Carton Force Analyser (CFA)

• Measures all the forces required to erect and fill cartons
• Optimise packaging design and manufacture
• Increase running speeds
• Measure whole carton opening force

The Hanatek Carton Force Analyser measures the forces that limit the running speed of folding box board packaging.

By measuring the stiffness of the substrate and crease bending resistance the user can optimise cartons for faster running and packaging speeds.

The instrument allows individual creases to be analysed identifying problem areas in packaging design or manufacture.

Industry research indicates that the packaging speeds of pre-glued skillets is governed by the energy required to open creases.

The Hanatek CFA is the first instrument to isolate and accurately measure this key parameter

The instrument measures: Bending resistance, bending moment, bending stiffness, crease recover stiffness, crease folding force, crease opening force.

Features :

This flexible instrument can be configured for quality or research use –

Research Tool

• Create and save bespoke test methods
• Variable sample length, rotation speed and crease angle
• Statistical and graphical analysis of results

Q.A.

• Pre-loaded ISO/BS/TAPPI test methods
• Date/operator stamped results
• Pre-set pass/fail criteria
• Optional password protection

All operations and test methods have comprehensive graphical on-screen help

Intuitive and easy to use

• Easy training for new users
• Consistent results for all operators
• No need to consult complicated manuals

Real time graphs detail the process of folding, showing increased crease resistance until board fibres break and the crease relaxes. The CFA allows these fingerprints to be saved and overlaid, a powerful tool that allows detailed comparison of different crease formats, substrates and manufactured batches.

Test Types :

Board Stiffness

Measures the stiffness of the card sample to ISO 2493. The stiffness of the sample is measured twice, once with the printed side of the carton facing forward and the second time with the printed side facing to the rear. The resultant force is displayed in grams per cm, Gurley units, mN meters or N meters. The average of the two measurements is calculated as well as the Min, Max and standard deviation on a multiple sample test

Crease Resistance

Choice of 2 tests.

The first measures the crease recovery to BS 6965. During the test, the crease is folded through the pre-selected crease angle the resultant force is measured after 15 seconds. It will then measure the force exerted on the crease as the instrument rotates the sample throughout the desired test angle. The peak force is displayed as well as the angle at which this force was reached. The resultant force is displayed in Newtons (N), grams force (gf) or milliNewton meters (mN m). The average measurement is calculated as well as the Min, Max and standard deviation on a multiple sample test.

Ratio Test

One of the key parameters to assess whether a carton will run on a machine is the crease to board stiffness ratio. As described in BS6965, the ratio of the crease to the board stiffness should be

Carton Opening Force

This test will record the forces involved in erecting a skillet into an open carton simulating the process during machine opening. The resultant force is displayed in real time on the screen in graphical format as the sample is rotated through the pre-selected test angle usually 90º, and reported in Newton’s (N) as well as the Energy (mj) required to open the sample.

Crease Opening Force

The force required to erect pre-glued skillets can determine the packaging speeds of automatic filling lines. Slow running skillets are often rejected, leading to increased waste.

The Hanatek CFA measures the force and energy required to erect each individual folded crease. This information can be used to optimise carton design and predict the running speed of samples before committing machine time