Tray sealer Troubleshooting

Symptoms: Leak-test rejects rise, packs blow or weep in distribution, seals peel at a corner. Likely causes: Contaminated seal flange; Seal tool temperature or pressure off; Tray or film lot variation. Fixes: Fix product loading so sauce or fines stay off the flange; add flange cleaning or adjust fill levels. Verify platen temperature, pressure and dwell against the film and tray spec; check heater zones for cold spots. Audit incoming trays for warp and flange quality; qualify film lots before committing a shift. Prevention: Leak testing per batch, seal tool temperature mapping, flange contamination audits, incoming tray checks.

Symptoms: Gas analyser rejects, shelf-life complaints, O2 creeping up across the shift. Likely causes: Insufficient vacuum or gas flush time; Gas supply problems; Chamber or tool leaks. Fixes: Verify the vacuum level and gas flush settings against the validated recipe; do not trade cycle time for residual O2. Check gas mix, supply pressure and blocked nozzles; confirm the mix at the tool, not just at the manifold. Test chamber gaskets and fittings; a small chamber leak pulls air back in before sealing. Prevention: Gas analysis per batch with trending, chamber gasket PM, gas supply checks at startup.

Symptoms: Wrinkled lids across the seal area, print off-centre, film tears at the grippers. Likely causes: Film tension or tracking off; Worn film grippers or transport; Tool alignment. Fixes: Adjust unwind tension and web guides; verify the film width matches the tool. Replace worn gripper chains and check they pull evenly on both sides. Check seal tool alignment to the tray pockets after any crash or tool swap. Prevention: Film tracking checks at changeover, gripper wear PM, tool alignment verification after crashes.