A-flute Corrugated Box/Sheet
An arch is the strongest way to span a given space. A great example is the monuments, standing strong over centuries. Inventors of corrugated cardboard brought this theory in between to fibreboard. If you carefully see, a corrugated box or sheet always has arches in between them. These arches, in the packaging industry, are known as ‘Flutes‘.
A-flute corrugation was the very first kind of flute to be invented.
An A-flute is the thickest flute size available. It is a piece of corrugation with a height of 3/16 inch, generally spaced about 33 to 39 flutes per foot.
This type of flute profile provides very high cushioning effect and has good stacking abilities. It has excellent stiffness qualities and exhibits short column crush resistance, i.e., if the weight of the product inside the box > weight carrying capacity of the box, A- flute will deform.
When to order an A-flute corrugated box/sheet?
It is generally used as a packaging material for fragile, small and delicate objects or products that need additional support and protection. It is used in a wide range of industries like jewelry, logistics, e-commerce, toy, and also food.
Air Cushion Packaging
What is air cushion packaging?
Air Cushion Packaging is a protective padding, which is used while shipping or transporting products, and filling void spaces in packages. Air cushion packing is commonly made by trapping air in between polythene sheets. Air cushions are often used as a cheaper alternative to packing materials such as shredded paper, polystyrene padding or packing peanuts.
Properties of Air Cushion Packaging
Air cushions are built out of two or more layers of polyethylene sheets. These layers of polyethylene are heat pressed. Sometimes, high-temperature molds are used to give them shape so air cushion packaging can have a variety of shapes and sizes. The cushions are inflated and sealed – the air pressure inside being much higher than that of the atmosphere. These air cushions are then kept inside the packaging box to fill voids or pad the products to be shipped.
Properties of air cushion packaging include:
- High Flexibility: Since air cushion packaging is made from low-density polyethylene, they are highly flexible. They can be stuffed in between packaging without having to worry about the size and shape of the package.
- Cheap and effective: Air cushion packaging provides inexpensive yet effective protection. They are often a better option than conventional Styrofoam padding for shipping items over shorter distances.
- Reusable: Air cushion packaging can be reused multiple times before disposing of them.
Applications of Air cushion packaging
Air cushion packaging is used to protect products during transit such as electronics, ceramic products, medicines, laboratory supplies, auto parts, office and stationery supplies, disassembled furniture parts, bicycles and so on. Bubble wraps are integrated with retail packaging for protection.
Air cushion layers are also added as a second protective layer to protect items from scratches. For Example, Heavy electronic appliances such as refrigerators, microwave ovens or washing machines wrapped around in a bubble wrap layer, before being encased in Styrofoam padding.
Products built using Air cushion packaging
Bubble wraps and air pouches are the two most common products that implement air cushioning. Bubble wraps are commonly used to make envelopes and pouches, such as courier bags and waterproof envelopes for shipping discs and documents. Large bubble wrap sheets are wrapped around items to be shipped to protect them during transit. Bubble wraps are effective against minor bumps and drops. They can also protect against scratches.
Air pouches are polyethylene pouches of varying sizes and shapes; filled with air. Air pouches are stuffed in packaging boxes to fill void spaces in the packaging. This keeps the item intact inside the box.
When to buy Air cushion packaging
A business that requires shipping items can use air cushion packaging products like bubble wraps and air pouches. Air cushion packaging complements conventional padding materials. They are also great for shipping smaller items. Manufacturing units, courier offices, or even retail stores can use air cushion packaging for protecting their items during shipping.
Aluminium foil is often called as “tin foil” though they are not the same thing. Tinfoils were used prior to aluminum; however, the terminology is still in use.
What is Aluminium foil?
Aluminium foils are thin, and reflective sheets that are made from aluminum and its alloys. Aluminium foil has a wide range of variants and is primarily used in the food industry for packing and cooking. It is also used in other industries, such as electrical industries, space agencies, and manufacturing industries.
Properties of Aluminium foil
- Thin and Fragile: Aluminium foils can tear easily. They are usually 0.2 millimeters to 0.6 micrometers thick. Based on requirements, foils are often folded over and over for increased durability. Sometimes, aluminum foils are also laminated with plastics to make them more durable.
- Pliable (easily bent/flexible): They can be easily bent and wrapped around objects and they take the shape of the object.
- Can be both thermally conductive and insulating: By nature, aluminium is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Hence, aluminium foils are folded over and over to make thicker thermal pads for cooling electronics. They can also be used to distribute heat uniformly to food while cooking. Again, thin aluminium foils with smooth and reflective surfaces are a good reflector of radiant heat.
- Electromagnetic shielding: Aluminium foils can be used to dampen or absorb electromagnetic radiation. The power of shielding depends upon the frequency, angle of incidence and the thickness of the foil. Electromagnetic radiation is partly reflected by the foil and partly absorbed.
- Recyclable: Aluminium foils are recyclable. Recycling can be done at around 5% of the manufacturing cost. However, aluminium laminates are not easily recyclable.
Applications of Aluminium foil
Up to three-quarters of the manufactured aluminium foil goes into packing food. Aluminium foils act as an effective barrier, guarding the food against light and heat. They are used to pack pet food, takeaway meals and ready to eat snacks.
Aluminium foils are also used to create molds in the baking industry because they are so pliable. They are used to wrap food while cooking so that the foil conducts the heat and the food is uniformly cooked. It is often used in barbeques. The foil also traps the moisture in the food and prevents it from drying up.
Reflective aluminium foils are used in satellites for shielding against solar radiation. They are also used in hazmat suits and in auto parts. Aluminium foils are used to shield data cables from external electromagnetic and electrical interference. LAN cables, telephone cables, USB, HDMI and similar cables often use aluminium foils for shielding and also increased durability.
Thicker variants of Aluminium foils are used to dissipate heat from electronics such as smartphones and portable computers. These electronics generate heat that may be detrimental to the circuitry and using heat sinks is not possible in smaller form factors. hence aluminium foils are used.
Aluminium foils are used to create bright metallic colours for art and decoration.
Aluminium foil products
Aluminium foils are available in rolls with different gauge or thickness. Special variants are available for cooking or packing. Generally, only the gauge and roll width is the specifications used for purchasing aluminium foils for industrial use.
When to buy Aluminium foils
Aluminium foils are everyday essential for every household. Say you want to carry lunch, give quick take away (restaurants), etc. packaging with aluminium foils is hygienic and easy. For most food manufacturing and packing, it is a must. Electrical and electronics manufacturing industries also use aluminium foils.
As the food business developed over the years, the papers that are used for packaging is processed and tried in a variety of food applications. In order to ensure the flexible approach to the requirements of the customers, various packaging trends such as glassine liners for chocolate packaging, muffin cases, Petit Fours cases, waxed sandwich wraps, cellulose film, biscuit liners, etc have been developed. Let us understand Biscuit Liners in detail.
What are biscuit liners?
The biscuits that you buy are mostly not damaged mainly due to the Biscuit Liners. They primarily provide protection for the storage, transportation, and display of biscuits. The biscuit liners are wrapped around the biscuits in such a way that they form a tight protective sleeve between the biscuit and the outer packaging.
In order to ensure that the biscuit liners arrive at its destination in optimal condition, they are made from lightweight single face corrugated packaging.
Properties of biscuit liners
- It offers a premium presentation
- Minimises the risk of product damage
- Flexible on both automated as well as manual packaging lines
- Easy to recycle
- An Eco-friendly alternative to plastics
- It is no harm for food contact
- Increases shelf life of the food products by creating insulation from moisture
Applications of biscuit liners
Biscuit liners mostly cater confectionery and bakery segment of the market. Cupcakes, muffins, and sometimes desserts also make use of customised biscuit liners.
When to buy biscuit liners?
If you adhere the snacks and confectionery section of the food industry, biscuit liners are apt for your use. They are available in lightweight corrugated cardboard grades which make them suitable for many brittle food products.
Usually, Biscuit liners are supplied in rolls, which are often cut and folded and are based on the requirements of the packing system lines. Hence, they make great packaging for the delicious delicacies.
What is a bubble wrap?
