Bringing products to life

In part five of our World Behind the Pack series, we look at how flat carton sleeves are processed to become filled and sealed products in seconds

In part four of our World Behind the Pack series, we saw just what it takes to create our lightweight, protective and ready-to-fill carton sleeves. But how exactly does a flat SIG sleeve become a filled carton pack in a matter of seconds?   

The aseptic advantage

SIG filling machines use aseptic technology that’s been tested, proven and refined over decades. In aseptic processing, liquid food and beverages are rapidly heated up to ultra-high temperatures before immediately been cooled down. This is followed by aseptic filling, which takes place in the filling machine’s sterile chamber where packs are filled and ultrasonically sealed above fill level.

Aseptic filling ensures the highest food safety standards and quality, helps retain nutrients, flavours and colours, and results in a product with a shelf life of up to 12 months without refrigeration. And our open-sleeve filling process also ensures a wide range of possibilities for products with a very low waste rate.

Unrivalled flexibility

When it comes to filling technology, SIG is unrivalled for flexibility. With our combination of aseptic filling technology and carton sleeves, we offer the industry’s fastest change-over times for formats, volumes and designs. So within the space of only a few minutes, our machines can be adapted to handle up to 16 packaging variants.

This level of flexibility means manufacturers can not only efficiently meet today’s product needs. They can react quickly to changing consumer demands and answer growing food and drink trends. And on top of this, our machines are compatible with a wide range of equipment from third-party manufacturers, giving you full flexibility over your technology partners.

Closures for every need

Once our sealed packs exit a filling machine, applicators can then attach a range of closures or straws. In fact, SIG was the first-ever company to fit a closure on an aseptic carton. That was back in 1993 and since then we’ve added a whole range of high-quality convenient closures – ensuring every pack can be opened easily, poured without drips, and hygienically resealed after use.

We also offer a range of standard perforations and straw openings to ensure products are always quick and easy to open. And with the growing demand for more sustainable packaging, we offer a fully-renewable paper straw for our portion-sized beverage packages – the industry’s first market-ready alternative to plastic straws.

Filled, sealed and ready

Once our packs have completed all filling and applicator processes, they’re bundled together in shrink film and moved onto tray-packers and palletisers. After which they’re ready for distribution to retailers and consumers. Look out for part six in the series when we’ll continue the journey of a carton pack after it leaves a filling plant.

Want to see how a flat sleeve becomes a filled carton? Then watch the film below to see our filling machines in action.

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