Flexible Packaging

FLEXIBLE LAMINATES FOR PACKAGING

INTRODUCTION
There were days when most commodities were sold loose and the purchaser
was required to bring a bag, a basket, a bottle or any other container to take
away the goods. This mode of selling has gradually changed over and the seller
is expected to provide a easy-to-handle wrapping or containers of some kind.
Though the packaging industry is dominated by traditional materials like
paper, glass and metals, the tendency of these days is to substitute them by
plastic either on its own or combined with other materials wherever possible.
Basically the packaging material should have the following functions :
Protecting and preserving the product, embellishing it and informing and
persuading the potential customer. Flexible laminates are able to satisfy these
functions very well.
Packaging of goods for retail sale dates back many years. With the
development of new films, packaging machines and processing techniques,
laminates have been exploited to a greater degree than ever before and the
branded unit pack is becoming more the rule than the exception in marketing of
food products, drugs, toiletries and almost all retail merchandise. A study
conducted recently showed that the packaging cost could be reduced by 50% or
more if flexible, laminates were used as opposed to traditional materials like
metals and glass, even though the unit size in the flexible pouch will be less.
A flexible laminate consists of super imposed layers of plastics, paper or foil
bonded together by heat or adhesive or polymer melt to form a composite film
of uniform thickness and flexibility and a laminate is defined flexible when
substantial parts of it can be folded to 180 degree without cracking and without
the need of pre-crease.
Laminates are more and more used in packaging application since by suitably
combining different materials almost any desired combination of properties can
be embodied into the construction such as moisture vapour resistance, gas
barrier, odour barrier, light barrier, strength, scuff resistance, decoration, etc.
Laminates invariably will achieve the balance of properties in terms of
functional physical and aesthetic consideration at a lower cost than is possible
in any other way. For example, laminates of 25 micron(M) cellophane with 25
M Polyethylene film produces a combination of properties which neither

Flexible Packaging
of these two films possess individually in 50 M thickness or in fact in any other
film of that thickness.
A laminate that is being used for processable pouch consists of an inner layer
of modified polyethene laminated to foil which in turn is laminated to polyester
film. A new type of flexible pack that is undergoing a controlled retail test in
London for beer and other carborated drinks is made up of tubular film of
polyester coated with PVDC and an outer wrapper of Polycoated paper.
One of the most advanced form of packaging is 'The space age pack' used in
Apollo programmes, which is a three component pouch made of a laminate
comprising of polyethylene/poly (trifluoromonochloro ethylene) / polyester /
polythene. One of the compartments contains the food while the other two
compartments contain chemicals which when allowed to mix generate
sufficient heat to warm the food. Further, the pack is designed in such a way
that the container simultaneously acts as a dish which obviates spillage.
Thus this pack not only acts as a container but also as heating vessel and a
dish. A commercial pack however does not require this degree of
sophistication.
COMPONENT RAW MATERIALS OF LAMINATES:
The materials used for laminates fall into four main categories :paper, foils,
heat sealable films, and other films. Most laminates are made into pouches,
bags, strips, seachets, etc. by heat sealing and innermost ply or surface of the
laminate is therefore heat sealable like polyethylene.
EVA, Rubber
Hydrochloride or heat sealable lacquer applied to innermost ply. The other
layers in the laminate depend upon the final functional properties required from
the pack.
PAPER :
Paper was probably the first material to be employed in flexible packaging.
As a laminate component it has been used over a long period as a strengthening
ply for the aluminium foil. The main properties are that it is strong but tears
comparatively clearly, it is relatively non-extensible, adds bulk and stiffness to
the laminate and sometimes provides a good surface to print. The types of
paper used for flexible packs are :
(a) Poster paper
(b) Maplitho paper
(c) Kraftpaper