The bubble wrap is a popular plastic and transparent material used widely for packing items. These wraps are known for their evenly spaced bubbles, or air filled hemispheres, which offer cushioning for fragile items.
“Bubble wrap” is also known as the generic trademark owned by the Sealed Air Corporation. In 1957, the two inventors- Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes, had been attempting to invent a plastic wallpaper which would be three dimensional. Since bubble wraps make satisfying popping sounds whenever compressed or ruptured, they are often used as a source of amusement. The last Monday of January is celebrated as Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.
Properties of a bubble wrap
- Bubble wraps offer excellent cushioning during transportation of precious or fragile items.
- It offers extended protection for items to be stored for a longer period of time.
- They are famous for reducing packaging costs considerably due to their shock absorbent property.
Types of bubble wrap
There are seven major types of bubble wraps as listed below:
- Strong grade bubble wrap: This type of a wrap is generally useful for items which are extremely heavy, fragile or valuable and for products which need security for holding them in its place during the transit.
- Multipurpose grade bubble wrap: Items which are medium or light in weight demand this, multi-purpose grade kind of Bubble Wrap which is appropriate for daily shipping of the products which are not prone to damage.
- Limited grade bubble wrap: These are meant for lightweight items which are not too fragile. This kind of bubble wraps come with a thickness of 3/16 inch and 1/2-inch.
- Bubble mask wrap: It is a kind of bubble wrap with an adhesive coating on its side. This is precisely why Bubble Mask sticks to larger items such as stool legs or the toolboxes, for protecting them from damage. These are excellent for shipping furniture items or museums dealing in eccentric shaped, fragile pieces.
- Anti-static bubble wrap: Anti-static bubble wrap is primarily used to protect electronic items like computers, DVD players, cell phones, which can be affected from the static during the transit.
- Cushion shield aluminum bubble wrap: These are generally used for items in need of protection from electrostatic discharge or ESD. This is applicable for items like computer hardware or its delicate parts, for instance, memory boards.
- FDA grade bubble wrap: This type has specifically been formulated to protect foods like fresh strawberries and chocolates. The FDA Bubble Wrap is also sealable as well as moisture resistant. The wraps are specially approved by the FDA for their excellent cleanliness and hygiene.
When to buy a bubble wrap:
Bubble wrap is divided into two categories– small and large bubble wrap. Small bubble wraps come in five varieties according to width of sheets. Smaller sheets come in sizes of 300 mm, 500 mm, 750 mm, 1200 mm and 1500 mm. The width of larger sheets is the same as the smaller sheets; only the size of bubbles get bigger.
Depending on the transportation of precious or fragile items which require additional care, the size of these bubble wraps are decided. Each and every item needs protection from all sides to ensure no pressure falls on it directly. There are various packaging materials providing protection for delicate items, however, bubble wraps have long since proven to be the most effective. So, when it comes to preserving an item, especially while transporting it, opt to buy bubble wraps.
BoPET is a polyester film which is known for its transparency, high tensile strength, chemical stability, and different types of insulation it provides. It was first manufactured in the mid-1950s by DuPont, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), and Hoechst.
What is BoPET?
BoPET stands for Biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate. It is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as PET. BoPET is the most common form of plastic films that are in use today.
Properties of BoPET
BoPET incorporates following properties-
- BoPET films are transparent, they have clear texture, can be induced with colorings
- Excellent chemical and dimensional stability
- Provides barrier against moisture, gas, and aroma
- Electrical insulation
- High tensile strength
- Good flatness and coefficient of friction
Applications of BoPET
The applications of BoPET include diverse industries because of its combined optical, thermal, physical, and mechanical characteristics. BoPET films are excellent for packaging, printing, and lamination. Because they are non-reactive with most of the chemicals, they are suitable for food and medicinal packaging.
Products made with BoPET
Some of the popular products that use BoPET films segregated according to the respective industries are-
Packaging: For food packaging in the form of films, pouches, barrier films, can laminations, vacuum insulation panels, adhesive tapes, etc.
Specialties: Hot stamping foil, photo-resist films, metallic yarns, computer screens, solar and safety window films, medical test strips, etc.
Electronics: Transformer insulation films, thermal printing tapes, membrane touch switches (For example, computer and calculator keyboards), flexible printed circuit films, etc.
Printing and Imaging: Microfilm, printing and pre-press films, printing plates, X-ray films, instant imaging, color proofing, etc.
When to buy BoPET?
If your business adheres to the manufacturing and supply of food, restaurants, takeaways, then BoPET can be a good packaging solution. BoPET materials are also very well suited for chemical, electronics, and Printing industries for different purposes.
The term, clamshell comes from the shell of a clam, a type of sea mollusc that resides in between two shells connected by a hinge in the middle. Clamshell packaging is a single-piece plastic container consisting of two halves – the container and the lid attached together by a hinge.
What is clamshell packaging?
Clamshell packaging is made from plastics, polyesters, foam sheets, PVC, and polystyrene. The sheets of plastic are heated and shaped into the form of the container by a process called thermoforming. Clamshell packaging is also constructed by folding paperboards. Clamshell packaging is a cheap and disposable container that provides a rigid to semi-rigid packaging for small items, provides air sealing, and prolongs the shelf life of perishables.
Properties of clamshell packaging
Clamshell packaging incorporates following properties-
- Implements the Live Hinge design: All clamshell packaging incorporates the “living hinge” design. The one-piece container has a flexible hinge that is made of the same material, the container is constructed of. Since plastic Clamshell packaging is made by thermoforming, these packages can be given the exact shape of the product that it will encase, making it ideal for retail product packaging.
- Lightweight and disposable: Clamshell packaging adds negligible weight to the product being packed. All clamshell packagings are disposable in nature. Paperboard clamshell packages are biodegradable.
- Supports multiple sealing mechanisms: Depending on the design, the clamshell packaging has a variety of ways of closing or sealing. Some have snaps, locking tabs, or some have a friction fit. Some use adhesive tapes, staples, or are heat sealed.
- Tamper resistant: Clamshell packaging can also be made tamper resistant by heat sealing. This would require the customer to cut open the package. Anti-theft elements, such as RFID tags can also be embedded in the package.
- Moisture resistant: Depending on the sealing mechanism and the material used, clamshell packaging can also be used to keep the item inside dry.
- Transparent: The transparency in the plastic clamshell packages allows customers to see the actual product inside the packaging.
Applications of clamshell packaging
Clamshell packaging is used in multiple industries like-.
- The retail packaging for small and sensitive electronics, toys, sports goods, tools and garden supplies, office and stationery supplies, cosmetics and even clothing.
- Blister packaging for small electronics and electronics accessories. For example, most microSD memory cards come in an oversized clamshell pack so that the item is not lost easily.
- Sensitive electronics that may malfunction when charged electrostatically, such as computer processors, or DIMM memory modules, use an air-tight clamshell packaging.
- Restaurants and departmental store packaging to pack raw food, such as fruits and vegetables. They are sealed using adhesive tapes. Fast food chains often use paper clamshell containers to pack food.
Products built using clamshell packaging
Common products that implement the clamshell design are-
- Stock thermoformed clamshell packages mostly include clamshell packages with pre-defined cavity sizes. These are manufactured in bulk and can be used by departmental stores to pack raw food items.
- Tri-fold clamshell packages come with an extra fold that allows the package to stand upright. This makes tri-fold clamshell packages suitable for displaying products. Toys and electronics accessories often use such packing.
- Clamshell trays come with shallow depth and some variants have separators in the cavity to group items. Egg trays are one such example of clamshell trays, where each egg has its own cavity. Similar clamshell packaging is also used for muffins and cupcakes.
- Blister packs contain multiple small cavities. These can be used to pack golf balls, medicines, or electronic accessories.
When to buy clamshell packaging
Clamshell packaging can reduce packing cost for businesses along with being tamper-proof, durable and transparent. These packages are durable enough to withstand long-distance shipping and still look good when it finally arrives on the store shelves.
Cellophane is one of the most popular packaging materials that can be seen in our day to day life. Say it’s adhesive tapes, gift wraps, food packets, or another packaging; the first thing that we reach out is cellophane products.
What is cellophane?
