Hygienic, leak-proof, efficient: innovative bagging of potato starch

At Danish starch manufacturer AKD Toftlund, part of the KMC Group, reliable filling and sealing processes are ensured through the combination of a high-performance air packer, intelligent bag inspection and patented ultrasonic sealing technology from Greif-Velox.

AKD Toftlund produces potato starch and modified starches for customers in more than 80 countries. Production runs at high throughput on a BVP air packer, filling up to 800 valve bags of 25 kilograms per hour. In the past, incorrectly opened or positioned bag valves caused filling errors, product loss, dust formation and increased cleaning effort. Faulty bags were often detected too late, after filling had already started.

To prevent incorrect filling, the system was upgraded with ValvoDetect sensor technology. Before filling, sensors check whether the valve is correctly opened and positioned. Defective bags are automatically rejected so that only properly filled bags continue in the process.

After commissioning, AKD Toftlund and Greif-Velox analyzed all rejected bags in detail. Three main causes were identified: valves sticking to the bag bottom, unfavorable valve lengths causing twisting, and material or bonding issues. Based on these findings, alternative bag designs were tested. A shortened valve length combined with a modified adhesive dot proved particularly effective, reducing the reject rate by up to 90 percent.

For secure sealing, the plant uses ValvoSeal ultrasonic technology. The patented waffle-structured weld seam offers significantly higher strength than conventional methods and reliably prevents dust leakage. In the double-seam ValvoSeal Safe version, absolute tightness is ensured even for critical products.

Together, ValvoDetect and ValvoSeal provide a stable, clean and efficient filling process, reducing waste, cleaning effort and reject costs while ensuring consistently high packaging quality.