Television producer Jerry Bruckheimer may well have visited the Orora Research and Technology Centre to get inspiration for the long running series Crime Scene Investigation more commonly referred to as CSI.

Rafik Faltas, Centre Manager hosted a select group of packaging professionals from the Institute who visited the Orora Fibre Packaging Research and Technology centre in the Melbourne suburb of Scoresby. Jim Selway a long time member of AIP was the tour guide.

The highly specialised, world-leading R&T centre is unrivalled in its ability to add value. At the forefront of science and technology, a team of chemical engineers, mechanical engineers, chemists, physicists and technicians work with the latest technological apparatus and also some traditional testing equipment.

Rafik and Jim explained using visual displays and hands-on discussion that the company’s strategic priority is ‘innovate to lead’. This entails providing cutting edge solutions for customers. But understanding of consumer trends and preferences is crucial to delivering innovative packaging solutions.

The centre is made up of several laboratories that cover:-

• The fibre resource laboratory which specialises in recycled fibre assessments, fibre analysis, paper making simulations and pulp evaluation, and hand sheet making
• Accredited by Australia’s National Association of Testing Authorities, the paper and packaging laboratory examines paper characteristics, board properties and box performance.
• The Forensics Laboratory offers food contact testing to ensure compliance with a range of standards, reverse engineering and benchmarking, and deposit analysis.
• The onsite transport simulator testing room, for transportation testing entails evaluating the various modes of transport, as well as the materials handling that are involved. A recently installed stretch wrapper was proudly detailed and its capabilities explained.

It was more of a simple investigation than a CSI episode, as by its nature the site visit could only ‘whet the appetite’ for future reference. We heard about some of the testing undertaken and the resulting findings.

One customer had concerns that a white substance was randomly appearing of the package of cakes. After analysing the material it was discovered that during storage mould spores trapped in the carton board were becoming active. The solution was found and passed onto the client.

Not all test requests actually need a CSI appraisal. One motor vehicle manufacturer insisted that fibreboard used in their distribution be tested for asbestos. Experienced technologists that were certain that asbestos would not be found were proved correct.

Materials are tested to the enth degree and we saw a slide showing a single sheet of paper as it was displayed in a spectrometer. This finite testing can show the make-up of polymers and paper and also determine compatibility of additives.

Stickies is a big problem in paper manufacturing where the pulp is recycled. Pressure sensitive labels, packaging sealing tapes and other stick on materials that are on the recycled materials often end up in the new pulp and if concentrated can leave holes in the paper. (Much like melanin in our blood that can concentrate and cause melanomas)

One success story was regarding the dumping of office paper from overseas. The claim that it was made with recycled pulp was found to be false and that all paper tested was from virgin pulp. Upon the evidence the importer was denied entry of any more consignments.

To construct a box to survive the rigours of transport, particularly in Australia and the tyranny of distance, manufactures measure Compression Strength which will determine initially if the basic tenant of packaging ‘to protect the product from the environment and the environment from the product’ can be met.

At the testing facility they use sophisticated machinery and computer software to calculate the load supported by boxes on the bottom layer of a pallet. The program allows technicians to calculate the Safety Factor of the unit being tested and make comparisons against what is considered to be the Minimum Safety factor.

Experience shows that every packaged product undergoes shock and Vibration inputs which are generally unique to the specific product and its package. Transport Simulation provides a uniform basis to evaluate the ability of shipping units to withstand vibrations in a distribution environment.

The benefits of Vibration testing are:-

• Identify design and Production defects
• Increase Product Ruggedness
• Reduce Packaging costs
• Eliminate Shipping Damage

We saw the testing of fibreboard cartons which from Australia can be sent all around the world in sometimes unreliable supply chains, so all of the perceived risks have to simulated and investigated before launching. The morning was brought to a conclusion when Anthony Peyton MAIP, VIC Chairman, on behalf of the members thanked Rafik and Jim who gave of their time to address an appreciative audience.