Cellophane is a thin transparent flexible sheet made from cellulose. It has very low permeability for fluids and is often used for food packing. Even though cellophane is a generic term, it is a registered trademark in some countries such as the UK, where Innovia Films Group owns the trademark.
Properties of cellophane
- Organic: Cellophane is mostly organic. Cellulose from hemp road or cotton is usually dissolved in an alkali or carbon disulfide to prepare cellophane. It does not contain any synthetic polymers. Being organic in nature, cellophane is also biodegradable and Recyclable.
- Water resistance: Cellophane sheets Exhibit multiple properties similar to that of plastic sheets, water resistance being one of them. Set up and can’t stand prolonged exposure to water without degradation.
- Low permeability: Cellophane has low permeability to air, oils, bacteria, greases, and water. This makes it an excellent choice for food packaging. The permeability of cellophane depends on how it is treated. untreated cellophane is usually semipermeable.
- Available as transparent or translucent: Before plastic films were available in the market, cellophane sheets were widely used for transparent packaging. Cellophane allows both visible lights as well as ultraviolet light to pass through it. However, prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light makes the cellophane translucent. Translucent cellophane is useful for long-term storage of packaged items.
- Strength: Cellophane was initially introduced as a replacement for paper-based wrapping. It is both superior in terms of tensile strength and quality in terms of paper available for packing.
- Available in multiple colour options: Cellophane sheets are also available in multiple colors. By default, they are white and transparent. However, further colours can be added to them. Dyes are added to make them colourful.
Applications of cellophane
- Food packaging: Cellophane wrappers or pouches are used to enclose the food items and are heat sealed. The low permeability keeps the food fresh for long. It is commonly used to pack dry food such as biscuits, cookies, chips and dried fruits.
- Optical Disc Wrappers or envelopes: CDs, DVDs, or Blu-Ray discs come in a cellophane pouch. Sometimes, an extra jewel case, which acts as the retail box is provided encloses the pouch. This prevents the discs from being scratched when they are being shipped.
- Sticky tapes: Cellophane and different variants of it are used to manufacture various types of sticky tapes.
- Gift wrap: Cellophane sheets are commonly used to wrap gifts both at home and in the industry.
Products built using cellophane
Cellophane is mostly used for food packaging. Products include heat-sealable pouches. Custom heat formed packaging is also available for different food materials.
Cellophane is also used to produce sticky tapes that are massively used in all packing industries. Most commonly available for of sticky tape is the Sellotape. It has now become a generic term. In the North American regions, Scotch – a variant of this sellotape, is very popular. Sellotape is spelled using an “S” and not a “C” since the brand tried to trademark the name.
Cellophane is also used in retail packaging, to make a visible window showing the product. Toys and electronics often have opaque cardboard packing with a transparent cellophane window.
When to buy cellophane
Cellophane packing is an economical packing solution for a lot of products, especially food items. Cellophane pouches can be easily used to pack small products and heat seal them. Coloured or printed cellophane can be directly used as retail packaging.
Courier bags are flexible polyethylene packaging bags, designed to function as an exterior covering for all kinds of items during transit. Courier bags can be of different types and with a wide range of features, thus making packing and shipping easier while also providing protection.
Courier bags, also known as tamper proof bags, are widely used by online shopping websites to ship items to customers. Usually, the item in the retail packaging is wrapped with padding materials and finally inserted into courier bags.
Courier bags can be easily customized. The exterior can contain all the details like that of company signage, consignor, consignee, and any other printed promotional materials.
Properties of courier bags
Courier bags are made out of different variants of polyethene or polyethylene. There are two major variants acting as the source material for such bags – LDPE or Low-Density Polyethylene and HDPE or High-Density Polyethylene. Also, Co-Ex films or Composite Extruded Films are used to construct these bags.
- Robust and Durable: LDPE/HDPE lend the bag its properties similar to plastic shopping bags. Courier bags are manufactured from thin and flexible sheets with a varying thickness of 50 to 300 microns. Courier bags are water resistant, biodegradable, stretchable and, also elastic, to a certain extent.
- Anti-Static: Polyethylene is a polymer – it is made up of a long chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms, which makes it a strong and tear resistant material. Due to this, the bags also attain anti-static properties making them resistant to electric charges.
- Customizable protection levels: Courier bags can handle a lot of weight and still not tear due to its chain-like molecular structure. However, courier bags do not offer much protection against sharp objects such as knives. This is why some courier bags have an extra inner bubble wrap lining for added protection.
- Multiple Linings: Unlike plastic shopping bags, courier bags have multiple linings making it more durable and having excellent print accuracy. Multiple linings in courier bags are made of layers of LDPE, bubble wraps or foam sheets. Due to this reason, it also has high opacity.
- High Print Accuracy: The outer white opaque layer is complemented with an inner black LDPE layer making it is impossible to view the items inside. The outer white layer is perfect for printing signage materials. Things like the business logo, supplier’s address, and more, can be printed on the bag itself without distressing about washing or fading.
- Convenience Features: They also have self-adhesive strips and may have extra transparent pouches, called POD jackets, attached to them for displaying invoices or airway bills needed at airports or customs.
All these properties make the entire process of shipping efficient and fast.
Products built using courier bags
Courier bags are mostly available as pouches. Different sheets of polyethylene are used to make one such pouch. Some of them also have bubble wrap linings. These pouches are manufactured in multiple sizes but the easily available, industry standard sizes are 4.5’’ x 10.5’’, 10’’ x 14’’, 7’’ x 10’’, 18’’ x 22’’, 20’’ x 23’’ and so on.
Courier bags have optional transparent pod jackets. The external pouch is designed to contain shipping documents and is made of thin, yet durable plastic.
Courier bags mostly have two types of seals: self-adhesive strip and heat seal. Heat seals are generally more durable and tamper proof, but requires extra sealing equipment. Courier bags can also be sealed using plastic adhesive tapes.
Applications of courier bags
Courier bags are great for smaller items. Businesses looking to move large items like furniture, home appliances, large industrial equipment will not find much use of it. However, they are great for smaller parts like nuts, bolts, handles, confidential documents, electronics and its accessories, books and stationery, jewelry, et cetera.
Courier bags are also a great asset for businesses looking to streamline warehousing and shipping operations. It makes packing items an easy task. The self-adhesive or heat seal makes it possible to seal the bag within seconds and pod jacket eliminates the need to glue paperwork on the parcel.
Besides being convenient, courier bags pose as an economical option while manufacturing a customized design in bulk. It is a great tool for printing promotional and advertisement material right on the packaging itself for increased brand visibility.
In order to create visual appeal, concepts such as ‘embossing’ and ‘debossing’ were introduced. You must have also used these techniques for making greeting cards.
These are popular finishing techniques for packaging and printed items as it adds a new dimension to the brand message and graphics. By creating raised or depressed areas on the surface of paper, leather, or metal, these processes add texture to the packaging. Out of the two, debossing is comparatively cheaper as it needs just one die. Also, there are several other facts that make debossing significant. Let us explore them.
What is debossing?
Debossing, as the name suggests, is the reverse of embossing. An image such as a logo, a title, or the other design creates depressions rather than raised impressions (as in embossing) by being heat-pressed into the surface with a heated die. Here, the background is depressed in order to raise up a particular font or graphics. This is a more traditional technique, which creates subtle elegance with just a hint of texture.
There are two popular Debossing techniques-
- A blind deboss, which is a bare depression, mainly coloured in only by its own depth and shadow.
- A registered deboss, on the other hand, is applied with ink to strengthen the visual appeal. Examples of registered deboss are Screen Printing and Foil Stamping. Here, The print is debossed using a die exactly registered to the silkscreen print. In foil stamping, the foil is transferred to the material using a special die and then the same die is used to deboss the area.
Properties of debossing
Important properties of debossing include:
- Added depth adds value
- Make your logo into a classic seal
- Foil stamp for a sharper contrast
- Consistency is achieved when two processes are carried out independently
- Economic then embossing
Application of debossing
Debossing adds class to the packaging, printing, and personalization of things. Common application includes-
- Debossing on leather wallets and purses
- Giving style to visiting cards, greeting cards, brochures, etc.
