Air fillers are a type of protective packaging material that uses air cushions to fill voids in boxes and protect goods during shipping. Air-filled pillows are light, economical and easy to recycle. They are available in different shapes and materials as per customer needs. To create them, special machines are used that blow air into films with bubbles or cushions. All this directly at the point of packaging. Thanks to this, this type of filling is maximally efficient and ecological, as it minimizes the need for storage space and significantly reduces the cost of its transportation. You are only transporting foil and not air!
What are the basic types of air cushions?
Air cushions are divided into two basic groups.
Single chamber and multi chamber. Single-chamber air cushions are mainly used to fill the free space in the package. As standard, they are produced with a width of 200 mm and a length of 100, 130 and 200 mm. Individual cushions are divided by perforations for easy tearing off the length required for a specific package.
The main function of the multi-chamber pillow is product protection. This pillow is made up of smaller chambers connected into individual sections, similar to an ice pack. The standard width is 400mm, the length and shape vary according to the specific type. By far the most popular are the 4 tube and 7 tube pillows.
Single chamber
Width: 200mm
Lenght (perforation): 100, 130, 150, 200mm
Purpose: filling of free space
2 Tube
Width: 400mm
Lenght (perforation): 150mm
Cushion height: approx 40mm
Purpose: filling of free space / product protection
4 Tube
Width: 400mm
Lenght (perforation): 150mm
Cushion height: approx 35mm
Purpose: filling of free space / product protection
7 Tube
Width: 400mm
Lenght (perforation): 170mm
Cushion height: approx 19mm
Purpose: product protection
7 Tube Square
Width: 400mm
Lenght (perforation): 190mm
Cushion height: approx 23mm
Purpose: product protection
Tailored
according to the requirements and needs of the customer
The main materials used to manufacture air cushions include LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) and HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). They differ in density, strength, temperature resistance and transparency. LDPE is softer and more flexible than HDPE. It also has a lower melting point (115° C) and is more transparent. In contrast, HDPE is stiff and durable and offers greater chemical resistance. Its higher melting point (135° C) allows it to withstand higher temperatures than LDPE. Previously, the stiffness of HDPE was a disadvantage when used as a material for air cushions. Today, HDPE can be produced in such a way that it does not fall behind in this respect either. The result is a material that has higher strength, temperature resistance and is also flexible enough to prevent cracking or deformation under pressure.
What are the ecological alternatives?
Air cushions are ecological by their very nature. Compared to crumpled paper, we use significantly less material to fill the same volume in a package. This property reduces the ecological footprint of air cushions several times over. We have to extract and process fewer raw materials. We have to transport less material for use and consequently create less waste and have to recycle. The weight of paper needed to wrap the same shipment is about 10 times higher! In addition, the end consumer can easily pierce the foil and the volume of waste is again minimal compared to crumpled paper. Various bio materials may seem like an interesting alternative. More than 400 different types of bio and biodegradable plastics are currently known. And that is one of the problems > chaos. The average consumer has almost no chance to navigate the multitude of different materials, technologies and names. It is impossible even for material experts to recognize individual materials without expensive tests and laboratory equipment. What is the general consumer’s perception of bioplastic? Natural degradable material. Error. Bioplastics also include plastics from fossil sources (PBAT, PCL, etc.) or bioPE, bioPET, bioPA, which comes from renewable sources but is not biodegradable.
Our recycled paper air cushions are truly eco-friendly! They do not contain the commonly used inner plastic layer, which makes both recycling and composting impossible. The air barrier is formed by a layer of cornstarch.
This padding is the most effective use of paper as a padding material to protect your products.
Air fillings are delivered as standard in the form of foil on a roll with the given final shape and perforations for easy tearing off of individual cushions. This is already inflated and prepared for use at the point of packaging with the help of a special compact machine. We currently offer two types of machines.
The integration of the machine into the packaging area is becoming very important, especially for larger companies. Saving time together with higher user comfort is the next step towards automating the packaging process. The operator always has available packaging material conveniently at hand.Various bio materials may seem like an interesting alternative.
Arm system
The machine is pulled into the working position electrically
A convenient solution > just press a button
Low noise solution
Ventilation system
The filling is transported to the basket through the duct
The machines can be used with various types of accessories to increase user comfort, ergonomics and significantly speed up packaging. These are, for example, foot/hand switches of the machine or sensors for automatic replenishment of filling material in baskets. These baskets can be both mobile and placed above the conveyor belt or added as part of the packing table. All tailored to the customer’s workplace and employee needs.
Another popular accessory is the automatic winder. It is used to wind up multi-chamber pillows for easier further handling at the workplace.
