Flexible Packaging Barriers to flexible
Tom Kerchiss, chairman of RK Print Coat Instruments, says we live in an age of expectation and gratification: we expect our broadband to be glitch free and high speed and that the car that we buy will be reliable and not let us down.
renewables is a challenge, an acknowledgement of this is the fact that some legislative and trade associations in the US, Canada and elsewhere have time shifted sustainability legislation surrounding the phasing out of single use plastics. This by no means dilutes various initiatives underway by supply chain providers; the ink, coatings and material providers to redesign with sustainability, a reduction in harmful emissions and better use of earths’ scarce resources and a lower carbon footprint in mind.
Regardless of material or process selection, the converter, in partnership with ink suppliers and others need to weigh up diff erent processing options and deliver accordingly. It is not just about looks. Improvements in polymer technology coupled with inorganic and organic surface treatments and coatings make it far easier to source material that meets specifi c heat-seal thresholds, gloss, clarity, fl exibility without cracking and product resistance.
Barrier critical properties that may be required for S
urprises are not always welcome. If a car, a washing machine or a branded food item disappoints, the consumer will turn to a rival product – with scarcely a second thought. Many of the products that we buy, whether consciously or sub-consciously defi ne who we think we are and our place in the world. With this in mind the brand owners must work hard to motivate the consumer at retail to make that purchase. Packaging and labelling contains and protects but its colour, graphics, brand logo and informational content that makes that connection with the consumer and generates sales. However, consumers want much more from the pack.
Consumers want product packaging to contain no surprises. They want colour that associates with the brand for quick and easy on shelf identifi cation. They want convenience; they want their food and beverages to be safe and protected yet they want their pizzas and chocolate with the minimal of packaging wrap and increasingly now they pay much more attention than in the past as to what the packaging is made from and whether or not it is recyclable and meets sustainability objectives. Consumers would like the goods contained within the pack to have as long a shelf life as possible. For fl exible packaged items, the pouches and bags should ideally be provided with zippers
40 June 2025
fl exible packaging, particularly onto fi lms and papers include humidity control, safe sealing, air tightness, light protection (UV), oxygen permeability, aroma barrier, heat resistance and water vapour protection. Peel-ability and grease proofi ng may be a requirement. Some barrier properties are easier to obtain than others. Obtaining a good moisture barrier may be relatively easy, obtaining a barrier to gases may be more diffi cult.
for opening and closure to avoid wastage. Packs should incorporate the necessary barrier properties to prevent the ingress or egress of spoilers: light/gases, moisture and microorganisms.
Of course, it’s not always possible for the packaging technologist and the converter to deliver on all counts, nevertheless fl exible packaging players work hard not to disappoint. Structural integrity of the pack is important. Strong welds and hermetic seals are necessary, particularly for fl exible packaging pillow pouches and bags, many of which are stored in freezers and are subject to rough handling and low temperatures.
Substrates and consumables must meet regulatory requirements with regard to safety and wellbeing and contain non-migratory components. The move away from single use plastic to materials containing 30 per cent or more of recycled content or ideally
Packaging converters and their customers need to know what works and what does not and how to overcome the various obstacles associated with trialling new materials. Colour communication devices such as the K Printing Proofer is designed to produce high quality proofs using gravure, gravure-off set or fl exo inks. Furthermore, this device also off ers meter bar coating.
RK Print Coat Instruments have noticed that many organisations are turning to water based coatings with lower solids content. Flexible packaging converters have taken delivery of VCML coaters for applying barrier coatings onto fi lm and papers. There are many coating applicator methods that may be considered. Reverse gravure coating is an option with both RK’s VCM and VCML. Reverse gravure with its large wet coat range off ers key benefi ts such as uniformity and freedom from pinholes. Absence of pinholes is vital, as pinholes will impact on the eff ectiveness of any barrier that has been put in place.
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