- Making impressions on metal boxes, corrugated boxes, utensils, kitchenware, etc
- Imprinting names on decorative items
When to use debossing?
Debossing provides depth, texture, and a professional element on the design of cotton cards, leather, and metal packaging. Debossing is widely used to imprint the company name, contact information, or additional copy on the printed piece. Unique patterns, custom shapes, etc. are just a handful of ways debossing can be integrated within a design.
Disposable Food Containers
What are disposable food containers?
A disposable food container is essentially, as the name suggests, a single-use portable storage container which stores food for future consumption while administering spillage of the same. The product is capable of being thrown away after use, is usually lightweight, and easy to carry for delivery purposes.
Food containers have been used since time immemorial to store supplies, usually large scale, and was meant for excessive storage. In India, betel leaves were hot-pressed to create cone shaped disposable food containers and serving trays. These were later replaced with paper packaging. Unfortunately, it could not offer optimal solutions for water-proofness and temperature.
With the advent of the fast food industry and takeaway services rising exponentially, packaging became an integral part of the services rendered. Many small-scale outlets also realized the tediousness of reusing utensils which ran the risk of being unclean, after several washes, thus posing a health hazard.
As low-density polyethylene(LDPE) made an entry into the market, specifically sized food containers became a its regular raw material customer. As it saved the hassle of cleaning, and made packaging of food a faster process, disposable food containers were an instant hit.
Single-use products also became an important step in health safety- the termination of the product after usage became a norm in most countries. It ensures 100% sanitary safety, a considerable reduction in food contamination and spread of various diseases.
Properties of disposable food containers
A free radical high pressure technique is applied while manufacturing disposable food containers. This makes them capable of withstanding temperatures of upto 80 °C. The material also gives the container a flexible and tough nature, allowing it to withstand any kind of accidents without spilling the content inside. Even though LDPE faces market competition, it is still the most widely used raw material in food containers and has a market value of about US$33 billion. It is safe to say, that the versatility of the product gives it a market edge over other products.
The container also has excellent resistance to acids, whether dilute or concentrated. This ensures there is no reaction of the food with the container, thereby erasing health hazard risks. It also is non reactive with vegetable oils at room temperature thus, making them an excellent choice for packaging oil based food items. Most importantly, the container is also waterproof, making it a great choice for packaging.
For instance, a gravy based curry must compulsorily be placed in a tight lid container; should not react with the container and must be hot enough to making consumption a worthwhile experience. As another example, most salads contain fruits and vegetables which have mild to strong acidic juices. It becomes absolutely essential to ensure the items are packaged in a container resistant to their secretion. For both these extreme conditions, and everything in between, a disposable food container is the answer.
Application of disposable food containers
Disposable food containers are an integral part of food chains, restaurant and any food related services thanks to their durability, impact and acid resistant properties.
They save the cost incurred on other obsolete packaging techniques, such as thick paper packaging or tin-lid containers. Disposable food containers due to their ease of packaging also lend a modern outlook to most food chains. They’re fast becoming a symbol of cleanliness and freshness for the food packaging industry, with the options of customization in various areas. Not only that, even families prefer to package food for their children/spouses in disposable food containers. They are priced moderately for mass consumption and come in various shapes, sizes and colours to suit unique needs.
When you are consulting transportation companies to ship the goods for your business, you might encounter many unfamiliar terms and tools. One such is “Dunnage,” which is an important component for providing safe shipping of the goods.
What is dunnage?
Dunnage is an inexpensive material, which is used to load and secure cargo during transportation of goods. The shipping companies also refer dunnage as miscellaneous baggage, brought along during the travel. However, they make an essential component of material handling, because they provide padding at the left out spaces in the cargo, and also sometimes used to fill the weight. Otherwise, the ship would go underweight.
Properties of dunnage
Dunnage incorporates following properties-
- They provide padding in the cargo during shipping.
- They are inexpensive.
- They provide a firm grip and fills up the spaces, therefore the shipments withstand jerks without any breakage.
- They can be hard or soft, spongy or rigid; depending on the type of material being used. Dunnage provides cushioning to almost any type of material you want to ship.
Applications of dunnage
The dunnage is useful in a number of industries, some of them are as listed-
- Logistics: Manufacturers use dunnage in the form of trays and pallets to shield parts from damage during transportation between them and suppliers.
- Shipping: Dunnage is used to protect heavy duty and fragile parts of the machinery. They hold the parts in place, absorb vibrations, and protects from breaking while in transit. They are also made in the form of air filled pouches.
- Automation: Dunnage is also referred to items such as welding machine, hoses, ladders, and scaffolding, which is used during the shipbuilding process but would not be taken on board.
- Fishing: In fishing industry dunnage refers to the reinforcement of the edges of the net.
When to buy dunnage?
Dunnage is crucial for handling materials effectively during transportation. Just to mention, Amazon began using air filling dunnage bags in the 21st century for packaging of items in order to minimize environmental impact, shipping weight, and cost of the packaging materials. So you can have dunnage for shipping goods even in retail.
What is EPE foam?
EPE Foam or Expanded Polyethylene foam is a semi-rigid, molded, closed cell and non-crosslinked type of polyethylene. The foam is vastly used for insulation, damping and packing in numerous industries.
EPE is generally available as foam sheets. EPE is manufactured in a way similar to PE items, making it possible to give any EPE virtually any shape. However, since it is mostly used for packing and insulation, EPE foam sheets are the most commonly available product. The foam is produced by applying pressure and heat, along with a blowing agent into an autoclave. From this, small plastic beads of EPE foam are produced. These beads are then molded into sheets.
Properties of an EPE foam
EPE foam has low hardness, strength and rigidity. However, it has high impact strength. Also, it shows a small amount of creep – the permanent deformity that is caused by mechanical pressure or stress. EPE foam is smooth to touch, depending on the manufacturing processes.
EPE foam has moisture resistant properties. It is also resistant to acids, bases, oxidizing and reducing agents. However, prolonged exposure can eventually break down the foam.
EPE foam makes for excellent packing material for items that need protection from impact, vibrations, scratches or pressure. The lightweight and high impact resistance of EPE Foam allows packages to have good protection without significant increase in weight or volume.
Products built using EPE foam
EPE foam products majorly consists of sheets. These sheets can be further used to manufacture laminated pouches, boxes and custom shaped padding for any items. EPE foam is often cut out into custom shapes that are used as padding in boxes to ship expensive electronics.
When to buy EPE foam
You can buy EPA foam sheet rolls if you need to frequently transport items for business. A lining of EPA foam can offer a lot of protection with negligible increase in weight. Multiple layers of sheets ensure stability of items in the box during shipping.
EPE foam is used in various industries.
- For padding rooms to make HVAC systems function more effectively: Buildings in colder regions also use EPE foams to retain heat from heating pipes or radiators inside the room.
- Soundproofing rooms: EPE foam padding is used to construct soundproof rooms since they dampen out the vibration caused by sound waves making it ideal for small recording studio setups.
- Pharmaceutical Industry: With great thermal insulation and chemical inertness, medicines requiring low temperature transportation can use boxes entirely made from EPE Foam.
- Small Server Rooms or Air Cooled Rooms: EPE foam is used in smaller server rooms where the air-cooled servers generate a lot of fan noise.
- Insulation in automobiles: It is extremely cheap and does not cause a packaging mess, making it the first preference in damping or insulating material. In case of a fire risk, however, the EPE foam should be avoided as the material is flammable.
- Shipping of electronic items: EPE foam can be used to ship electronic items like displays or screens, cameras and lenses, portable computers, heavy home appliances such as refrigerators or microwave ovens. A thick layer or EPE foam that goes in the retail packaging, ensures that the item inside stays protected from bumps and scratches.
Note: Electronics devices packings do not always use EPE foam since the foam can get electrostatically charged easily and can harm the device. However, they are used in exterior packing, or where the foam will not come in contact with the circuits.
- Shipping Glass: It is also widely used to ship glass, ceramic items and ready made furniture.
- Transportation of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers: EPE foam nets are available to ship organic items such as fruits and vegetables. They can also be used to protect flowers while shipping. This allows for easy monitoring of the item without getting it out of the protective sheath.
