Plastic Films in Packaging
Chapter 5
linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)
low density polyethylene (LDPE)
high density polyethylene (HDPE)
polypropylene (PP)
polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
nylon, polystyrene, polyvinylidene chloride,
biobased resins, ethylene vinyl alcohol, acrylic,
fluoropolymers, acrylonitrile, cyclic-olefin
copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol)
Polyvinylidene Chloride
Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) resin, the struc-ture of which is shown in Figure 1.16, is usually a copolymer of
vinylidene chloride with vinyl chlo-ride or other monomers. PVDC is commonly known as Sarant.

Applications and uses:

Monolayer films for food wrap and medical packaging, coextruded films and sheet structures as a barrier layer in
medical packaging, and packaging of foods such as fresh red meats, cheese, and sausages.
Coatings are often applied to prevent specific gas transmission.

Polyamide
High-molecular weight polyamides are com-monly known as nylon. Polyamides are crystalline polymers typically
produced by the condensation of a diacid and a diamine. There are several types, and each type is often
described by a number, such as nylon 66 or polyamide 66 (PA66). The numeric suffixes refer to the number of
carbon atoms present in the molecular structures of the amine and acid respectively (or a single suffix if the amine
and acid groups are part of the same molecule).

Nylon 6
High-molecular weight polyamides are com-monly known as nylon. Polyamides are crystalline polymers typically
produced by the condensation of a diacid and a diamine. There are several types, and each type is often
described by a number, such as nylon 66 or polyamide 66 (PA66). The numeric suffixes refer to the number of
carbon atoms present in the molecular structures of the amine and acid respectively (or a single suffix if the amine
and acid groups are part of the same molecule).
Nylon 6
Some of the Nylon 6 characteristics are as follows:
 Outstanding balance of mechanical properties.
 Outstanding toughness in equilibrium moisture content.
 Outstanding chemical resistance and oil resis-tance.
 Outstanding long-term heat resistance (at a long-term continuous maximum temperature ranging between
80C and 150C).
 Offers low gasoline permeability and out-standing gas barrier properties.
 Highest rate of water absorption and highest equilibrium water content (8% or more).
 Excellent surface finish even when reinforced.
 Poor chemical resistance to strong acids and bases.
Films can be made by extrusion, extrusion coating, and blown film; polyamide films can be easily thermoformed
and biaxially stretched.
Applications and uses: Multilayer packaging— food and medical, cover/base, pouch, and solid films.
Nylon 12
Nylon 12 has only one monomer, aminolauric acid. It has the necessary amine group on one end and
the acid group on the other. It polymerizes with itself to produce the polyamide containing twelve
carbons between the two nitrogen atoms of the two amide groups.

The properties of semicrystalline polyamides are determined by the concentration of amide groups in
the macromolecules. Polyamide 12 has the lowest amide group concentration of all commercially
available polyamides thereby substantially promot-ing its characteristics:

 Lowest moisture absorption (B2%)

 Good to excellent resistance against greases, oils, fuels, hydraulic fluids, various solvents, salt
solutions, and other chemicals

 Low coefficient of sliding friction

 Lowest strength and heat resistance of any polyamide unmodified.

Applications and uses:

Grilamid L 25 is used for sausage skins for precooked sausages and packaging films for deep-frozen
goods.
Nylon 66
Some of the Nylon 66 characteristics are as follows:
 Outstanding balance of mechanical properties.
 Outstanding toughness in equilibrium mois-ture content.
 Outstanding chemical resistance and oil resistance.
 Outstanding long-term heat resistance (at a long-term continuous maximum temperature ranging between 80C and
150C).
 Offers low gasoline permeability and out-standing gas barrier properties.
 High water absorption.
 Poor chemical resistance to strong acids and bases.

Applications and uses:

Packaging meat and cheese, industrial end uses, pouch and primal bag, stiff packages,snacks,condiments,shredded
cheese, and coffee. Also used in wrapping fine art, potable water, and electrical applications.

Nylon 6/12
Some of the Nylon 6/12 characteristics are as follows:
 High impact strength
 Very good resistance to greases, oils, fuels, hydraulic fluids, water, alkalis, and saline
 Low coefficients of sliding friction and high abrasion resistance, even when running dry
 Heat deflection temperature (melting point nearly 40C higher than Nylon 12)
 Tensile and flexural strength
 Outstanding recovery at high wet strength.

Applications: Multilayer food packaging and boil in bag.

EthyleneVinyl Alcohol Copolymer (EVOH)
Ethylenevinyl alcohol (EVOH) is a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl alcohol.
These materials are highly crystalline and are produced with various levels of ethyl-
ene content.

EVOH film has many desirable properties that are summarized as follows:

 Antistatic Properties: Since EVOH resin is a highly antistatic polymer, dust is

prevented from building up on the package when used as a surface layer.

 Luster and Transparency: EVOH resins pro-duce a high gloss and low haze,
resulting in outstanding clarity characteristics. The use of EVOH resin as the outer
surface of a package provides excellent sparkle for improved pack-age
appearance.

 Printability: With an OH group in its molec-ular chain, the EVOH resin surface can
be easily printed without special treatment.