(d) Chromo paper : and

(e) Glassine paper

Flexible Packaging
Aluminium Foil
Unlike platsic film and paper, aluminium foil is a complete barrier to light,
gasses and water vapour provided it has no defects and the package made from
a foil bearing laminate therefore will have perfect barrier properties provided
the foil does not have any pin holes and seals are perfect. Aluminium foil of
0.009 mm is commonly used in laminates made up of multilayers, foil being
one of the inner ply, for packing delicate products such as dehydrated and
hygroscopic foods, drugs, chemicals, etc.
While foil of 0.03 or 0.04 mm with polyethylene or foil coated with heat
seal medium is widely used in strip packing of pharmaceutical products.
Plastic Film
Low density polyethylene film accounts for the biggest proportion of plastic
film used in laminates. In addition, its heat sealing properties, its chemical
inertness, excellent moisture barrier, and grease resistance had ensured its use in
laminates for speciality purposes. The other heat sealing films used are
ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, ionomer (surlyn), ethylene acrylic acid
(EAA) copolymer, rubber, modified polyethylene and PVC to an extent.
Rubber Hydrochloride :
Sold under the trade name pliofilm was the first transparent film that could
be heat sealed to provide a true weld type bond. It is widely used to laminate
with foil, cellophane, for acetatee film. The wide use of this film is due to its
excellent machineability, wide heat seal range and freedom from pin holes.
Other advantages are its relative low water transmission rate, gas transmission
rate and its grease resistance. Pliofilm laminates pouches are used for packaging
yeast, dry foods, cosmetics and drugs.
POLYAMIDES
Nylon is a generic term for polyamides. This film is outstanding as regards
tensile, tear, impact and burst strength. It has high yield of elongation and fold
endurance. It resists abrasion very well. It has an excellent barrier against
most organic odours, outstanding grease resistance and excellent barrier for
gases. But its moisture resistance is very poor. Further this can be steam
sterilised in an auto-clave. Laminated to polyethene it is used for packing a
wide variety of foods requiring gas or vacuum retention.
Polyesters :
Polyester film has gained recognition rapidly for its versatility as packaging
film because of its outstanding strength, barrier to gases, aroma retention and

Flexible Packaging
inertness to chemicals. It is used in laminates which are expected to be heated
(processible pouches or boil in a bag pouch). Laminated to polyethylene it has
unique combination of properties which makes it ideal for high speed vacuum
packaging of meat, cheese, coffee etc.
ORIENTED POLYPROPYLENE :
This film has excellent clarity, mechanical strength and stiffness. It is
sufficiently strong for it to be used in half the thickness of cellulose film but
still give adequate strength. Like cellulose it has poor barrier properties
though these may be improved by PVDC coatings. Basically, this film is used
as a replacement for cellulose film in certain applications.
REGENERATED CELLULOSE
Both by itself and in combination with other materials through laminations
and coatings, cellophane film holds wide spread acceptance due to its broad
adaptability, complete transparency, durability, ease of printability, appealing
appearance and smooth economical operation on high speed automatic
packaging machinery and good gas barrier and grease resistance. Its major
use is in transparent laminate as an outer layer. However, it is sometimes used
as an external ply in foil container laminates to impart high quality appearance.
PVC.
Though large quantity of PVC is produced, very little is used in laminate
structures for packing because of the difficulty in producing film in low
thickness. It is heat sealable to an extent and when used in laminates it can be
either inside or outside ply.
TECHNIQUES OF LAMINATION
The main techniques of lamination process are extrusion lamination and
adhesive lamination. Other methods include heat lamination, wax lamination,
hot melting and co-extrusion.
EXTRUSION COATING
This technique involves the application of molten polymer from an extruder
at a high temperature in a relatively thin film 12 to 50 micron thickness to the
surface of a flexible substrate. The coating is subsequently cooled to form a
structure that has the combined properties of the coating and substrate. The
most common polymer used is LDPE.
However, polymers like EVA, HDPE, PP and ionomer resins are becoming
available for extrusion coating. Since high capital investment is involved and a

