Technology's Edge
Rollprint's Film Offers Barrier Improvements
ADDISON, Ill.—Rollprint Packaging Products, Inc. has introduced what it believes to be the first transparent, non-aluminum foil, barrier film line for stick pack and flow-wrapped packaging applications.
The new Overture® One lamination is based on Rollprint's proprietary ClearFoil® barrier-coated polyester coupled with an aggressive sealant. The structure enables high-speed sealing for added functionality.
Overture® One is suitable for a wide variety of granular, powdered, liquid, and solid applications that can benefit from both clarity and the absence of foil. This encompasses a broad range of food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and chemical products. Stick pack examples include powdered drinks, liquid pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and household cleaners. Flow wrapped products can range from syringe and IV bag overwraps to industrial parts and electronic components.
"Our research told us that there was a need for a structure that would provide the barrier properties required without the use of aluminum foil," explains Dwane Hahn, vice president of sales and marketing, Rollprint. "The reasons varied from wanting portions of the product to be visible to consumers to overcoming metal detection interference."
The end result is a proprietary structure that can achieve comparable performance to foil-based laminations at two-thirds of the thickness, creating an opportunity for cost-savings. Oxygen barrier levels are available as low as 0.0008 cc/100 sq. in./24 hrs. and moisture barrier properties are available down to 0.0008 g/100 sq. in./24 hrs.
Further, its transparent attributes enable brand owners to use product texture and color to enhance shelf appeal. The entire structure can be kept transparent or limited to "windows" to display contents. Consumers can readily see contents, so guesswork is eliminated.
"The Overture® One lamination enables those products traditionally packaged via form-fill-seal to be considered for more cost-effective flow wrapping. The technology has improved to the point that flow wrappers offer excellent hermetic seals, making this approach suitable for more stringent pharma and medical device applications," Hahn says.