- Construction: Some industrial products also implement EPA foam in their construction. These include air conditioning ducts and vents, door padding in automobiles, refrigerated vans, industrial chillers, high altitude drinking water pipes and cold water pipes.
- Sports Gear:Padding that are often used in sports gear implement EPE foam. EPE foam sheets are a good and cheap replacement for exercise mats as well.
E-Flute Corrugated Box
What are E-flute corrugated boxes?
E-flute corrugated boxes are boxes made from corrugated fibreboard that come with high crush resistance. Corrugated fibreboard is made by corrugating or pleating paper and sandwiching it between the two unpleated fibreboard. Each of these corrugations is known as flutes and based on the number of flutes per unit length, corrugated fibreboard is classified as A, B, C, D, E, F, G and so on, with A having the lowest number of flutes.
Properties of E-flute corrugated boxes
E-flute corrugated boxes have some anisotropic properties, such as bend resistance, or crush resistance. These properties depend on the direction the flutes are aligned. The more the number of flutes, or pleats in the middle layer, the higher is the crushing or stacking strength. The notable properties of E-flute corrugated boxes include:
Maximum crush resistance: Of all the variants of corrugated boards, the E-flute comes with the maximum crush resistance. One foot of the board comes with 94 flutes.
Thin and rigid: E-flute boards are only 1/16th of an inch thick. This is the minimum thickness for corrugated boards (compared to B, C and BC boards). This means that E-flute corrugated boxes to not make bulky boxes.
Bending resistance: With 94 flutes per foot, E-flute corrugated boxes provide great bend resistance in the direction that is normal to the flutes.
Tear resistance: E-flute corrugated boxes also offers good tear resistance. Since they are more rigid than most other boards, they don’t get easily pierced by sharp objects.
Recyclable: Most of these boxes are made from organic materials. Hence, these corrugated fiber boxes are recyclable and also biodegradable.
Printable: Some variants of E-flute corrugated boxes have an exterior laminate that makes graphical prints possible. Product details or shipping details can be printed right onto the box itself.
Thermal Insulation: As the paperboard is a bad conductor, the corrugated boxes made from paper boards also provide some degree of thermal insulation.
Applications of E-flute corrugated boxes
E-flute corrugated boxes make great retail packing boxes as they have a printable laminate on top, allowing high-quality full-colour prints. Because of their durability, they are suitable for heavy equipment, such as electrical appliances, auto parts, large electronic or computer components like- server racks, cabinets, monitors, heat sinks, etc. Heavy and expensive electronic equipment, such as telescopes or camera lenses come packed in E-flute corrugated boxes.
Another application of E-Flute corrugated boxes is to pack fragile or brittle items, such as glass, ceramics, delicate laboratory instruments. Medicines and other Pharmaceutical products are also at times packed in these boxes. They are used make retail boxes for cosmetics, frozen food, liquor and pet supplies, as well as to make Point-of-purchase boxes. The E-Flute boards are used in High graphics displays, Window corners, and partitions.
Products Built Using E-flute corrugated boxes
E-flute corrugated boards can be used to make most common types of shipping and storing boxes. These include the regular slotted containers, half slotted containers, full overlap boxes, corrugated trays, custom die cut boxes and roll and tuck top boxes.
When to buy E-flute corrugated boxes
E-flute corrugated boxes are a great asset for any business that needs to pack or ship large and heavy items. They are resistant to deformation, wear and tear than any other boxes and hence, they are good for shipping delicate items over large distances. E-Flute corrugated boxes are also used to make retail boxes for products, as they provide adequate protection for the items inside and the printable outer surface can contain the product details.
Commercially, efflux cups are also known as Zahn cups, ford cups, shell cups, etc. though they serve the same purpose of determining the viscosity of the fluid.
What is efflux Cup?
Efflux cup is used to measure the viscosity of fluids. Generally, it is a steel cup with a very tiny hole drilled at the bottom. It is commonly used to measure viscosity of paints. There are different variants of Efflux cups and all of them have the same working principle. Depending on the rate of flow of the liquid through this hole, the viscosity of the fluid can be determined.
Properties of efflux Cup
- Multiple variants: Over fifty variants of efflux cups, also known as flow cups have been developed over the ages. However, there are two major types – one is mounted on a stand, and the other is dipped directly in the liquid. No matter what type of the cup is selected, some fundamental considerations should be recognized – such as the diameter of the orifice, the temperature, and pressure at which the fluid is being tested.
- Gravity-driven: The Efflux cups, no matter what variant is being used, are gravity driven devices. These cups measure the viscosity of the liquid in stokes or centistokes and are is derived from the specific gravity of the device.
- Direct viscosity readings: Efflux cups allow to find the kinematic viscosity of the liquid directly from the efflux time, or the time required for the liquid to flow through the orifice. Based on standard specifications of such cups that have a given volume, and a given orifice size, you can find out the viscosity using a simple linear equation which is a function of efflux time.
Applications of efflux Cup
Maintaining fluid viscosity is extremely important in a number of scenarios where efflux cups are required. These include the following:
- Flexographic printing: This is Printing on a substrate using plates. The ink should have a correct viscosity so that it does not bleed or soak in the substrate:
- Gravure: This method is printing on substrates using rollers. The viscosity level of the ink on the roller should be maintained constantly. Hence flow cups or efflux cups are needed.
- Quality control in paint manufacturing: thickness or viscosity of paint is an important specification.
- Field Inspection, geological surveys: Analysis or liquid samples in the field can be easily done using efflux cups.
When to buy efflux cups?
Most industries have automated viscosity measurement devices these days. However, these devices require calibration from time to time. The calibration should be done manually and hence having efflux cups are essential for all industries that require viscosity measurement.
Printing and paint industries require efflux cups the most. Also, some food manufacturing industries also require flow cups to measure dilution levels of beverages. Generally smaller industries use manual efflux cups since it is a simple and cost-effective way to measure viscosity.
Ever wondered what makes the packaging of a product even more firm and attractive? Indeed, it is the felt board.
In its oldest terms, ‘felt’ is a textile material, which many cultures have the legends in the felt making. The oldest known textile so far is the felt from wool. Today, felt is widely used as a medium for expression in both, the textile art and the contemporary art and design, where it has significance as an ecologically responsible textile and building material.
However, felt making is still practiced among the nomadic tribes; feltboard is the most widely used term in the packaging industry.
What is a felt board?
Felt is a type of non-woven fabric, made of interlocked fibers. Felt boards are mainly of two types depending on their manufacturing style-
Pressed felt: It is a technique of applying heat, moisture, and friction to entangle the fibers together.
Needle felt: Here, the fibers are interlocked manually.
Felt boards can be made into different thickness, length, and width.
Properties of felt board
Felt board adhere the following properties-
- Sound and vibration damper
- Provides cushioning delicate items while shipping
- Great for padding in packaging
- Firm and stiff
- Durable and resistant to wear and tear
Applications of felt board
Felt board has a wide range of applications in manufacturing and packaging industry. They are used in packaging of fragile and sophisticated items over larger distances. They also provide cushioning and padding to the moving parts.
Apart from these, they are used to accessorize musical instruments, fashion apparels, in the automotive industry, and home construction.
Products made using felt board
Felt board is used in packaging for cushioning and padding. In the music industry, they are used for damping sound and vibrations. They are used in framing paintings.
Felt board books are made for inscribing stories for children, as they are not easily torn. They are also used in making hats, the base of handbags and totes, especially where stiffness is required.
When to buy felt board
Felt boards are an excellent solution for shipping goods. Any business can use felt board for transporting their goods from place to place.
Apart from these, felt boards are also used in art and craft industry, construction and automotive industry as a protective measure.
The Sherlock inside us wakes up as soon as we hear the word fugitive. Well, the fugitive glue is more of the temporary bonding and since it evaporates without causing the trace to any of the joining surfaces, it is called fugitive.
If the concept still looks hypothetical, then recall how you received your credit card, stuck in the envelope. And when you pulled it out, it detached simply well without any efforts.
What is fugitive glue?
Fugitive glue is also called as credit card glue, E-Z release glue, booger glue, and often gooey glue. These are low-tack adhesives, which are used to produce removable, non-permanent joint. And once, removed, the surfaces cannot be sealed as the adhesive starts evaporating at a very slow pace.