 Resistance to Oil and Organic Solvents: EVOH resins resist oils and organic
solvents, making them particularly suitable for packaging oily foods, edible oils,
mineral oils, agricultural pes-ticides, and organic solvents.

 Weather Resistance: EVOH resins display excellent weatherability. Even when

exposed to outdoor conditions, the polymer retains its color and does not become
yellow or opaque. Mechanical property changes are minimal, demonstrating an
overall high resistance to weather effects
EthyleneVinyl Alcohol Copolymer (EVOH)
 Permeability: EVOH resins offer outstanding gas (oxygen, carbon dioxide,
nitrogen, and helium) barrier properties, and maintain their barrier property
over a wide range of humid-ity. The oxygen-barrier properties of EVOH
vary according to the ethylene content in the polymer. Packages
containing EVOH resins can effectively retain fragrances and preserve the
aroma of the contents within the package. At the same time, undesirable
odors are prevented from entering or leaving the package.

Film processing methods include monolayer film extrusion (blown or cast),

coextruded film extrusion (blown or cast), coextrusion blow-molding, profile
coextrusion, and coating.

Applications and uses:

Rigid packaging for entrees, edible oils, juice, cosmetics, pharmaceuti-cals,
heating pipe, automotive plastic fuel tanks, and packaging for condiments and
toothpaste.

Flexible packaging:
Processed meats, bag-in-box, red meat, cereal, pesticides, and
agrichemicals.
Application – Flexible Packaging
Packages may be formed in-line by several techniques or may be supplied to the packer as
preformed pouches or bags. Packaging may be created by wrapping or shrinking a basic film
around a bundle of goods.

In-line packaging forming examples include VFFS, HFFS, and thermoform/fill/seal.

In VFFS operations, film from a roll is guided through rollers and then shaped by a forming collar
into a tube.

Markets for flexible packaging films have continued to grow in many applications.
PE and the various copolymers account for more than 75% of the flexible packaging film.

Some major market segments where coextruded film is used include the following:

 medical packaging
 food packaging
 heavy-duty shipping bags
 stretch wrap
 trash bags
 condiments—OPET/print/LDPE/Al/EAA/ LDPE and variations
 aseptic packaging OJ—juice boxes—print/ LDPE/paperboard/LDPE/Al/EMAA/LDPE
and variations
 towelettes—OPET/print/LDPE/Al/ION and variations
 condoms—similar structures as towelettes
 laminates for toothpaste tubes—PE-film/ (LDPE-EAA)/Al/(EAA/LDPE)/PE-film
 stand-up pouches—OPET/print/adh/m-OPP/ adh/(LLDPEHDPELLDPE) and variations.
Medical Packaging
A wide variety of structures are used in the med-ical packaging area. The structure
requirements include

 sterilization capability
 microbial barrier
 linear tear properties
 puncture resistance.

Sterilization methods used for medical packaging film include ethylene oxide gas or
radiation. The package is typically a forming web and a nonwoven fabric (like TYVEKs) that
lets the ethylene oxide in and out of the package. Medical packaging usu-ally does not
require oxygen barrier properties, so EVOH is normally not required in medical packaging
structures.

Coextrusion processes are growing in this market. Blown film, cast film, and extrusion
coating processes are used in producing flexible packaging structures for medical
packaging applications.

Films ranging from three layers to eleven layers are now available. These markets are
typically small and require many years to meet the required qualifications.

The forming webs were historically three-layer EVA and ionomer films, as shown in the
syringe package in Figure. Heavy gauge films were sometimes produced by combining a
three-layer film to form six layers. Newer film structures have seen more layers being used
and incorporating PA to replace ionomer in film structures to address economic issues.
Food Packaging
Primal Meat Packaging (Shrink)
Packaging primal and subprimal meat requires a package that must:
 provide high shrinkage to fully collapse around irregular shapes
 have excellent optical properties
 shrink at low temperature to prevent product damage,
 impart good softness and elasticity
 provide excellent oxygen, moisture, odor, and grease barrier protection
 prevent freezer burn
 facilitate using individual cuts by food pre-parers,
 help reduce purge loss, • extend shelf life,
 offer easy disposal,
 have good machinability,
 have an oxygen transmission rate (OTR) less than 1.0 cm3/100 in.2 day atm
(nonfrozen only)

A shrinkable film used in this application is a PVDC barrier film with the sealant layer
designed to provide toughness and puncture resistance. These films must be oriented to
provide acceptable shrink properties using a double bubble process.

Poultry/Fish Packaging
Moisture barrier properties are more critical. The packages are normally vacuum
packaged with a good sealant polymer such as EVA, ionomer, or LLDPE
 To be continued in
Chapter 6

Author : Mohammed Abdul Haleem

Email : ah.flexomaster@gmail.com
With almost 29 years of experience in the Printing industry, he offers proactive recommendations on anilox roll specifications, testing,
inventory management, flexographic equipments applications,training, drawing from experience in technical
sales,marketing,production,technical service,parts and supplies. His experience covers the spectrum of flexographic markets including:
wide web film, narrow web, tag & labels,foil, folding carton, corrugated packaging applications