THERMOFORMING | MACHINERY
Food packaging continues to be the main use for thermoforming, but its flexibility means that new applications – such as an intelligent petri dish – are also emerging
Pressing engagement: latest in thermoforming
The majority of applications of thermoforming are in food packaging – but there are other uses of the technology. Increasingly, engineering and medical applica-
tions are also making use of the technique. In one recently example, Greiner Assistec is
helping Accensors – an expert in film sensor technology – to develop an ‘intelligent petri dish’ using thermoforming. The aim of the partnership is to offer customers the option of buying thermoformed plastic parts with printed sensor systems. As part of the pilot project, an initial demo prototype has now been developed, taking the form of a smart petri dish. This involves printing two sensors on PET film before putting it through a thermoforming process. The prototype can check the pH value and the temperature of the medium in the dish, using an Accensors scanner and an app. The data obtained can be used to gain new insights in research and development. The intelligent sensor systems can be produced and printed onto the films at an affordable cost and
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in high volumes. During thermoforming, the film printed with the sensor technology is formed into a three-dimensional shape while retaining sensor functionality – so the petri dishes can be monitored as effectively as possible. “The development of this smart petri dish has yielded a promising outcome and highlights one of many different possibilities for transforming plastic parts through the use of printed electronics,” said Natascha Andraschek, technology manager at Greiner Assistec. Eike Wilhelm Kottkamp, CEO of Innome – the
parent company of Accensors – added: “The implementation of thermoformed film sensors in 3D geometries is a key milestone on our roadmap. At the moment, we are holding preliminary discussions with parties interested in specific applications in the biotech, smart manufacturing, and agricultural sectors.”
Utah expansion Plastic Ingenuity, a large US-based thermoformer, is to open a new production complex in Utah.
Main image: Greiner
Assistec has used thermo- forming to make an ‘intelligent petri dish’
� September 2021 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 23
IMAGE: GREINER ASSISTEC
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