A wet wipe machine is a type of equipment you use to manufacture moist wipes used for medical, personal, and industrial purposes. There are different types of wet wipes from facial cleansing wipes to baby wipes, and even wipes for disinfecting.
A wet wipe machine allows you to produce a large volume of wet wipes. However, it is important you know how this machine operates, their benefits, types, and application areas. If you want to venture into wet wipes production or you just want to gain knowledge about it, this article is for you.
Key Machines in Wet Wipe Production Line
You need a machine that is precise and fast to produce good-quality wet wipes. Wet wipe production lines feature different machines that help you achieve different tasks like folding and packaging. Here are the different types of machines you can use in producing wet wipes.
Semi-Automatic Wet Wipes Machine
If you are into small scale production, this wet wipe machine is a perfect choice. It combines both automatic and manual features. This means you need to perform some tasks in the production process while your machine automates some steps.
For instance, you need to load the material i.e fabric rolls for your wet wipes into the machine. Your machine cuts and folds the wet wipes, while you handle the packaging process yourself. This machine type offers low output, but you can easily maintain it and adjust the size of your wipes. Since it gives you a bit of control, this machine type is good for custom products.
Fully Automatic Wet Wipes Machine
This machine type is good for producing wet wipes in large volumes. It operates with speed and carries out the entire operation without requiring your help. Your automatic wet wipe machine feeds the non-woven fabric material and cuts it. It also applies the solution, folds your wipes, and counts them.
This machine helps you to stack and even package your products. It works with speed and precision while ensuring quality output. Some brands of this machine type have PLC control systems that help you achieve real-time monitoring. You can also adjust some parameters with the touch-screen interface.
Sachet Wet Wipes Packaging Machine
If you are producing wet wipes for medical or hospitality purposes, you need a sachet wet wipe packaging machine. This machine puts single wipes in pouches and seals them for you. It helps you to perform certain tasks. For instance, it creates the sachet, fills the product, and seals it.
With this machine, you can ensure cleanliness when packaging your products. It also helps you preserve the quality of your wipes. You can use this machine to produce different materials and pouch sizes based on the demands of your customer.
High Speed Wet Wipe Machine
If your business deals with large scale production, you need speed. That is why a high speed wet wipes machine is ideal for factories that need high output. With this machine, you can quickly produce thousands of wipes within a minute.
This machine will help you cut, wet, and fold your wipes with precision. It doesn’t make errors and as such, increases productivity. One of the important features of this machine is its high level of automation. It has sensor-based controls that help you minimize waste and enable proper distribution of liquid across your wipes.
Wet Wipe Folding Machine
Folding is one of the most important steps when you are producing wet wipes. Proper folding will help your customers to use your products easily. Wet wipe folding machine helps you fold your wipes in different ways. This could be in N-fold or Z-fold format.
Your folding machine gets your products ready for stacking and packaging. It folds your wet wipes accurately to form a better stack. This improves the packaging and overall look of your wipes.
Flow Pack Wet Wipe Machine
You use this type of machine to package different wipe packs like cleaning wipes or baby wipes. It wraps your wipes in a plastic film that retains moisture and seals them.
Flow pack wet wipe machines are fast and allow you to customize products. You can use this machine for different sizes of pack. This machine prevents your wipes from leaking or getting dry, thereby maintaining their quality. You can use this machine for your consumer-ready wipes.
Components of a Wet Wipe Machine
A wet wipe machine comprises different components and parts that contribute to its functioning. If you will be operating this machine, it is important you know the functions of each part. In this section, we will discuss the main parts of this machine.
Folding Machine
This is an important component of the wet wipe production line. A folding machine helps you with different folding designs for various wet wipes. It can fold about 120 pieces of wet wipes in a minute.
Slitter Rewinder
A slitter rewinder helps you to cut and rewind materials like non-woven fabric. It has a surface wind system and a shaftless winding system. This machine has a HMI screen and PLC system that allows you to program the recipes of the process.
A slitter rewinder system has other features which make things easier. For instance, it has traction belts to ensure your material loads precisely. It also has lateral adjustment with many power screws and load cells that ensure control.
Palletizers
Palletizers have a robot that helps you lift and transfer a pallet in the right position. It also lifts your slip sheet and places it on top of the pallet. After this, it lifts the exact amount of cases based on the pattern of your pallet.
