The funeral industry requires a number of chemicals, from embalming fluids to tombstone cleaners, and they all must be handled with the utmost care. In order to avoid leaks and make dispensing a product as easy as possible, a lot of forethought must go into the packaging process. After all, the type of packaging you choose will impact shipping, storage, and use.
If you’re interested in exploring the most popular liquid packaging solutions for the funeral industry, here’s a thorough overview of your options along with some best practices that you should follow.
What Goes Into a Funeral Chemical Packaging System?
There are many moving parts to a packaging system. For thin liquid chemicals, a setup might consist of:
- A turntable with loading structure to push clean containers onto the conveyor belt.
- A dive head filling machine that fills containers to a certain level.
- A cap sorting device that sorts and aligns caps for the capping machine.
- A capping machine to place caps onto the containers.
- A turnable to take loaded bottles and send them off to the labeling area.
In very advanced systems, labeling machines may be incorporated as part of the packaging system, allowing for a fully-automated process. In all cases where semi-automation or full automation is the goal, you’ll see conveyor belts that carry containers past the filling, capping, and labeling machines.
Before any of this takes place, you might even invest in a bottle rinser to prep containers for filling. These machines can be incorporated into the rest of the system using a conveyor belt. In fact, conveyor belts play a crucial role in creating modular packaging systems that can grow with your operations.
Methods of Packaging Funeral Chemicals
Now that you’ve taken a look at the various components that make up a packaging system for funeral chemicals, you’ll find that you have a range of options for each one. For instance, some filling machines fill based on weight while others fill based on volume. Moreover, a specialized filling machine may be necessary for products that foam.
So, how do you begin to choose a component for each part of the packaging process? One of the most important things to consider is how you will package the product.
For instance, if you choose a spray bottle for a tombstone cleaner, you will need a specialty capping machine to get the awkwardly shaped lids on the bottles. Meanwhile, if you choose aerosol containers, you will need a specialized filling machine made to handle such a product.
To help you start down the right path, here’s an overview of the most common chemical packaging options:
- Drums and barrels can be used for bulk products, but they take up a lot of space and cost more to ship. Disposing of empty drums/barrels can also be difficult for your customers.
- Buckets average about five gallons in size and they’re a good middle-of-the-road option, and a step down from drums and barrels. Buckets stack easily and have handles to make moving them around less of a burden.
- Jugs and containers are a popular solution when customers need small to mid-sized volume of a product. They tend to be up to a gallon in size, making them easy to lift and carry.
- Bags and bag-in-box dispensers are ideal for highly concentrated products where your customers will purchase a small to mid-sized volume. Bags are cheaper to produce, more eco-conscious, and easier to dispose of than jugs and containers.
- Spray bottles and aerosol canisters are convenient for things like tombstone cleaners and similar products. However, you will need specialty capping or filling machines, respectively.
Best Practices in Choosing a Packaging System
Deciding on the type of packaging you’re going to use for your chemicals is only a small part of the equation. Once it comes time to actually put your packaging system together, you’re going to need to keep a few considerations in mind to choose the right equipment.
- Not all chemicals require corrosion-resistant machinery. However, because most chemicals contain acids and solvents, investing in corrosion-resistant machinery is usually worthwhile.
- Some chemicals may foam up if not handled correctly. You need to understand the characteristics of each chemical you’re working with so that you can choose the proper containers and filling machines.
- You must factor in the volume of product you intend to process in a given timeframe so that you can choose machinery that balances cost and efficiency.
- If you’re going to use multiple types of containers or different sizes, it will impact the equipment you choose. For instance, a capping machine may work for one container but not for another, requiring you to invest in additional equipment if you don’t plan accordingly.
- The level of human involvement you plan to have will impact the machinery you choose and how much you require. If you plan to have people tightening caps, applying labels, or putting bottles into boxes, all of that reduces the up-front investment in machinery, but it could heighten your operating costs.
Our Recommended Equipment
If you’re attempting to design a packaging system, the best thing you can do is seek the input of an expert. At Inline Filling Systems, our team is happy to guide you through the process.
When needed, all of our equipment can be built to spec for hazardous substances. Here’s a look at our recommended equipment to give you a jumping-off point:’
