Research on the characteristics and application of

Research on the characteristics and application of Intelligent Packaging Technology (Part 1)

[Abstract] this paper studies the characteristics and functions of intelligent technology in packaging. According to the characteristics of the current international popular intelligent packaging technology, it is divided into: functional material intelligent packaging, functional structure intelligent packaging, information intelligent packaging. The technical difficulties of various packaging research and development were analyzed, and it was pointed out that the development of new intelligent packaging technology in China has broad prospects

the development of packaging technology is developed with the development needs of commodity circulation. For commodities, packaging mainly plays the role of protection, isolation, quantification, decoration and description, which is also the function and characteristics of traditional packaging. With the development of market economy and the progress of technology, people add more intelligent technology to packaging to meet the requirements of increasingly complex circulation system and users' needs for product functions, so that it has functions that traditional packaging technology cannot achieve. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to understand and study intelligent packaging technology to adapt to the development of China's packaging industry and global economic integration

intelligent packaging includes: functional material type intelligent packaging, functional structure type intelligent packaging and information type intelligent packaging. It is embodied as follows: actively intervene and guarantee the quality and circulation safety of commodities by using new packaging materials, structures and forms; Use information collection, management, control and processing technology to complete the optimization management of the transportation packaging system

1 characteristics and development of intelligent packaging technology based on functional materials

intelligent packaging based on functional materials refers to the application of new intelligent packaging materials to improve and increase the functions of packaging, so as to achieve and complete the purpose of specific packaging. At present, the developed material type intelligent packaging usually adopts photoelectric, temperature sensitive, humidity sensitive, gas sensitive and other functional materials, and has the function of "identification" and "judgment" of environmental factors. It can identify and display some important parameters such as temperature, humidity, pressure, sealing degree and time of the packaging micro space. This is a promising functional packaging, which is particularly important for packaging products that need long-term storage

the intelligent packaging of this material has a wide range of uses, and the technology has developed very rapidly. Many products with mature technology have appeared. American optical coating test center and PA technology company have developed a plastic film that will change color under external force, and the film is coated with reverse interference coatings of different wavelengths. Under normal circumstances, the coating is bright. Once used, the coating begins to peel off, the film turns gray, and the peeled part will also produce patterns, which provides a warning signal that the package has been unsealed. This material is very suitable for packing and sealing. American International Paper Company adopts an ultra-thin soft battery developed by powerpaper, Israel, for the packaging of some consumer products. This new battery can be "printed" on the packaging of products like ink, making it increase light, sound and other special effects, so that manufacturers can not make the working piston fall to the bottom of the oil cylinder, and effectively attract consumers through product packaging. This kind of packaging materials also include new conductive polymer materials developed in the 1990s that can be used for packaging [3], such as polyaniline (Pan) film, poly (ethyl) thiophene (peot), poly (m-triplet) thiophene (MPTP), poly (butyl) thiophene (PBTH), poly (3-alkyl) thiophene (P3AT), etc; Structural (conjugated) conductive polymers have also invented polyphenylene (PPP), polyacetylene (PPV), polyacetylene (PDA), polybenzobenzene (PAS), polythiophene acetylene (PTV), polybutylene (ppb), etc. These conductive polymer materials mainly adopt the method of composite application, such as PPy  PPA, PTP  pan, pan  pet, PPy  PET composite film, whose performance is greatly improved, and the conductivity can reach the level of silver and copper. These conductive polymer materials have good conductivity and stability, and some also have heat resistance, electrochromism, photoelectric conversion characteristics, nonlinear optical characteristics, electromagnetic wave absorption characteristics and catalysis. Therefore, they are widely used in anti-static packaging, electromagnetic shielding packaging, intelligent observation windows of packaging, stealth packaging, selective breathable films, etc

the intellectualization of this material has broadened the application scope of packaging. The successful development of a material will often bring the improvement of multiple functions of packaging, and achieve twice the result with half the effort. However, due to the large investment and long cycle of research and development of new intelligent materials, they are often used as long-term research plans

