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A heating technology called cera2heat is reportedly capable of consistently producing uniform, thin-walled thermoformed packaging while reducing material use by up to 50%. With precise temperature control of individual “heat pixels,” the process can reliably handle mono-materials and also eliminate common packaging defects, including faulty shapes. 

The patented cera2heat technology was developed by Germany’s . As the company explains, traditional thermoforming has a single temperature setting and therefore heats the material uniformly, rather than targeting
known problem zones: The bottom corners of the cavity are often affected by 
thinning, an issue for overall packaging strength. To give the container the necessary stability, manufacturers may use thicker base material.

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Watttron’s cera2heat system, on the other hand, can generate defined heterogeneous heating fields for problem areas using a large number of individually controllable small heating pixels. The technology enables heat to be targeted at specific film locations to influence the flow behavior of the material so that it conforms to the desired packaging shape. This ensures a uniform wall thickness and therefore stable packaging but with a much thinner plastic film, significantly reducing the amount of material used.

Source: Watttron

Watttron’s heating system consists of multiple square 5-mm heat pixels, around the same size as a pencil eraser. The temperature of each pixel can be individually programmed and controlled to cope with varying heat requirements — up to 200°C — across the entire packaging shape. The pixels are arranged in 40 × 40-mm modules in any order and combination, which enables an unlimited heating area, which is an advantage for thermoformed packaging with different geometries.

With cera2heat thermoformed, packaging can be produced optimally, saving resources and costs at the same time, Watttron says. Because the wall thickness of the part is more homogeneous, a thinner plastic film can be used for the same product. The packaging manufacturer saves material and costs.

The heater heats up efficiently and can remain switched off during cycle breaks. This means that up to 30% energy can be saved because the heterogeneous heating of the surface makes targeted use of the energy. 
The exact temperature of the individual heating pixels is visualized on a screen during production. Individual pixels can be specifically controlled and heated differently if required. 

The cera2heat system can be retrofitted or integrated into production lines.