.png)
THE BUILD
Inside the Project
A closer look at the partnership, equipment support, and custom engineering behind Chem-Pak’s non-standard actuator application.
Partnership Built Around Adaptability
Long-Term Equipment Support
Chem-Pak Inc. is a full-service aerosol, liquid, and specialty packaging partner that has supported brands across North America since 1966. With three facilities, 85+ team members, and more than 3,000 successful product launches, Chem-Pak helps customers scale products, navigate compliance, and bring market-ready packaging solutions to life.
As a production partner serving a wide range of brands and product types, Chem-Pak depends on equipment that can run reliably, adapt to changing packaging requirements, and support long-term customer demand. That need for dependable, serviceable automation is what has made Haumiller Engineering a trusted partner for decades.
“With Haumiller, you know you're getting the highest quality aerosol machinery on the market. It works the same, you know, day one as it does 10 years later.”
– Mike Duane, VP & General Manager of Chem-Pak
For Chem-Pak, aerosol packaging equipment must keep up with changing product formats, actuator designs, and customer requirements without sacrificing uptime, operator safety, or finished product quality.
The height of the can, combined with the height and design of the trigger actuator, created several application concerns. The actuator needed to be applied securely, but too much contact or force in the wrong areas could damage the plastic component before it reached the end user. Haumiller needed to find a way to make the application work while protecting the integrity, appearance, and performance of the actuator.
Why actuator design matters in aerosol automation? Trigger actuators must be applied with enough force to sit properly without damaging the plastic component or affecting the finished package.
That experience gave Chem-Pak confidence to return to Haumiller when they needed a newer machine. Haumiller supplied an updated tipper with modern safety and operator-focused features, including door interlocks, tunnel guarding, pinch point protection, HMI controls, can tracking, fault visibility, and machine stop data. These updates gave Chem-Pak added safety and production visibility while maintaining the reliability they had come to expect from Haumiller equipment.
The next challenge Chem-Pak brought Haumiller was a new trigger actuator application that fell outside the standard machine range. Haumiller uses defined size parameters for tips and actuators. When a component falls outside that standard range, Haumiller evaluates whether the machine can be modified to run the application successfully.
For this application, Haumiller developed a custom modification to its 4400 12-pocket capper, allowing Chem-Pak to run a tall can and taller-than-standard trigger actuator on a proven machine platform. The result was a custom solution built from a standard machine platform, allowing Chem-Pak to run an application that originally sat outside typical equipment parameters.
“To us, reliability and uptime is one of the most important things that we have on the floor. And so having our operators who can set up the machines, we can run it, and we can count on it being there for us day in and day out is really invaluable.”
– Mike Duane, VP & General Manager of Chem-Pak
To make the application work, Haumiller worked closely with the actuator designer over a two-to-three-month period to evaluate how the component would move through the machine, where force would be applied, and which areas of the actuator were most vulnerable during application.
Early actuator designs included features that could have broken under the pressure needed to apply the component onto the can. To reduce that risk, the actuator design was refined so vulnerable features were moved inside the casing. This allowed the actuator to better withstand the application process without compromising its final appearance or function.
From there, Haumiller modified the standard 4400 capper design to accommodate the added height of both the can and actuator. The goal was not simply to make the component fit. The machine needed to apply the actuator consistently, avoid damage, and maintain proper performance in a production environment.
Through close collaboration between Chem-Pak, the actuator designer, and Haumiller’s engineering team, the modified 4400 capper successfully handled an application that originally fell outside the standard machine range.
The project delivered value on multiple levels, from the specific actuator application to the broader long-term partnership between Chem-Pak and Haumiller.
Protected product quality
The modified 4400 capper allowed Chem-Pak to apply the trigger actuator without compromising the integrity of the component. By reducing the risk of actuator damage during application, the system helped protect the finished product before it reached the end user.
Extended equipment value
Haumiller’s continued support for Chem-Pak’s Lasta Tipper helped extend the value of legacy equipment already proven in production. With proper maintenance from Chem-Pak and ongoing change part support from Haumiller, the machine remained a reliable part of the production environment decades after its original installation.
Improved safety and production visibility
The updated tipper gave Chem-Pak added safety and operator-focused visibility through guarding, interlocks, HMI controls, can tracking, fault information, and machine stop data. These updates helped the team better understand machine performance while supporting a safer production environment.
Expanded future capability
By developing a working solution for a tall can and taller-than-standard actuator combination, Haumiller created a proven approach that can inform future projects with similar dimensional challenges.
For Chem-Pak, Haumiller has remained more than an equipment supplier. The partnership has been built through decades of machine support, change part design, responsive collaboration, and a willingness to evaluate applications that do not fit neatly within standard equipment parameters.
Chem-Pak’s team also brings the right information to the table. When new actuator variations, product changes, or future requirements could affect machine performance, they communicate those details early. That collaboration helps Haumiller design change parts and machine modifications with fewer surprises, creating a smoother path from application challenge to production-ready solution.
When Chem-Pak has a new or unusual packaging challenge, Haumiller remains a trusted first call. This project reflects the strength of that long-term partnership: durable equipment, continued support, and custom engineering built around the real needs of production.
“We trust that the Haumiller machine, when it arrives, is going to work just the way that we discussed– and it does. And I think on Haumiller’s end, they know that we do our homework to make sure that we're giving them all the details they need to design a machine that's going to work for us.”
– Mike Duane, VP & General Manager of Chem-Pak
Have an aerosol packaging application that falls outside standard equipment specs? Haumiller designs, modifies, and supports automation systems built around real production challenges. Contact our team to discuss your next application.
A closer look at the partnership, equipment support, and custom engineering behind Chem-Pak’s non-standard actuator application.
.avif)