Page 56 - Plastics News October 2016
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Product NEWS
Ulex launches World's thinnest PET ALOx speciality film
Uflex Limited has launched 9.5 micron speciality F-PGXi.e. (PET ALOx) film complies with EC and FDA
ALOx polyester film, FLEXALOXPROTECTTM F-PGX. regulations for food contact and finds extensive use in
Engineered by Uflex’s fully owned subsidiary company Flex manufacturing laminates used for packing dried meat,
Americas S.A. de C.V at the Mexico plant, this happens to fresh food, snacks, confectionery, microwavable foods,
retort convenience food, cheese, baked goods, drinks,
pharmaceutical and medical products. Commenting about
the USPs of the speciality film, Mr. J.K. Sharma, AGM,
Technical Service and New Product Development (Films)
who is credited with the development of ALOx film at
Uflex said, One side of the polyester film is coated with
Aluminium Oxide in a special metallizer where aluminium
metal is thermally evaporated and reacted with oxygen
under high vacuum conditions to achieve its oxide.
be the thinnest PET ALOx film available globally. Despite The ALOx when deposited on clean film surface offers very
being the leanest, the 9.5 micron ALOx polyester film high barrier against oxygen and water vapour transmission
exhibits excellent barrier for oxygen and water vapour simultaneously giving excellent clarity and transparency
as W.V.T.R (gm/m2/day)and O.T.R(cc/m2/day)are both< to the film.
1.0.No player other than Uflex offers such a thin PET ALOx
speciality film with such superior barrier properties. There Dow introduces Evercap line of
is a growing demand for transparent flexible packaging polyethylene resins
that allows retail customers to see-through and check the
quality of the product packed inside to their satisfaction. Dow Chemical Co., which launched
The PET ALOx film can offer yet better barrier properties a new brand for its portfolio of
while still being transparent. Being a down-gauged film polyethylene resins for cap, closure
FLEXALOXPROTECTTM F-PGX is 24 % lighter than its 12.5 and fitment applications at the
micron variant and almost 60% lighter than the 23.5 Plastics Caps & Closures conference in
micron variant. Chicago. The brand is called Evercap,
and it includes a wide variety of PE
Furthermore, the price coordinates are better and so is the resins, plus some under development.“Evercap is the
yield. While the 12.5 micron ALOx film has a yield of 57.14 new portfolio of the right resins with the right properties
m2/kg and the 23.5 micron film has a yield of 30.4 m2/kg, for these new demanding closure applications that are
the 9.5 micron speciality ALOx film yields 75.18 m2 per kg. constantly being developed,” said John Sugden, senior
This brings major cost savings for the converters. The fact research scientist with Dow. He added Dow offers a
that the film is transparent and demonstrates excellent variety of catalyst and manufacturing technologies for
barrier properties, the need for a sandwich (barrier) making a diverse mix of high, low and linear low density
layer which is typically a metallised film is completely PE resins. “Each one of those applications requires their
eliminated. The PET ALOx film can be reverse printed own set of resin properties, whether that is stiffness and
and then laminated with a sealing substrate. Depending toughness like the high density polyethylene; whether
upon the barrier properties required by the product to be that be [on] a fitment that has to have a pull tab, so
packed, ALOx coated films can be used in 2-ply structures you may want to look at a low density that has tearable
right up-to multi-layered laminates. FLEXALOXPROTECTTM properties, so the actual membrane will tear and the
ring won’t break away.” Dow will highlight the Evercap
brand at the K show, Oct. 19-26 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
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