Properties of fugitive glue
Fugitive glue incorporates the following properties-
- Available in many forms- Stripes, dots, and liquid
- These are safe to handle
- They come in a number of tack-levels
- They can be easily removed with almost no surface damage
- Gives instant bonding
Applications of fugitive glue
The fugitive glues are widely used in direct marketing where an object, say product sample, subscription form, or feedback form, or a return envelope is attached within.
They are widely used in packaging, affixing paper pads to foam trays (meat and fruit packing), magazines, brochures, machine parts, tools, furniture, and sharp edge protection. These are also greatly preferred in arts, crafts, and decoration industry.
Products made using fugitive glue
Fugitive glues are available in the form of hot melt and latex with lower Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) tendency. They are also applied in liquid form.
Common adhesives available as fugitive glue in the market-
Fabric Glue– to attach accessories on fabrics which are delicate to stitch.
Glue strips– Detachable strips (usually transparent) with a uniform layer of fugitive glue on both sides to bind two surfaces. They are available in different tack levels and different widths of strips.
Glue dots– These are also available in different tack levels and different dot diameters. These are commonly used in the electronics sector.
Furniture surface protectant– layering fugitive glue on the surface of furniture can protect the surface from dust and its shine can be retained for a longer time.
When to buy fugitive glue
Fugitive glue can be of great use if your business incorporates-
- Bonding foams
- Plastics and papers
- Fabrication and insulation panels
- Arts and crafts
What are films?
Films are thin, flexible sheets used to protect perishables, increase shelf life, reduce external interactions and add an extra protection to items during shipping and transportation. Films are generally available in form of rolls. They can be either used as a wrap, or they can be further used to manufacture specialized pouches, seals, or other formed packages.
Films are generally made of polymers, thermoplastics, and resins. Source materials for most films are LDPE or Low-Density Poly Ethylene and BOPP or Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene. They are available in clear, translucent, or opaque forms. The latter is white in color by default but can be manufactured to take other colors as needed. They can be smooth or have a matte finish depending on the manufacturing process.
Properties of films
There is a wide array of films available in the market. Each of them has different properties depending on what they are made up of and the manufacturing process. However, all films are water resistant. They are resistant to wear and tear up to a certain degree. Also, they are chemically inert in nature.
The most common variant of films is the LDPE films. LDPE films are extremely stretchable and tear resistant. LDPE films are very thin – their thickness varies from 10 to 50 microns. BOPP films are slightly thicker. They are also more rigid in their construction than LDPE films, and more resistant to wear and tear. However, they are not as stretchable as LDPE films.
Films are also manufactured from Ethylene Acrylic Acid (EAA) and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA). The former can bond with metals under heat and the latter can adhere to different kinds of plastics when heated. These types of films are used for sealing and lamination purposes.
Application of films
Films have a large number of use cases in food, healthcare, manufacturing, and packaging industry.
Clear LDPE films are used to wrap food items in order to increase their shelf life. Films act as a barrier, keeping away moisture and oxygen from the food, and minimizing interaction. This eliminates the need to keep the food item in airtight containers. This also makes the food item more visible when it is put up for sale. Frozen foods, microwavable food items, meat, dairy and bakery items can be wrapped using LDPE films.
Ethylene and vinyl acetate copolymer films are used in packaging drugs. This makes sure that the level of sterilization, moisture content and temperature values are just right for a prolonged shelf life of the drugs.
BOPP films are used to make laminations and industrial coatings. It provides high tensile strength, moisture resistance, and optical clarity. BOPP films are used printing and lamination, packing confectionaries and over wrapping items like CD or DVD cases, cigarette boxes. BOPP films are also used as a lining for textile bags to make them water resistant.
Acrylic acid copolymer films are used as an external cover for metal surfaces. They are commonly used on home and industrial electronic appliances, electronics, and metallic furniture.
Packaging industry uses LDPE and BOPP films to vacuum seal or heat seal raw food items for supermarkets. Stretchable LDPE films are also used to wrap cardboard boxes to protect them from rain, water spills or moisture while shipping them.
Products built using films
The most common product built from films are pouches and seal for food and perishable items. Films are used as a barrier for moisture and oxygen in cracker, snacks and cereal boxes. These boxes have a lining of a barrier film made from HDPE or High-Density Polyethylene. This also improves the product shelf life.
Films are used to make printed bags for bakery items too. They can be opaque or transparent and have the company signage and product details printed on them.
Lidding films are used to seal glass or plastic containers that contain semi-solid food or liquids by applying heat, or by using adhesives.
Films are also used to laminate photograph and are used to manufacture photo albums. They are also used to stationary items, like notebook covers to provide some degree of water resistance. Films are also used on screens and displays of consumer electronics, such as smartphones and televisions, to protect them from scratches during shipping.
When to buy films
Films are extremely useful when your business needs to protect perishables and improve their shelf life, or when you need an economical packaging solution for foods, medicines, stationery, or other items that need to be protected from exposure to moisture and oxygen. Printing and copying services and studios can use films for lamination purposes. Laminated photographs and documents have archival value.
Films can be a great asset at home too. Fruits, vegetables, meat and bakery items can be made to stay fresh longer by having them wrapped in films and refrigerating them.
The utensils, vessels, or the bottles that are used in the food, hospitality or the catering industry uses specially treated glass. Glass, itself, can be of different variants – glass for use in architecture is quite different from ones used to manufacture glassware. different glassware uses different manufacturing processes that give them different properties.
- Easy to Clean: Food, grime or dirt can easily be removed from glassware surfaces without much effort or the requirement for large quantities of detergents. Decorative glassware can also be coated with hydrophobic materials, giving the glassware items self-cleaning properties.
- A wide range of choices: Glassware can be customised in a number of ways with varying textures, colours, materials, and printing. This allows industries and businesses to get the glassware that goes along with the décor of their business.
- Printable: Glassware surfaces are printable. This allows businesses to put their branding, logos and other information right onto the glassware.
- Low maintenance costs: Glassware requires no additional maintenance other than the cost required to keep them clean.
- Durable: Even though glass is brittle, glassware can be more durable than other materials such as porcelain that are prone to chipping. Newer manufacturing technologies also allow glassware to be more durable than before, and also lighter at the same time. Glass utensils can be microwaved and also provide thermal insulation.
- Recyclable: Glass can be recycled easily and can be remolded again and again.
- Longer shelf life: Glassware, if used properly, can extend the shelf life of perishables. Medicines, liquors, soft drinks, pickles come packed in glass bottles or jars for improved shelf life.
Applications of Glassware
Glassware is massively used in the food and restaurant businesses. The catering and hospitality industry also uses glassware to show their aesthetics as well as to set their standards. Glassware utensils are also easier to clean and maintain, thereby cutting running costs of businesses.
Glassware is also used to pack beverages. Different beverages are packed in different glass bottles. Even liquid medicines are also packed in glass bottles.
Glassware is also used in home and office décor. Glass vases, pitchers, and planters are used in office, restaurant, and hotel décor.
Products built using Glassware
Glassware products include bake-ware, ovenware, dinnerware, kitchen utensils, bowls, bottles, glasses, cups, mugs, tumblers, vases, pitchers, planters, candle holders and so on.
Home office décor products include glass lamp shades and vases. Also, glassware that often falls in the category of tableware is used as planters for indoor plants that can be a part of the decor.
When to buy Glassware?
Glassware items is a great asset for food and hospitality business. Hotels and restaurants can not only have tablewares and drink wares that are made from glass but also use glassware for decoration. Glassware can also be used at homes and offices for interior décor. Glassware décor can have flamboyant, vintage or minimalist looks, thereby getting along with almost any style of interior decor.
In general, gusset implies a piece of triangular or rhomboidal fabric that is stitched to enlarge or strengthen a part of an item constructed from the fabric, such as bags or clothes. In the packaging industry, we can commonly see gussets in the stand-up pouches.
What are Gussets?
Gussets are the elongated part of the product, made with the same material to increase the capacity as well as add strength to the packaging. Apart from packaging, gussets are widely used in construction, manufacturing, apparel, and craft.