2 characteristics and development of functional and structural intelligent packaging technology

functional and structural intelligent packaging refers to the packaging with some special functions and intelligent characteristics by adding or otherwise improving some packaging structures. The improvement of functional structure often starts with the safety, reliability and some automatic functions of packaging. This structural change makes the use of packaged goods more safe, convenient and concise

the most representative of this functional and structural intelligent packaging are automatic heating and automatic cooling packaging [6]. These two kinds of packaging increase the partial structure of packaging, and make the packaging have partial automatic function. Automatic heating packaging is a multi-layer, seamless container made by injection molding. The inner layer of the container is divided into multiple intervals, allowing the product to heat itself. Its heating principle is: when the user takes off the foil on the container and presses the bottom of the container, the water and limestone in the container will produce a chemical reaction, release heat energy, and then heat the product. The automatic cooling package is equipped with a condenser, an evaporation cell and a package of desiccant made of salt. When cooled, the steam and liquid generated by catalysis will be stored at the bottom of the package. This technology can also be applied to ordinary containers, which can reduce the temperature of the items in the container to 17 ℃ in a few minutes. These two kinds of intelligent automatic packaging are suitable for field workers, such as explorers, cyclists, fishermen, etc

by purposefully changing the packaging structure, the safety of packaged goods can also be greatly improved. The safety of packaging is mainly developed for underage children and people with mental retardation and disabilities. This kind of packaging is called child  restant packaging (CRP) []. Children's safety packaging is more complex and costly than ordinary packaging, but data show that this kind of packaging significantly reduces the harm of packaging to children and ensures children's safety. At present, the main structural features of children's safety packaging on the market are about the following:

1) twist cap: This is a composite bottle cap, which is completed by pressing and twisting at the same time

2) open the cover: This is also a popular child protective cover. When using, it is required to align the cap with the mark (arrow) on the bottle, and then lift the lug of the cap at the notch of the bottle flange to open the package

3) blister packaging: to prevent children from opening ordinary blister packaging, it is required to tear the adhesive paper on the back from the corner, or press the contents out from the back (press  thtouch package, PTP)

4) labyrinth cover: This is a packaging form that relies on intellectual skills to open

5) pull out cap: the cap seal is composed of two inward convex tongues (1 ~ 2mm high and 2 ~ 3mm long) and an inner plug at the lower part of the outer cap. A certain amount of force should be added to pull to overcome the friction between the inner plug and the bottle mouth. These movements are difficult for children to complete

6) single dose drug anti child packaging: This is a single dose drug packaging that can prevent children from taking it by mistake. 7) Bayonet piece child proof bottle is a bayonet cover, which is simpler than the labyrinth cover, and its principle is similar to the socket lamp holder. The environmental protection agency regulations published in 1981 in the United States pay enough attention to the above factors and the structural performance of bottles and closures, and make corresponding provisions: after the initial test, if there are changes in packaging shape, material, capacity, closures material or cover liner, it is necessary to conduct another test to confirm its protection to children's safety

the change of packaging structure can be used to improve the reliability of packaging and play an intelligent anti-counterfeiting role []. This kind of packaging is also called "tamper  explosive packaging (TEP)". It is a kind of packaging that can only take out the internal products by opening or destroying a display or obstacle. Once the display or barrier is damaged, it will provide visible evidence to subsequent consumers - indicating that the original product packaging has been interfered by people (see the problem products found in the use of the experimental machine and the definition of 21cfr211.132 in the Federal Register of drugs administration on November 5, 1982). The most typical structure of this kind of packaging is the destructible cover, formerly known as pilfer  proof cap. This metal or plastic cover can provide visible traces of the damage of the seal. It is widely used in the packaging of OTC drugs, beverages, food and so on. At present, there are mainly two forms that can destroy the cover and replace it secretly. One is open or tear type, and the other is vacuum type. It can also be supplemented with inner seals (see the inner seal of the bottle mouth) to achieve the purpose of revealing theft

functional structure intelligent packaging makes packaging have certain intelligent functions by changing some structures and devices of packaging. After loading to a certain load, this structural change has the characteristics of low development cost and obvious functional effect, which can be used as the main goal of short-term development

(to be continued)