DESENVOLVIMENTO DE AMOSTRAS E VALIDAÇÃO DE PARÂMETROS DE PROCESSO EM EMBALAGENS FLEXÍVEIS

Abstract

The flexible packaging sector constitutes a strategic segment of engineering in modern industry, being essential to preserve food integrity, protect it against physical, chemical, and microbiological agents, and ensure efficient communication with the consumer. This work describes the activities developed during the supervised internship in a flexible packaging industry, analyzing the production process and the rigorous quality control system, which are indispensable for food safety. The experience provided a systemic view that begins in the Research and Development (R&D) sector, where participation in sample development was fundamental to validate structures and ensure compatibility among resins, adhesives, and printings before large-scale production. On the factory floor, the internship emphasized the control of critical variables in extrusion, such as thickness monitoring to ensure barrier properties and the film's machine performance. Subsequently, the flexographic printing and lamination processes were monitored, understanding the synergy between substrates such as Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyethylene—a union necessary to provide gloss, resistance, and sealability to the complex. In the finishing phase, the practice focused on optimizing cutting-and-sealing parameters to guarantee hermetic seals through the interpenetration of molecular chains. The central component of the internship was quality control, where analytical methods were applied to determine the grammage of components using precision balances. This integrated approach allowed the technical classification of defects into critical, major, or minor, consolidating the importance of constant monitoring for operational excellence and compliance with market demands.