Flexible Packaging
lot of material is wasted in starting up this method will be economical only for
long run jobs. Problems of polyethene and lack of good slip properties are
inevitable for this process.
EXTRUSION LAMINATIONS :
This is specialised use of extrusion coating where a hot extruded film is
trapped between two other webs and cooled. Extrusion laminations are most
frequently used where the sealing or stiffness properties of extrusion coated
substrates are not satisfactory or where low odour inner poly layer is required.
ADHESIVE LAMINATIONS :
This process consists of applying adhesive to one ply then combining with
another before drying (wet bonding) or drying the adhesive and bonding the
second ply with heat/or pressure or both (dry bonding). Wet lamination is
limited to those structures having one substrate that is porous such as paper.
Adhesives like caseins, polyvinyl acetate or rubber latex are used for bonding.
Dry bonding is more versatile in that any two materials can be laminated once
an adhesive system has been developed. The adhesives used nowadays are a
two component system like polyurethene or epoxy. This method involves low
capital investment compared to extrusion lamination. However, the problems
like solvent odour in case of dry bonding should be overcome and it takes
about 24 hours for the laminate to be usable. Hence the quality of the bond is
known only after that period. This is an ideal method for short runs and
versatility.
HEAT LAMINATION :
Basically in this process the heat sealable preformed film like polyethylene is
laminated to the backing substrate like paper or foil by preheating the film and
combining the two webs to form a composite. This method employs a low
capital equipment cost compared to extrusion coating.
WAX LAMINATION :
Wax lamination is a system by which molten wax is applied to one ply of
material then combined with a second ply over cooled pressure rollers. In this
system there is no drying involved and laminates of low bond strength are thus
produced at high speeds at low costs.
Wax laminations of foil to
paper/cellophane/tissue paper are widely used in packaging candy, nuts, dry
foods, etc.
CO-EXTRUSION
It is the simultaneous extrusion of two or more resins to form a composite
film. In this process two or more thermo-plastic materials are extruded
simultaneously through adjacent side die lips and combined either internally in

Flexible Packaging
the die or immediately after leaving the die. This single stage processing
replaces other forms of lamination. However, the disadvantages of the process
are the needs for large volume market. The high wastage levels incurred as
well as technical difficulties in selecting the polymer that has specific adhesion
and similar theological characteristics.
HOT-MELT COATING :
In this process, a thin-film of polymer melt is transferred to base substrate by
roller coating methods (Simmer process). This method is widely used in
coating polymers like polyethene and PVC. Temperatures used are much lower
than that of extrusion hence less chance for degradation.
COMMERCIAL ASPECT OF FLEXIBLE PACK :
As mentioned earlier, the cost of an appropriate laminate to produce a
flexible package is about half or less than that of competitive packs made from
metal or glass. However, the hidden- economy is even more important than the
cost differential of the packaging material. The advantages of the flexible pack
can be summarised into (A) in manufacturing packaging material or package
(B) from the filled package point of view. There are some inherent
disadvantages in flexible packs and these cannot be overlooked while selecting
the same.
(A) IN MANUFACTURING PACKAGING MATERIAL OR PACKAGE :
Continuing developments in manufacturing and conversion techniques
make possible substantial savings in material wastage resulting in overall
reduction in package costs. As mentioned earlier, laminate has the advantage of
achieving the balance of properties for the final functional requirements of the
pack at a competitive price. By suitably selecting the layers forming the
laminates, multi colour printing techniques by Gravure and printing with half
tones effect can be taken advantage of thus increasing the sales appeal.
The current tendency of the package manufacturer is to supply the
laminates in reel form either to the product manufacturer or to a contract packer
who in turn uses these reels to pack the product by using form fill and seal
machines or strip packaging machines. Thus using laminates in reel form can
be more economically justified inspite of increased distance between the
laminate manufacturer and its customer.
The packaging machines used for flexible laminates generally require
less floor space.