Properties of Gussets
Gussets have been in use since the medieval times. They were mostly used in garments since then. Still today, gussets that are used in clothing have similar properties. These includes:
- Increases volume: The most important property of gusset is its ability to increase the volume of clothing or bags. Sewn into the sides, gussets enable clothing or bags to expand more.
- Increases strength: Gussets prevents tearing of stitches in tight-fitting fabrics by making parts of it loose. Thereby, increasing tensile strength.
Applications of Gussets
Gussets have a wide range of applications in manufacturing and construction. Besides their obvious application in clothing, they are also used in bags to combine two sides of them.
Gussets are used in shopping bags or tote bags to increase their volume. Gussets increase the carrying capacity with a minimal increase in the manufacturing cost of bags. They also increase the structural integrity of bags.
Products built using gussets
Gussets are implemented in a large number of packaging products. The most commonly seen is the gusseted paper bag that one can find in grocery or departmental stores. Food packaging for dry and wet foods also use gussets. Bottom gussets are used to make stand-up PET pouches for tea, coffee, pasta, beans, corn, pulses, cereals, biscuits or other food products. Ketchup and mayonnaise also come in similar packaging, but also with a re-closable mouth. Non-woven fabric, cloth bags, and plastic carry bags also have gussets.
When to buy gussets?
Gusseted bags are marginally more expensive than non-woven ones, but in the long run, the save more. Gusseted bags can be used in place of ordinary bags in departmental stores and grocery stores. Gusseted carry bags allows packing more items in a single bag. Grocery stores and similar businesses that use paper bags can use gusseted variants as they are stronger than ordinary paper bags. This also reduces the need for double packing. Therefore, gusseted bags reduce packaging costs of businesses.
What are hanging tabs?
Hanging tabs or simply hang Tabs are fixed onto the plastic bags for sealing, hanging and providing information. They are sturdy plastic pressure sensitive adhesive tabs that stick on most surfaces and enable products and packages to hang for display purposes.
Properties of hanging tabs
Easy-to-use, peel and stick hang tabs make any package suitable for hanging – anywhere and increases your impulse sales at the checkout counter. Its notable properties are-
- Quick application: Hanging tabs just need to peel and whoa! They are just ready to use.
- Easy to use
- Resistant to tear
- Easily replaceable in case of damage
- Gives impeccable finish to the packaging
Applications of hanging tabs
The hanging tab is a proven and practical method for increasing retail sales by presenting more products in a vertical display. This helps by bringing more number of products in customer’s’ sight, i.e. increases brand awareness.
Their application has also spread across the interior decoration industry, where the curtains are made using hanging tab holes instead of detachable rings to hang on the curtain rods.
Stationery items also come packed with hanging tabs, instead of piercing holes in their cardboard packages.
Products that use hanging tabs
Various styles and varieties of hang tabs are available which include a hook, delta, round hole, fold-up, and wobbler. These are all customised according to the factors such as décor, area, design, art, etc.
Some of the common packaging products that use hanging tabs are-
- Electronics: SD cards, pen drives, ear plugs, earphones, chargers, etc
- Home accessories: room freshener tablets, insect repellents, bath items, etc
- Apparels: lingeries, baby clothes, etc
- Food packaging: milk powder, sugar-free, etc
When to buy hanging tabs
Hang Tabs are an ideal way of displaying your merchandise at your customer’s’ eye level, where it can’t be missed.
They also eliminate the requirement to give polythene or paper bags at the dispatch.
The origin of Hessian bags has an interesting story. It has got its name from the part of the uniform of the German soldiers belonging to the state of Hesse, called as Hessians. It used to be a woven fabric, made from the fibers found in local regions usually as a protective cloth against cold.
What is a hessian bag?
A Hessian bag is a woven fabric bag, made from the fibers of jute and sisal which may be combined with other vegetable fibers while weaving. It was earlier used in Germany, and it came to India during the early 19th century for backing linoleum, rugs, and carpets.
Initially, they were produced as a coarse fabric, but nowadays because of available machinery, they are manufactured in a refined fashion and often the concept is overlapped with jute bags.
Properties of hessian bags
- They are breathable and thus resist condensation and spoilage of content.
- Hessian bags are durable enough to withstand rough handling during transit.
- They have a naturally non-shiny refractive and fuzzy texture.
- They can be reused and can be composted after use.
- Hessian gets ignited quickly.
Applications of hessian bags
The hessian bags are commonly used in the form of sacks and large sized bags for shipping goods such as coffee, tea, etc. These are also called as gunny bags among local people.
Because of their fuzzy texture and open weave, they are also used by many fashion designers in their apparel.
In agriculture and landscaping, hessian is used to wrap the exposed roots of the trees while transplanting. They are also used to control erosion on steep slopes. They are also deployed as sandbags as a temporary response to flooding.
In the construction industry, wet hessian are used to cover and prevent the rapid moisture loss during the setting of cement and concrete.
Apart from these, hessian is also used as a smoker fuel in bee hiving because it gets ignited quickly and the amount of smoke it generates while burning.
Products made using hessian fabric
Hessian fabric is used to make a number of products, some of them are listed below-
- Perforated sacks
- Sandbags for flood control
- Wet covering for construction sites
- Designer clothing
- Alternative canvas for paintings
- Smoker fuel (in bee hiving)
When to buy hessian bags?
If your business involves- beekeeping, shipping, construction, landscaping, agriculture, apparel, and art; hessian fabric can of great use.
What is inkjet printing?
Inkjet Printing is one of the oldest and a mature form of digital printing that creates an image on a paper or plastic surface by propelling droplets of ink. Inkjet printers are popular since the inkjet printing process can be easily implemented. Home printers and many professional photo printing machines use this technology.
Over the time, inkjet printing has been standardized by companies which developed inkjet printing products – such as Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard. At present, there are two primary types of inkjet printers: Continuous Inkjet or CIJ and Drop on Demand or DoD.
Properties of inkjet printing
The main features of inkjet printing include:
- Versatile and robust technology: Inkjet printing cost can vary from being extremely cheap to extremely expensive. Low-cost monochromatic printing is suitable for home and office use whereas high quality and expensive printing with multiple colours and chroma optimizer allow labs and studios to print detailed photographs.
- High detail printing: Inkjet printer can print in great detail. Commercial inkjet printers and even home and office desktop printers can print at 1200 dpi (dots per inch) on paper. They can also recreate the colour details with high accuracy as the coloured inks actually mix in the paper creating other colours.
- Low-cost printing: Inkjet printing is still cheaper compared to other printing technologies, and taking into account the quality they produce.
- Zero Startup Time: Unlike laser printers or dot matrix printers, inkjet printers do not need any time to warm up. They can start printing right after they are switched on.
- Self-cleaning: Most commercial printers using inkjet printing technology are built with mechanisms that allow the printers to clean their printing heads. This consumes some ink but is more economical than replacing the print-head. Even printers with disposable cartridges have head cleaning functions.
Application of inkjet printing
Inkjet printing technology is commonly used in home and offices. In the printing industry, inkjet printing is preferred over other technologies when the detailed printing is required, and when the print contains multiple colours.
Photography printing, poster printing, printing of books and covers, magazines and some newspapers are all done using inkjet printing. The retail boxes are printed using inkjet printing. These boxes are further laminated with LDPE to preserve the printed surface.
Inkjet printing is also used in the food and confectionery industry. Using edible dyes, photos can be printed on food directly. For example, photographs are printed on cakes. Inkjet printing is also used in the advertising industry for printing in billboards and flexes.
Products that use inkjet printing
Products that use inkjet printing process include books, magazines, graphically marked plastic, cardboard, etc. Different industries use different processes or techniques and specialized inks to print on different substrates.
When to buy inkjet printers?
If your business requires quality graphic prints, or colour printing with low costs per print, then you can go for inkjet printers.
Home and office require low cost and low maintenance printers and inkjet printers fit the bill perfectly. Printer inks needed for document printing are available easily and the user can handle the basic maintenance himself without the need for an expert.
Professional Photo and poster printing require high-quality prints. Professional photography printers are slightly more expensive, but dye and pigment based inks for professional print and OEM ink cartridges are available at low costs. Businesses can also take advantage of portable inkjet photo printers.
