTA

International Safe Transit Association.

Paper conditioning for quality testing

Paper is conditioned using TAPPI standards for 24 hours at 73 ± 3.5°F and 50 ± 2% relative humidity.

Specific paper quality tests

Tensile strength and elongation, tear, Mullen burst strength, stiffness, and opacity.

Specific plastic quality tests

Gloss, haze, clarity, slip, blocking, static, impact fatigue, flex resistance, and permeability.

Permeability testing

A plastic quality test measured in cc/mil/100 in²/day at 80°F and 90% RH.

Macon method

A permeability method for O₂, CO₂, and WVTR.

Cup method

A method used for WVTR.

Aluminum alloy identification

The first digit indicates the primary alloy; the last two digits indicate purity.

Common foil alloy in the notes

1235, identified in the notes as the most common foil alloy.

Specific aluminum foil quality tests

Pinholes and wettability.

Tests for inks, lacquers, and adhesives

Weight/gallon, total solids, Zahn Cup viscosity, printing characteristics, and adhesion.

Zahn Cup

Equipment used to test viscosity, or how thick a fluid is.

Scotch Tape Test

An adhesion test: put Scotch tape on the package and pull it off. If little/no ink comes off, adhesion is good.

Sutherland Rub Test

An adhesion/rub test using a metal rod rolled over the printed surface to see whether ink has poor adhesion.

Why identify unknown packaging materials?

To duplicate a competitor's package or check competition for patent infringement.

Controlled-atmosphere chamber

Used in environmental testing to duplicate normal storage conditions in a store/warehouse or extreme conditions that might be encountered.

Arrhenius/Q10 relationship

The notes state that reaction rate doubles with every 10°C rise in temperature.

Shelf-life determination

Considers the package/packaging materials, the packaged goods, and environmental effects such as temperature and humidity.

Package design has two components

Technical and physical requirements, plus features and characteristics that attract/inform consumers and motivate purchase.

Technical and physical requirements

Requirements involving containment, protection, preservation, transportation, and ease of use.

Features and characteristics that motivate purchase

Features intended to attract and inform consumers and motivate them to purchase.

Graphic design

Package design must consider the product, the physical world it will encompass, and who it is being sold to in order to encourage a purchase decision.

Demographics

Characteristics describing a population, including family size, residence, education level, socioeconomic status, gender, cultural background, marital status, geography, occupation, and ethnic background.

Psychographics

How groups of people are motivated and how they behave.

Warning about psychographic poll data

Poll data involving moral objectives may not match real behavior; the notes use environmental poll data as an example.

Five graphic-design information categories

Demographics, psychographics, consumer information, product information, and competitive information.

Consumer information

Information about the relationship between the product and how the consumer views it, such as preferred purchase unit, durable good, impulse item, staple item, seasonal purchase, or gift item.

Product information

Information about how the product is used and package features that can attract attention.

Examples of product information

Easy opening, measuring aids, instructions, use quantities, storage method, reclosure features, table pack, cautions, returnable package, special features, dispensers, disposal method, and secondary uses.

Competitive information

Information about competing products, including target markets/marketing strategy, package types, market share, strengths and weaknesses, unit sizes, pricing structure, and sales volume.

Retail market statistics

The notes state there are about 30,000-40,000 items, a typical consumer sees fewer than 100, leaves with 14, and the average product gets 7 seconds or less of attention.

Merchandising methods

Self-serve, shelf display, door-to-door, specialty stores, sales clerks, mail order, warehouse outlets, inspection before purchase, pegboard display, vending machines, and department stores.

Three fundamental package messages

1. What is this? 2. What will it do for me? 3. Who guarantees that?

What is this?

Creates familiarity; the customer should know what the product is.

What will it do for me?

Shows how the product is different from the competition.

Who guarantees that?

Provides assurance that someone is backing the product.

Equity and brand-name elements

Company name, brand name, symbol, typographic style, and shape.

