Page 40 - Plastics news December 2023

FEATURE

PE thermoformed packaging breakthrough: fully recyclable and functional

This innovation employs state-of-the- barrier line, boast exceptional tough- conducted to assess the performance
art materials and technology to create ness, formability, and high barrier of the thermoformed web and lid film.
packaging that excels in recycling and properties. Notably, the combination of Exxon-
performance. Thermoforming technology and Mobil performance PE and EVAL™
In a significant breakthrough for the process EVOH resins delivered outstanding
packaging industry, ExxonMobil, in The package’s creation involved package integrity, with puncture val-
collaboration with industry partners, state-of-the-art technology, combin- ues comparable to those of traditional
has successfully developed a fully re- ing ExxonMobil’s best-in-class resins thermoformed films containing poly-
cyclable thermoformed package with with Alpine’s advanced film produc- amide (PA).
a remarkable 95% PE content. tion processes. The lid film, made from MDO PE//
This achievement marks a significant The MDO technology used in the PE laminate, exhibited excellent ma-
step forward in creating sustainable film production ensures outstanding chinability on the MULTIVAC R245
packaging solutions without compro- processability and optimised flatness, forming and filling machine. Under
mising on functionality or optics. contributing to the overall quality of optimised thermoforming trial con-

Innovative design and materials the package. The package was formed ditions, the new design achieved re-
markable results, including maximum
The key to this ground-breaking and filled on a MULTIVAC R245 ma- line speeds and exceptional corner
packaging lies in the careful selection chine, achieving industry-standard thickness maintenance.
of materials and an innovative design process conditions.
approach. The package consists of a The optimised thermoforming trial In a nutshell, this innovative packaging
formed bottom web and a Machine conditions on the R245 Multivac line solution, comprising 94-95% PE, sets
Direction Oriented (MDO) PE lid resulted in maximum line speeds of a new standard in sustainability with-
film. The bottom web, produced us- over 11 cycles per minute, demon- out compromising package integrity,
ing ExxonMobil’s high-performance strating the practical viability of this optics, or machinability. The success-
resins, including Exceed™ XP per- new packaging design. ful collaboration between ExxonMo-
formance PE and Exact™ plastomer, Performance evaluation and re- bil and its partners highlights a positive
incorporates a special EVAL™ EVOH sults stride toward more environmentally
resin for thermoforming. The films, friendly and functional packaging op-
crafted on an advanced Alpine 9-layer A comprehensive set of tests was tions in the market.

40 PLASTICS NEWSASTICS NEWS December 2023
40 PL