Flexible Packaging
B) FORM FILLED PACKAGE POINT OF VIEW :
To pack a given quantity of the product, one requires lower weight and
volume from flexible package, reducing freight charges. The pack occupies
little shelf space. Thus it gives opportunities for distribution even through
small retail outlets where stocking space is at a premium.
By selecting suitable combinations (transparent layers) the product
can be seen through the pack. After the product is consumed, flexible packages
are much easier to dispose off.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF FLEXIBILITY :
The major disadvantages of flexibility is the lack of mechanical protection
due to thin wall thickness. So it is often necessary to supplement the pouch
with an outer carton especially for liquid products.
It has been found that the drop strength of pouches increases by three fold
by enclosing it in an outer carton and if the same is adhered to the carton there
is a twelve fold increase in drop strength.
Since most of the laminates are used in automatic packing machines the
maximum capacity of the pouch is limited to about 1 litre or 1 kg. However,
this is in line with current trends towards unit packing of consumer items.
Since these packs are essentially one-shot system they are not
reclosable once the pack is opened.
The rate of filling in flexible laminates are generally lower compared to
the rate of filling in traditional rigid containers. However, traditional packages
require subsequent sealing operation while sealing is done concurrently with
packing in the case of flexible laminates.
SELECTION OF A LAMINATE FOR A PRODUCT.
The introduction of new films, packing sophistication and continuing
economic growth have resulted in a vast range of laminates becoming
available. There is such a variety of combinations available that can often be
tailor-made to meet the demands of the individual product. As flexible
laminates are either replacing traditional materials used for packaging or used
in case of products which are marketed for the first time, the technical
consideration which determine the choice of the material must be known to the
packaging material manufacturers as well as the user in as much detail as
possible. Any information gap at this stage might prove very costly in the long
run. The exchange of information should include the following:

Flexible Packaging
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Full information on products including the ingredients used and the

methods of preparation.
The present method of packing in case of products already marketed
and the shelf-life required.
If the product is hygroscopic then the initial moisture content. And the
deteriorating moisture content of the product. In case the product is gas
sensitive type of gas barrier required.

f) If the product to be packed is light sensitive.

g) The PH of the product (acidity or alkalinity).
g) The size of unit pack and based on this the pouch size.
h) The mechanical properties of the laminates like tensile strength, tearing
strength etc. and the heat seal strength required.
i)

The type of machine and the details of the machine

Conditions like speed, temperature, dwell time, pressure etc. that
will be used .

J) The testing procedure that will be used by the customer for the filled pack.
K) The storage condition of the filled packs both after manufacturing and
during storage in the retail shop.
Based on this information the package manufacturer should be able to
offer flexible laminate at a reasonable price.
It is seldom possible to recommend a particular package without proper
testing. Further with new products and new materials being available
continuously the packaging industry is able to offer alternative packages
with improved functional performance at a competitive price. These will
only be possible with the aid of research and development department. In
addition they will be better equipped to conduct various tests like product
compatibility, storage studies of the product in the recommended pack at
ambient and accelerated conditions, organoleptic evaluation, etc. ( These
tests are regularly carried out by
Research Department before
recommending a package material for a product).

Flexible Packaging
PACKAGING OF FOOD IN FLEXIBLE LAMINATES :
One of the major application areas for flexible packaging is for food packaging.
Some of the important factors to be considered while selecting appropriate
laminate are briefly discussed below :
The basic requirement of a package is
to preserve the food for various duration of time. By preservation, one means
that the package must be able to maintain the status quo of various factors in the
food for various products. Unfortunately there are a number of factors which
can offset the status quo and they may arise from agencies in the food, from
the elements in the environment the food is placed in, or may arise from the
packaging material itself. The deteriorating agencies within the food and the
means of controlling their growth is an aspect of food technology and the
package itself can exert very little control over them. However, the packaging
material can cause mischief by imparting a physical taint and off flavour into
the food thereby often rendering it unpalatable.
It is worth noting that high polymers themselves do not offer any off flavour
hazards but low molecular weight compounds, like monomers, oligomer and
certain additives in polymers are liable to migration e.g. increase of extrusion
coated substrate like paper or cellophane with polyethylene. If we were to put
some icing sugar into a sealed pouch made from such a laminate it could soon
develop a bitter taste. This off-flavour arises due to the oxidative degradation
of polyethylene while processing which liberates low molecular weight
oxygenated compounds like aldhydes, ketoses, etc. with various degree of
unsaturation. Other polymers that are known to cause problems are polystyrene
and PVC.
The next source of deterioration may arise due to permeation of various
elements in the environment the food is placed in. For example, food with a
high unsaturated fat content or with oil content are highly susceptible to
oxidative rancidity due to permeation of oxygen from atmosphere. Water
vapour transmission is often the cause of product caking in dehydrated foods or
growth of microbial organism in the food. These are examples of inward
permeation of gases and vapours. It is often the case that outward perrneation
of may occur so that one is often faced with product losing their characteristics
aroma when packaged in plastics as for instance when spices, essential oils
permeate out of the package, thereby causing considerable handling problems.

