CLAMSHELL PACKAGING
General Information About Clamshell Packaging
When it comes to retail packaging, clamshell packaging has the fastest growth rate of clear thermoformed packaging and has become one of the most recognized types of thermoformed package. With the majority of clamshell packaging produced in PVC material, customers are offered the best "billboard" for their product. The displayability of clamshell packaging provides an added feature that other thermoformed packages simply cannot match.
Design Considerations For Clamshell Packaging
When looking at the design considerations for a clamshell, package designers must take into account a number of different aspects in order to create the right package. The different components of clamshell packaging that need to be considered are the hinges, the flanges, the formed closing mechanism, and the product location within the package.
The hinge is typically the most critical part of the design process because it is affected by length, style, material distribution in the hinge area, and whether it is a male or female part.
Flanges are important because once the part is thermoformed, there needs to be an area for secondary sealing, or an area in which a consumer would be able to pull open the package.
The formed closing mechanism is based mostly on the customer's information. Changes are made through prototyping and when the tool is in the thermoformer, however, the overall goal is to get a tight fit based on the customer's requirements.
Finally, the location of the product within the thermoformed clamshell package is very important when creating a design. Details such as front to back location within the package, displayability, hangability, and side to side location all dictate how a thermoformed package will be designed.
Thermoforming Considerations For Clamshell Packaging
Material distribution is determined by plugs and process sequence. Process sequence would be vacuum, form air, tool temperature, and the timing of all of those three. Undercuts make the parts difficult to remove from the tool, to de-nest from each other, and to process parts on a heat sealer.
Advantages and Disadvantages For Clamshell Packaging
Advantages
- Stocking and ordering only one SKU
- Only have to buy one tool
Disadvantages
- Assembly line does not have space for flapping lid (gets in the way)
- Package security may require a four-sided secondary seal
