Today I would like to share with every single-cup drinker the unqualified kcup products, especially caused by the sealing problem. We have communicated with the coffee roaster and achieved meaningful comments from many real consumers.
EXPAK provides a solution that is hoped to be helpful to coffee roasters and consumers.
First, try to check and solve it if you are a consumer:
We have collected several typical cases that may cause the kcup to bust. In many moments the problem lies in the Keurig coffee brewer.
1. The Keurig brewer has two piercing needles, one on the top and another on the bottom; if either becomes clogged or worn out, they cannot pierce inside the kcup. The kcup explodes in the coffee machine when the needle fails to penetrate the inside but squeezes in, and there is too much pressure inside the cup.
If the coffee liquid is not smooth or even clogged when it comes out, then oops will appear on the Keurig screen; please start by cleaning the puncture needle because this is the easiest solution.
2. There may also be a problem with the material of the kcups. Please try different kcups and compare whether a certain brand of kcup is prone to bursting or problems.
Next, let us focus on manufacturers.
Whether you are a small batch of kcups or an OEM/Co-packer for mass production, the following are the problems you will encounter during the production process. And these solutions may help you.
- The production equipment, mainly a filling and sealing machine, is very important. Some kcups cannot be sealed firmly because the filling machine has only one heat sealer station, while the filling machine provided by Expak has dual heat sealer stations, and the option of the curved seal is provided. Details Please see EXPAK's blog about dual heat sealer stations.
- In addition to having several sealing stations that will affect the sealing of the kcup, Other potential issues also need attention, such as whether the heat sealing head is flat, whether the pressure of the heat sealing head is sufficient, whether the temperature reaches the melting point of the lid and the cup material and the sealing time. All these details will affect to seal.
- Another very important point is the problem of static electricity. When the fresh coffee is roasted, most roasters will choose to let the roasted beans stand for a while, then grind them into granules and put them in a closed bucket to stand for 1 -2 days, which is an essential digest process if you don't want your K-cups to explode due to high air pressure. (Please be careful not to expose the coffee granule to the air for too long, which will make the aroma of the coffee itself dissipate). Let these coffee granules enter the K-cup production process when preparation is over.
Long-term production will cause coffee particles to mess up in various machine parts. After the degassed coffee granule enters the machine's hopper, during production, the unequal-diameter auger spins to output the coffee granule into the K cup quantitatively, and the high-precision auger is controlled by a servo motor, which also ensures the filling accuracy. In this process, when the auger spins, the friction between the coffee granule and the tube will cause the generation of static electricity. The cleaning station cannot remove this static electricity, and these remaining coffee granules will be adsorbed on the cup's rim and the mold plate, so kcups cannot be sealed firmly when the heat sealer head goes down to press.
So this issue has become a difficult problem for most customers. How to fix the problem of static electricity.
The first thing to say is that this problem is happening in all types of machines; even the most high-end machines will be without exception; if you check the Kcups produced by Green Mountain, they will also have coffee particles around the kcup or remain between the cup and lid. However, the probability of their unqualified kcups is very small.
1. EXPAK proposes to thicken and wider the auger and tube and make sure the drill and connecting shaft are in a locked state.
The purpose of this is to leave enough space. An enlarged tube means more space. When the space is larger, and the angle is the same, Static electricity will be less. The mutual locking of the drill and the connecting shaft will keep the auger and the tube as concentric as possible.
2. EXPAK provides dual heat sealer stations. Even if the strength of the first heat seal is insufficient, the second heat seal can ensure the seal is secure. A curved heat sealing head is recommended; there will be a circular dent on the cover of the Kcup after sealing. Of course, you can also not use it if you have visual effect requirements for kcup products.
3. In addition, we will also provide an optional static elimination device, which is more powerful and has a weakening effect on static electricity.
Does the advice of EXPAK experts help you? If you need more technical assistance, please get in touch with the email below; EXPAK experts will solve the problem immediately.
Email:info@expakchina.com
Publication Date: 2/27/2023
Category: Product Events