Flexible Packaging
Ultra violet light itself can often catalyse oxidative rancidity or affect the
colour of the food if the package used is transparent. For example, low
density polyethylene has ultra violet light transmission of 85% but if it is
white pigmented, transmission is reduced to 35% while black polyethylene
reduce the transmission down to 3% to 6%. Thus these various permeation
factors can be combated by rational selection of the packaging material.
A common saying though slightly exaggerated is that the pouch is only as
good as its heat seal. One is often faced with a situation where though a
packaging material "x" has a better barrier property .
One important parameter that should be taken into consideration while
designing the pack is the surface area to volume ratio, remembering that the
lower the ratio the lesser the possibility of deterioration due to migration and
permeation. Theoretically, the sphere is the shape with minimum S/V ratio but
this is not a proposition for a commercial package. One of the best designs
which is known to have a minimum S/V ratio is the "Tetrapack" which is
essentially a structure of four equilateral triangles. However, the common
pouch design is considered as the most inferior as the most inferior as far as
S/V ratios are concerned.

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Flexible Packaging
CONCLUSION
This paper is necessarily a brief account of flexible laminates as a packaging
material. In most developed countries a large variety of food and no-food
products are being successfully packed in flexible laminates. In India, as well
as the concept of unit pack has been accepted and flexible laminates are being
used in packaging to an extent mainly in the urban market. However, with
industrial growth the economy of shortages which we have today will change in
the not too distant future, resulting in increased consumption of consumer items
in unit packs in the rural market. This will bring a tremendous demand for
packaging material posing new challenges. The need for close cooperation
between the packaging material manufacturer and its user in achieving a
successful pack cannot be over-emphasized to ensure the continued growth of
flexible laminates in packaging.

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Flexible Packaging
TYPICAL LAMINATES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Materials
Characteristics
Typical uses
Foil
wrap

Excellent WVTR, Good

Candy

Machinability pliable.

biscuit

wrap.
Cellophane/Wax/
Cellophane

Cellophane/Adhesive/
packing
Pliofilm

Excellent WVTR, Sandwitch

Bags or
rinting, good machine
pouches for
performance.
Hygroscopic
items.
Excellent gas barrier

Nut

(reverssed) printing,
transparent pack.

with inert gas,

etc.

Cellophane / Poly

Excellent gas barrier

trapped printing.

Pharmaceutical
tablets,
chocolates etc.

Acetate/Adhesive/
Foil / Vinyl coated

Good rigidity,
Excellent Gas and
W V Barrier.

Pharmaceutical
products,
Dehydrated
coffee.

Polyester film /
food
saran coated
Polyethylene

High strength, positive

Vacuum

sealing, excellent gas

and W V Barrier.

pouches.

Glassine / Poly / Poly

Good rigidity, Good gas

And water barrier, High
tear, puncture resistance,
grease resistance.

Pouch stock
for dehydrated
foods, pipe
tobacco.

Foil/Adhesive/Paper/
Polyethylene
powder

Good W V barrier, tin-type Soup mixes,

or black seal pouches,
drink
Good machinability, good
appearance.

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and dry milk

solids.

Flexible Packaging
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Materials
Characteristics
Typical uses
Cellophane / Poly
Foil Poly

Excellent gas barrier,

sandwitch printing, Good
W V resistance.
hygroscopic
products.

Luncheons,
Meat, soup
mixes,

Polyamide / Poly

Good gas barrier, Good

W V resistance, Aroma
retention.

Meat packing,
cheese, boil in
A bag pouches,
heavy machi nery parts.

Polyester / Adhesive /
Flexible
Foil / Poly

Polyester / Poly
and

Glassine / Poly
packing

Excellent gas barrier,

good heat resistance,
good rigidity, aroma
retention.

processable
cans.

Outstanding strength,

Vacuum

Excellent gas barrier,

chemical inertness.

inert gas
packing.

Good strength,

Strip

W V resistance.
Foil / Poly

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Excellent barrier to
Gas, water vapour and
light.

Hygroscopic
products in
strip packaging.