MATERIALS | BARRIER FILM
resistance of the aluminium layer and fewer metallising defects. The company is now working on Alubond Gen II, which has further benefits including optimised metallising defects – for more sensitive markets – and maintaining high dyne level and dyne level retention.
Above: Bobst has installed multiple Expert K5s at various converters
process. Adding an invisible mark to the packaging helps to ensure that it can be identified, collected and recycled later on – making for improved sorting in the recycling process.
Humid situation At the same event, Chris Cheetham – sales director for the eastern hemisphere at Bobst – gave insights into how vacuum metallising can help to create packaging for humid climates. At its Manchester technical centre in the UK, it has carried out multiple trials, on materials includ- ing PET, BOPP and CPP using machinery like its Expert K5 – a metalliser suitable for use with both paper and plastic substrates. In terms of sustainability, customers want to use
monomaterials (such as PE or PP), compostable, bio-based and biodegradable materials (such as PLA and PHA) or paper/fibre. In addition, there are increasing demands for higher barrier properties, he added. “The common target is to replace traditional
multi-material structures with new sustainable duplex and triplex, mono-material and alternative material, high- and ultra-high barrier packaging structures,” he said. One way to do this, he said, is with Bobst’s AluBond process – a patented hybrid coating technology that claims superior anchoring proper- ties to the substrate. Adhesion between the metallised layer and the substrate is at a level that conventional ‘plasma’ based systems have been unable to achieve, he said – leading to improved barrier performance. The company has carried out multiple tests, such
as EAA peel test (on metallised PET, BOPP and CPP) – all of which showed a high peel force. This includes very good cross-web uniformity. Overall, the technique promises higher metal adhesion than standard metallised film, a superior barrier (for polyolefin substrates), corrosion
38 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | March 2025
Metal market Agrani Punj, head of international business at Supervac Industries, said that the use of metal- lised film is on the rise. The market is expected to swell at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% – reaching US$7.2 billion by 2033 (up from US$4.5bn in 2023). Emerging markets like India and China are
expected to drive this growth – while mature markets like Germany and the US will also grow but at a relatively slower rate,” he said. Growth rates vary between 6.1% for India, to 1.8% for Germany. At the same time, competition continues to drive down margins – with 13% average profitability in 2014 declining to around 10% in 2018 and 6% in 2025. Rising costs – of raw materials, energy and labour – has added to this pressure. There are other factors at work too, including over capacity – leading to excess supply and lower prices – market saturation and global economic uncertainty. “Uncertainty, such as trade disputes and geopolitical tensions, has impacted demand and profitability in the industry,” he added. Despite these pressures, there have been a number of technical advances. These include wider web widths – up to 4000mm – and improved barrier properties. “Better metal-to-substrate adhesion and higher barrier values in metallised films has enhanced their ability to protect products from moisture, oxygen and other external factors,” he said. Other technical improvements include evapora-
tion boats – such as its AlphaMax system, that can handle higher optical densities and machine speeds – and more accurate measurement of film characteristics, allowing better quality control and film performance. “Today, metallisers have higher production
speeds, improved coating uniformity and the ability to handle a wider range of materials and film structures,” said Punj. n The next Speciality Packaging Films conference runs in Vienna, Austria on 9-10 December 2025. For more details, contact Carole Charrade on +44 (0) 117 314 8111 (
carole.charrade@
amiplastics.com).
www.filmandsheet.com
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IMAGE: BOBST
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