The robot uses a vacuum gripper to lift your cases and palate after which it uses suction cups for the slip sheet. There is only one main control panel in a palletizer. This panel controls all the robots with the help of PLC and HMI.
Horizontal Form-Fill and Seal Machine
HFFS machine delivers about 100 packs of wet wipes per minute. It uses hermetic seals for sealing the package. Also, it integrates a special type of packaging known as modified atmospheric packaging (M.A.P)
Top loader Case Packer
This part of the machine feeds and closes up the wrap that surrounds the boxes of the wet wipes. The top loader case packer enables compact case packing. It uses hot glue to flap seal the cases and allows easy changeover for different case dimensions. This machine comes with a case packet that helps you to handle various packaging solutions.
Vertical Form-Fill and Seal Machine
VFFS machine helps you to pack your products in a single package. It folds your wet wipes in packages, wets and packs them in a complete cycle. This machine automates the whole process. It uses a programmable controller and thermo-regulator to manage every cycle.
Wet Wipes Packaging Line
This is an important component that comprises a film preparation unit and horizontal packaging machine. The packaging line features an in-line feeder.
The film preparation unit has a longitudinal fin seal unit, double reel holder shaft, and two labeling machines. One of the labelling machines is always on standby. It places the re-sealing label on the package. This unit also comes with a film die-cut unit for creating the opening of the pack.
Camera Quality Control Unit
The camera quality control unit in your wet wipes machine evaluates the production process to detect any error. For instance, it can detect too much strain on your products which can cause creases.
This kind of defect can affect the absorption ability of your wipes. That is why the camera quality control unit is very important in your wet wipe machine. It uses a 3D diagram to display the amount of forces applied on your product.
Also, this unit uses sensors to monitor the distribution of forces on your wet wipes. It places the sensors all through the surface of your products for proper monitoring.
Wetting System
This is an automatic liquid filling machine that helps you to wet the nonwoven fabric rolls. You can adjust it to take up several volumes.
Labelling System
The labelling system helps you to apply labels to your wet wipe packages. You can use it for different wet wipes packages. Also, it allows you to use different self-adhesive labels for your packages. For example, you can use transparent, paper, or opaque materials for your labels. The type of label you choose depends on your preference.
Lid applicator
This component uses the most recent technology. It uses artificial vision to recognize your package and a robot to pick up your lids. After this, it spreads the adhesive on the lid and presses it on the pack. A lid applicator can apply labels and lid on your package by using hot melt glue. After the machine has applied the lid, you need to inspect your product to ensure quality control. You can achieve this by using an artificial vision system.
How a Wet Wipe Machine Works
We believe you now understand the important components of a wet wipes machine. Now, we will be taking you through the actual process of wet wipes production and how the machine helps you achieve this.
Non-woven Preparation
This step requires you to prepare your material, which is the non-woven fabrics. You can use two methods to prepare your material which are the wet-laid and dry-laid methods.
Wet Laid Method
This method uses water and other chemical solutions to transform the fibers into slurries. The wet-laid method is ideal for wet wipes that use cotton blends.
You use rollers to press the paste in the sheets and leave them to dry to produce long rolls of fabric. The fabric then goes through another processing, after which you cut it into narrow widths. In the long run, the rolls cut into separate sheets. At the end of everything, the dry fabric must weigh at least 1.4 oz/in 2.
It is important your wet wipes have the ability to absorb moisture very well. Good-quality wipes can absorb within 200 and 600% of their weight.
Dry Laid Method
This is the common method used in producing non-woven fabrics from plastic resins. The dry-laid method requires you to heat plastic pellets and force them through small holes by using air pressure. You leave the fiber to cool and produce a sheet. After this, you use hot metal rollers to flatten and bond the fibers together
Preparation of the Cleansing Solution
In this process, you have to prepare the ingredients of the wet wipes in batch tanks of the machine. The first constituent is mainly water, you pour it into the tank. You may need to heat the tank during this process to help the powders or other solid ingredients mix properly. Also, heating helps solid ingredients to melt in order to mix well. After this, mix other ingredients in the solution until you achieve an everything is even.
Non-woven Treatment
In this step, you have to load the non-woven fabric into the wet wipe coating machine. This machine treats the fabric by using a cleansing solution.
Your wet wipes machine can use different techniques to treat the fabric. It can use nozzles to spray the cleansing solution on the fabric. The other option is for the machine to run the fabric through a tank that contains the cleansing solution .