Trade dress

The notes describe it as a combination/convention of elements such as symbol, typographic style, and shape; the notes also mention that it is protected under trademark law but is not itself a trademark.

Basic elements of design

Shape, size, color, texture, tone, line, and icons.

Shape in package design

The package/design outline or form.

Size in package design

The physical dimensions of the design/package.

Color in package design

Color can influence feelings/emotions and can influence perceived flavor.

Texture in package design

Graphic patterns.

Tone in package design

The lightness or darkness of colors.

Line in package design

The orientation of lines can evoke different meanings.

Icons in package design

Icons can add equity and can be the most important feature in some cases.

Why consider how a package looks on the shelf?

The design must work visually when the product is displayed with competing products.

Typography

Typography is designed to communicate something about the product.

Color and flavor perception example

In the notes' cracker example, package background color changed how consumers perceived flavor intensity; the table compares red and yellow background shades.

Four basic printing methods

Relief (raised image), planographic (flat image), gravure (engraved image), and screen printing/other methods.

Relief printing

A printing method using a raised image. Examples: flexography, letterpress, and offset letterpress.

Planographic printing

A flat-image printing method. Examples: lithography and offset lithography.

Gravure printing

An engraved-image method, also called rotogravure or intaglio.

Screen printing

Classified in the notes under the other printing methods.

Flexographic printing

A relief printing process. The diagram shows an ink fountain, anilox roll, plate cylinder, impression cylinder, substrate, and drying station.

Anilox roll

The roll shown in the flexographic printing diagram between the ink fountain and plate cylinder.

Offset letterpress printing

A relief printing process shown in the notes using a plate cylinder and multiple letterpress color units.

Offset lithographic printing

Uses a smooth/flat plate and is based on oil for the image and water for the non-image area. Used for paper and paperboard packages such as folding cartons and labels.

Gravure printing uses

A variety of web-fed, high-volume jobs including labels, cartons, carton overwraps, and flexible materials.

Gravure cylinder

A cylinder with engraved wells that hold ink.

Gravure diagram components

The diagram shows a doctor blade, gravure cylinder, ink fountain, impression roll, and substrate.

Print-quality diagram

The notes' diagram shows flexographic printing with a "halo" effect, lithographic printing with smooth edges, and gravure printing with sawtooth edges.

Embossing

A method that creates a design in relief; often used for aluminum foil.

Holographic printing

The notes classify holographic "printing" as a form of embossing/relief.

Solvent-based inks

Require emission control through solvent recovery or incineration.

Water-based inks

Cannot yet be used with all printing methods or substrates, according to the notes.

Shipping and abuse testing — five simulated areas

Drop, impact, vibration, compression, and climatic conditions.

Purpose of simulated testing

Eliminate variables through uniformity and shorten testing time.

Drop testing

Testing a package by dropping it.

Next-day air parcel drop data

The notes state that 90-100% of next-day air parcels are dropped from 30 feet or more; 30 inches is highlighted as about arm's length from the ground.

Relationship between package weight and drop height

Lighter packages are dropped from greater heights; as package weight increases, the probability of a high drop height decreases.

Impact/shock testing

Tests a change in acceleration, such as when a package hits the ground after being dropped.

Average package impact speed

About 5-6 mph, approximately 5.5 mph.

Cushion material

Used to absorb shock and impact. Thicker material absorbs more energy and allows greater static load.

Static loading

Loading while the package is at rest, such as a box sitting on a pallet or shelf.

Dynamic loading

Loading involving movement and vibration frequencies; it is more damaging than static loading.

G factor and fragility

A lower G factor means the item is more fragile; a higher G factor means the item is more durable.

Attenuation

Spreading the energy of the initial shock over time with a cushion so the product experiences a less severe impact.

Sources of vibration

Structural, suspension, and wheel vibrations.

Vibration frequency range

Approximately 2-50 Hz.

Structural vibration

Higher-frequency vibration in the truck bed; the notes show about 50 Hz and higher.