Improved barrier film in flexible packaging The improved barrier film is one of the most important trends in the development of flexible packaging. It can extend the shelf life of goods. The key factor in the spring is better barrier performance, and it is convenient and easy for both manufacturers and consumers. This has led to a steady increase in flexible packaging, from stand-up pouches to retort packaging, in areas where traditional rigid packaging dominates. In fact, according to the latest statistics from the Flexible Packaging Association, flexible packaging has gradually occupied 17% of the US$ 127 billion packaging market in the United States, making it the second largest packaging type in the country. The compatibility of various production processes, filling, canning methods and handling methods of flexible packaging, coupled with its light weight and printability, make it increasingly favored by manufacturers, retailers and consumers. For example, the Alcan (USA) Food Security Corporation (Chicago, Illinois) award-winning Clear-Shield high-impact shrink wrap for packaging "bone-inmeats" is a proprietary process. Polyethylene and polyamide coextrusion composites. This combination creates a packaging film material for retained bone meat products with excellent puncture resistance, transparency, barrier properties, and ease of use. PC Metallized Acrylic Film Beyond Metal Foil Substrates Aluminum foil has long been a reliable component of moisture barrier films. Aluminum foil itself has excellent barrier properties, can block the exchange of moisture and gas, so many people still see it as a plastic film can not match the material. However, the metal foil is prone to wrinkling when it is bent, and this often occurs when the food is packaged in small boxes and stored on a shelf. This makes the goods less attractive after being placed on the shelves, and the metal foil pouches, such as those made of thinner gauges, are prone to pinholes, thereby losing their barrier function and reducing their effective performance. Torav Plastics (USA) Co., Ltd. (Kingston, RI) recently introduced a series of PC metallized acrylic films designed specifically to replace composite metal foils. For example, earlier this year, Unilever chose traditional PPFP (paper/polyethylene/foil/polyethylene) materials to package popular Knorr and Lipton products. This choice was tested after 6 months and proved that the new film does have excellent barrier protection capabilities, which can enhance the brand image and can be determined after reducing the packaging cost. High-barrier OPP film that can replace metal foil ExxonMobil Chemical Corp. (Marsden, NY) also developed a thin film designed to replace composite metal foils. The company's high-barrier metal-lyte film is Exxon's new generation of metallyte OPP film, which has more excellent anti-seepage protection, which makes it an attractive alternative to aluminum foil. Metallyte 18XM383 is one of the most outstanding uncoated metallized films available today. It protects sensitive products from moisture, and prevents perfume spills or inhalation, product oxidation, UV degradation and loss of food flavor. Metallyte XM383 has excellent water vapor barrier (WVTr) (less than 0.1g/m2/24h), which can extend the shelf life of the product more than other metallized films. In addition, its good oxygen permeability (less than 7 cm3/m2/24h) also makes it an excellent choice for atmosphere modified packaging (MAP) that protects food from oxidation by inert gas. Alternative to Metallized ClearFoil® Films Some products require the use of aluminum foil or metallized polyester film composites to provide a barrier protection barrier, but the metal components may interfere with the anti-theft devices currently used in retail packaging and may interact with devices such as radio frequency identification (RFID) transmissions. Similar problems occur with technologies that are promoted in the future. According to a food engineering study in 2004, 22% of survey respondents indicated that their company has implemented radio frequency identification tagging initiatives. (on)
Reprinted from: China Packaging News