materials | Plastic pouches


Right: Total says that its Lumicene Supertough metallocene polyethylene could lead to downgauging of around 25%


– such as by improving oxygen and moisture barrier or abuse resistance. “Every application is unique,” said Rob Clare,


applications development specialist at Nova. “We can help converters make a structure that works well on their equipment and has the performance characteris- tics that their customers desire.”


Pet project Separate to this, Nova was recently challenged by a pet food packaging company to create an all-polyethylene stand-up pouch to replace a mixed-material laminate version – while at the same time matching its proper- ties and requirements. The pouch is used to house 5-10lbs (2.3-4.5kg) of pet


Easily recyclable Flexpack specialist Printpack has developed an easy-tear pouch that can be more easily recycled – be- cause it has an all-polyethylene (PE) design. Films with multiple materials can contain a combi- nation of recyclable and non-recyclable layers. It can be difficult for these components to be separated and recycled – while a single-material structure maximizes recycling efficiency, said Printpack. “Consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact of packaging waste on the environment, but do not want to compromise on convenience and product quality,” said Mark Brogan, director of technology and innovation at Printpack. “By providing packaging that is easily recyclable and free of significant learning curves or sacrifices to convenience and product protection, brand owners can live up to their sustainability promises and build greater brand loyalty.” As well as being easily recyclable, the pouch can be equipped with customisable options for moisture barriers, oxygen barriers and closures to better preserve contents and combat food waste, said the company. The pouch complies with How2Recycle – a store


Right: Print- pack’s easy-


tear pouch is easier to


recycle as it is made


entirely from polyethylene


drop-off recycling scheme in the USA. Nova Chemicals of Canada has


achieved something similar – saying that its recyclable, stand-up pouch is compatible with #2 HDPE recycling streams.


It says that its multi-layer PE film


offers several benefits, including: a high moisture barrier; the ability to run on standard processing lines without loss of productivity; and compatibility with reclosable zippers. Film customers can work with Nova to adapt the structure to their own needs


40 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | June 2017


food. An all-PE pouch offers the benefit of recyclability, while retaining the performance, processability and cost-competitiveness of mixed-material structures. Nova used a product-modelling system to predict


the feasibility of the project, which will go into the prototyping phase in the future. The benefit of the modelling system is that the development phase can be fast-tracked, allowing feasibility to be determined more easily and the number of prototypes to be reduced. The modelling system was developed by Nova


following a ‘design of experiment’ approach. At last year’s K2016 exhibition, Total, Windmöller &


Hölscher and Coveris collaborated to create what they called the ‘next step forward’ in stand-up pouches. The project combined Total’s new Lumicene


Supertough grade of metallocene polyethylene, with Windmöller & Hölscher’s machinery and software knowledge and the lamination and pouch making expertise of Coveris – leading to a pouch that could be 25% thinner than existing designs. Total says that the material has superior mechanical


properties, downgauging potential, excellent bubble stability and peak output. It says that many customers have already used it to make stand-up pouches.


Click on the links for more information:


❙ www.amiplastics.com ❙ www.basf.com


❙ www.brueckner.com ❙ www.cflex.com


❙ www.metalvuoto.it ❙ www.treofan.com


❙ www.exxonmobilchemical.com ❙ www.printpack.com ❙ www.novachem.com


❙ www.total.com ❙ www.wuh-group.de ❙ www.coveris.com


www.filmandsheet.com


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