A conventional product in an unconventional packaging format; laundry detergent in an earth friendly pouch offered to consumers; an extrusion coating line that allows for rapid delivery; and a family of water-based dry-bond hybrid laminating adhesives dries and ships in two days.
These companies are making strides to offer what customers are requesting. All of these innovations are paving inroads for the flexible packaging industry.
Motor Oil in Pouches
A conventional product that is widely used is now offered in an all new packaging format.
As the nation’s first motor oil sold at retail in a sustainable, flexible stand-up pouch, the Eco Ultra FlexPak sets a new standard in U.S. motor oil packaging. Compared to conventional hard plastic bottles, the durable, lightweight FlexPak is made with 25 percent less material, and offers consumers a faster, easier and cleaner way to change their oil. It also gives retailers and installers a unique opportunity to offer their customers a high-performance product in an environmentally responsible package.
“Our Eco Ultra FlexPak has literally broken the mold in the retail motor oil marketplace,” says Jan Horsfall, Universal Lubricants’ chief marketing officer. “Consumers want to choose products that are good for the environment without sacrificing product quality and performance. Thanks to our partnership with Star Packaging, we have created a breakthrough product that embodies high performance, innovative design and sustainability.”
Star Packaging Corp. produces the package for Universal Lubricants. The tough, three-layer Eco Ultra FlexPak features a pour-spout engineered by Innovative Packaging Network, which prevents the traditional glugs and bubbles from bottles that cause splatters and spills. It has a polyethylene barrier that provides superior burst and seal strengths required for the rigors of oil.
A larger, 5.1-quart FlexPak will be available this year.
Green Packaging for the Cleaning Industry
Ampac, a leader in creative flexible packaging, has collaborated with another industry leader to create its Savvy Green eco-Clean Laundry Detergent package. The Savvy Green pouch utilizes Ampac’s No. 2 Pouch innovation and was printed using Esko Artwork’s HD Flexo technology. This provides drastically improved print quality over conventional flexographic printing.
Back in 2011, Ampac introduced the No. 2 Pouch and explains, “Responding to requests for more environmentally friendly packaging materials, Ampac created the No. 2 Pouch to be more compatible with existing post-consumer recycled waste streams. The No. 2 Pouch provides customers with a stand-up pouch alternative that has a greater potential for recycling as compared to traditional laminated stand-up pouches. When clean and dry, the No. 2 Pouch can be recycled with plastic retail shopping bags collected at many stores across the US.”
The collaboration with Esko offers a crisp, vivid package using flexo printing, which also offers the ability to be recycled.
Ampac’s Dave Bartish, marketing director, states, “Ampac has won several recent awards that showcase our ability to produce innovative new products to meet market demand. Our international recognition showcases our capabilities in Europe that complement our overall competencies worldwide.”
An Extrusion Coating Line Machine for Quick Delivery
The new dsX flex-pack extrusion coating line from Davis-Standard provides converters and package printers with a high-value, competitively-priced system that will give them distinct advantages when seeking to expand sales in the price-sensitive global flexible packaging market.
This pre-engineered line can be delivered quickly – in as little as six months – and provides customers with all the capabilities and flexibility needed to ramp up and compete effectively for a variety of rapidly emerging application opportunities including: salted snack and noodle bags, toothpaste tubes, sachet packs personal care products, condiment packs, and stand-up pouches.
Davis Standard has included everything customers will need to achieve their flexible packaging manufacturing objectives, whether they are converters looking to upgrade for higher throughputs and quality; multinational suppliers in search of expansion opportunities; high-quality printers who want to enhance their lamination processes; or start-ups who could benefit from partnering with a company that can lead them through all the steps that assure extrusion coating success.
Designed and engineered to provide superior value to comparably priced systems, the dsX flex-pack flexible packaging line includes: flexible packaging unwinder; corona treaters; extrusion laminator; gravure primer coater dryer; pull roll with nip; winder; electrically heated, air-cooled Davis-Standard extruder with advanced feedscrew design; downstream, carriage, and controls (Seimens drives and controls used throughout). Lines are available in two versions to accommodate almost any plant: one is a longer line with the auxiliary unwinder placed close to the floor; the other raises the auxiliary unwinder to a position just atop the winder to shorten both the line length and the path of the auxiliary web to the laminator.
Water-Based Dry Bond
Hybrid Laminating Adhesives Allows for Rapid Shipping
H.B. Fuller Company recently introduced a family of water-based dry bond hybrid laminating adhesives for flexible packaging in the food and industrial markets. The new Flextra water-based line-up, PD2243, PD2167 and PD2207, is designed for high clarity, clean machining and excellent cell release. Together, the water-based adhesives offer converters three options to help maximize performance while balancing cost.
“Customers packaging produce, bakery goods, snacks and confections need adhesives that match their performance needs,” says Brian Glasbrenner, North American sales manager, flexible packaging at H.B. Fuller. “We developed the Flextra water-based dry bond hybrid laminating adhesives to give customers more choice with the high-end performance they can count on. With these products, you can laminate, pouch, ship and fill packages in as few as two days.”
Flextra PD2243 offers the highest performance of H.B. Fuller’s water-based line with excellent clarity on various films, high bond strength, high chemical resistance and high heat resistance. The adhesive is suitable for stand-up pouches. Its clean machining helps minimize production line shut-downs for clean-up.
Within the line, Flextra PD2167 provides the widest window of performance for its cost with good bond strength on a variety of films. It has good clarity and gravure cylinder cell release, leading to good adhesive transfer and easy clean-up.
Universal Lubricants
EcoUltra
Star Packaging Corp.
Ampac
Esko Artwork
Davis-Standard
H.B. Fuller Company