There is another procedure where you load laminated foil in the machine. The machine folds the foil to help you create a small pouch. The machine then uses heat to seal the sides of the pouch, while creating an opening. A conveyor line puts the non-woven fabric in the pouch.
After this, a liquid feed system puts the cleaning solution in the wet wipes pack. Then, you use a volumetric pump to get the solution from a reservoir and then put the required amount into the wet pipes pack. The volume of the fluid is usually within the range of 10-16 liters. The next step is to seal the pouch with heat.
Packaging
After your machine has cut the required amount of wet wipes, the next step is packaging. Here, your wet wipes machine packs your wipes and folds the fabric based on the limit you set on the control panel.
This process is automatic as your machine folds your products, stacks and puts them in the final package. The machine usually stacks the wipes in a way that you can easily remove one at a time.
After folding and stacking, it places the wipes in a plastic pack. To help you keep track of your products, the machine gives a code to each production run. Wet wipe machines must operate in a clean environment to comply with industry standards.
Advantages of Wet Wipes Machines
With the help of wet wipes machines, manufacturers can maintain quality and consistency in wet wipes production. These machines offer benefits such as:
Production Efficiency
Wet wipes machines, especially the automatic types handle the entire process from cutting, to wetting, folding, and packaging. They usually operate with speed and precision which helps manufacturers to increase their output.
Consistency
These machines don’t need your intervention to operate. This level of automation helps to reduce errors and maintain consistent wetting, folding, and packaging. Also, these machines help you retain the moisture in your wipes even after packaging. In the long run, wet wipes machines help you to improve the quality of your product.
Reduced Labor Cost
Wet wipe machines reduce the need to hire labor since they automate the entire process. This helps manufacturers to reduce cost on labor.
Enable Customization
With a wet wipes machine you can adjust the size of your wipes, the amount of solution to apply, and even the packaging format. This helps you to satisfy the needs of different customers.
Maintain Cleanliness
This machine usually performs the entire production process in a clean environment. For instance, the closed-system designs prevent your products from germs, while ensuring they comply with health regulations. This is very important for wet wipes used for babies and medical purposes.
Features of Wet Wipe Making Machine
Automated Folding System
This machine helps you to fold wipes with precision. It speeds up the whole production process.
Adjustable Moisture Control
With this feature, you can regulate the amount of solution your machine applies to each wipe. This ensures each wipe gets enough solution.
Touchscreen Control Panel
You can use these control panels to set parameters and keep a check on the performance of your machine.
High-Speed Cutting Mechanism
This allows your machine to cut nonwoven fabric with speed and precision. Therefore, your wipes get to have consistent size all through.
Versatile Packaging Options
This helps you to use different packaging formats, thereby meeting different market demands.
Sensor-Based Error Detection
This feature identifies problems like jams or misfeeds and then alerts you to prevent your machine from shutting down.
Stainless Steel Construction
Wet wipes machines are usually made of corrosion-resistant materials like stainless steel. This helps to maintain hygiene, especially when producing personal care or medical wipes.
Applications of a Wet Wipe Machine
Baby Wipes
This machine is great for producing soft wet wipes for babies. These wipes are clean enough to wipe babies’ butt after diaper change.
Cleansing Pads
Some wet wipes are for cosmetic purposes. These soft wipes have cleansing solutions. You can use such wipes for makeup removal or just your normal skincare routine.
Pain Relief Pads
Wet wipe machines infuse wipes with analgesic solutions to help relieve pain in your body. You can use these wipes in medical care and sports.
Healthcare Wet Wipes
Wet wipes are commonly used in the healthcare industry. Doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers can use these wipes to clean their hands, medical equipment, and surfaces.
Industrial Wet Wipes
Wet wipes machines can produce wipes for industrial purposes. You can use these wipes to remove any dirt, oil, or grease in manufacturing environments.
Personal Hygiene Wet Wipes
You can use wet wipes to keep yourself clean and fresh. These wipes are good for everyday use and travel.
Pet Care Wet Wipes
These wipes are good for cleaning your pets’ ears and paws. They are very safe for your pet as they don’t contain toxic solutions.
Conclusion
Wet wipe machines are very important in the production of wet wipes. They ease and speed up the production process, thereby increasing efficiency. You can use wet wipes for different purposes ranging from medical, personal hygiene, industrial, and for babies. Wet wipe machines always operate in a germ-free environment to ensure cleanliness during production.
