Volume : 7, Issue : 1, January - 2018

MICRO-PERFORATION OF POLIETHYLENE FILM USING AN IGNITION COIL

Federico Hahn, Jorge Colin, Francisco Marin

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Modified atmosphere packing increases the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Plastic films for modified atmosphere packing (MAP) requires of a cheap technology that can produce orifices with </span></b><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:&#10;115%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">diameters ranging between 50 and 200 &micro;m. A micro-perforation equipment used an electric high voltage discharge between two electrodes that crosses the static polyethylene film to make the holes. An ignition coil generates high voltage and the size of the hole is dependent on the spark time, distance between electrodes and film thickness. It was found that for a thin 0.02 mm film, the smallest hole was obtained with a discharge of 20 ms between two electrodes spaced by 4 mm. For a 0.04 mm thick film, perforation size decreases as the spark time increases. Holes drilled with an electric arc do not let rims around the holes and the eroded plastic is removed by vaporization.</span></b>< /> <b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">< clear="all" style="page-eak-before:always;mso-eak-type:section-eak" /> </span></b></p>