What is injection molding?
Injection molding is a manufacturing process in which items are products by injecting materials into a mold. It is the most common method used for mass manufacturing of plastic products. The materials that are injected can be plastic, metals, classes, elastomers or various types of polymers. Most commonly used material in injection molding is thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers.
An injection molding setup must be designed very carefully to facilitate the molding process. The molds are usually made of metals using precision forming tools. Sometimes they are also 3D printed. Materials used for manufacturing, shape of the product and properties of the machine must all be taken into account.
Properties of injection molding
Thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers are generally used in molding.
Thermoplastics are generally safer. They cool down within a fixed period of time. Thermoplastic resin pellets easily soften and liquify with low heat, do not damage the mold cavity when heated too much, and can be recycled.
Injection molding machines are constructed of three distinct parts: injection, mold, and plunger. The plastic pellets, along with recycled pellets and a colorization material, is fed into the cavity of the injection that use a screw type mechanism to move the pellets forward. The pellets are molten as they move towards the other end of the injection. When filled, the injection pushes the liquid plastic into the mold cavity, solidifying in under a minute or so. A mold opens and the plunger pushes and separates the solid, sturdy part out of the mold.
Molds can be one-shot or two-shot. When the molten plastic is pushed once into the mold cavity, it is known as One shot. When pushed twice, it is known as two shot. In the second push, a different, additional raw material can also be pushed. This is done when the item needs to be stylized or for a certain functional requirement.
For example, computer keyboard keycaps are two-shot injection molded. For black keycaps, white plastic forms the glyph and the black plastic forms the keycap.
Applications of injection molding
The primary application of injection molding is in the manufacturing industry. Using injection molding, bulk manufacturing of plastic and metal parts can be done in a short time.
This process is often used to manufacture components used in automobile and aeronautics industry, electronics industry, plastics manufacture industry, furniture industry, construction and heavy machinery.
Almost all product parts that we use in daily life use injection molding. Parts built using injection molding have markings from the time of their manufacturing.
You can find these markings on your electronic devices like keyboard, mouse, printers, and even chairs, bottles, plastic boxes, car dashboards, Lego bricks, plastic cutlery, toothbrushes and almost every plastic item that you can find around you. Even industrial tools, weapons, firearms, and spacecraft use injection molded plastic or metal components.
When to buy injection molding
Injection Molding setups are quite expensive. They require a lot of power, and space, to run. The molds needed for the entire process have to be constructed separately. This also requires further precision machinery. However, in the long term, these setups are an extremely economical solution.
This makes injection molding a good option for medium to large sized manufacturing industries. Smaller industries, or industries with different core business, generally outsource this manufacturing task to other larger molding workshops.
ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization. The acronym is ISO instead of IOS since the Greek word isos means equal. ISO promotes standard requirements and specifications for quality control and management, products, materials, and so on.
What is ISO Certification?
ISO provides the formats on how businesses and organizations that are involved in the industry and commerce function and manage their information. It is important to know that ISO does not regulate these companies. They simply propose the standards. A company that is ISO certified means that the business complies with the rules set by the ISO and hence the products and services that they offer are standardized.
Features of ISO Certification
ISO has a different certification for the industrial sector. ISO has thousands of standardization listed. Each certification is written as “ISO” followed by the certification number. There exists ISO 1 to ISO 99999. For Example, ISO 1 provides geometrical specifications of products at a certain temperature. ISO 2 is a standardization for textiles. Like these, there are thousands of certifications. All these certifications are based on some principles so that the product or the service provided by the company is good. These include the following:
- A set of procedures: For each product or service in the industry, ISO proposes certain processes to be carried out in certain ways to make sure that the product maintains the standard.
- Monitoring processes: A continuous monitoring process of the manufacturing process is required to see that there are no deviations from the set of procedures that are proposed by ISO.
- Record keeping: Logging or record keeping of all processes are essential to tracing back to the source of the problem if any occurs.
- Checking final product for defects: ISO proposes mandatory inspection of manufactured goods and products for defects before they are packed and shipped to the consumers. With quality control, consumers are always delivered the best products.
- Regular review of quality systems and processes: To have an ISO certification, the organization must undergo regular audits so that the ISO proposed systems are implemented as recommended.
- Customer focus: One of the most important recommendations from ISO is customer satisfaction and customer focus. ISO proposes a number of ways that companies and organizations should follow to make sure that the customer is treated right.
There are multiple reasons for which a business can choose ISO certification. These include improved efficiency, widened market potential, a higher level of customer service and satisfaction as well as employee satisfaction.
Why get ISO certification?
Any organization or businesses that would like to improve its functional areas can get the ISO certification. A business that would like to cut down time and money spent on solving problems, improve management, respond to customer feedback should obtain ISO certification.
ISO Certification also inculcates reliability among customers, because the customer is assured that the service or the product he is taking from an ISO certified company has high standards.
To be curious, the historic convention for naming the wine bottle sizes has been based on the names of biblical kings. These include Piccolo, Demi, Magnum, Jeroboam, Imperial, etc. As with many parts of the aesthetics of wine, the nomenclature for wine bottle formats reconnects us to the structures of wine culture.
The wine has long been a living part of our history and day-to-day lives, and so unsurprisingly the bottle names are connected to one of our oldest documents. Out of these, Jeroboam is a wine bottle with a capacity four times larger than that of an ordinary bottle. Let us learn more about it.
What is Jeroboam?
Jeroboam is the term typically used for wine bottles of larger capacities usually 3 and 4.5 liters.
The name is taken from the king of Israel Jeroboam, and the term was first applied to a size of wine bottle in a work by Sir Walter Scott (another Scotsman, you will notice) and seems to have been a joke derived from the description of Jeroboam in the first book of Kings as “a mighty man of valor” who “made Israel to sin”.
Properties of Jeroboam
Jeroboam wine bottles adhere the following properties-
- Capacity: 3 and 4.5 liters (3 liter capacity Jeroboam for Champagne and burgundy; 4.5 liter capacity for Bordeaux)
- Crown finish
- Dimensions (Length X Width): 18” X 5” (For 3 litre bottle) and 19.5” X 5” (For 4.5 litre bottle)
- It comes packed in bulk pallets approximately 224 bottles per pallet
When to buy Jeroboam bottles?
For packaging and shipping wine in large quantities, jeroboam bottles are apt. Many wineries also store the aged wine and also the wine for aging in jeroboam bottles.
Jeroboam bottles are also be used as a point of attraction at parties and clubs.
Jute, the golden fiber is the most commonly produced and consumed fiber, after cotton. It is very affordable as jute plants are easy to grow and have a high yield. Sacks, ropes, and hessian bags are the products made from jute which we see in our everyday life.
What is Jute?
Jute is a long, soft, naturally grown plant fiber which can be spun into strong threads. Jute fibers are mainly composed of cellulose and lignin. In the industrial terms, they are called as raw jute when derived from a plant, and jute once processed.
Properties of Jute
Jute is strong and durable despite the fact that they occur naturally and can be used commercially with minimum processing. They provide UV protection, heat and noise insulation, and resistance against static electric charges.
The Jute fibers are carbon dioxide neutral and can be decomposed naturally. Jute plants are easy to grow and jute plantation also helps in preventing soil erosion.
Applications of Jute
Jute has a large application in the packaging industry as the ropes made from jute are used to tie the cartons so that they don’t open up. However with the introduction of plastic film wraps, this use of jute has suffered a hit, still, it is commonly used.
They are used to store grains in jute sacks, furnishings (seating on sofa sets and beds), textiles, etc. Also, the research is going on to blend sugar and jute and make panels for airplanes.
Products made using Jute
There are a huge variety of products that are made from jute. Some of them are as listed-
- Packaging: Hessian bags, sacks, ropes, etc.
- Furnishing: Mats, beddings, sofa sets, couches, floor coverings, carpets, curtains, etc.
- Textiles: Cardigans, technical textiles, etc.
- Agriculture: Geotextiles, landscaping, weed control, to prevent soil erosion, etc.
When to buy Jute?
As it can be seen, jute has a wide range of applications, and it’s been in use for a long time. If your business involves packaging, furnishing, home decor, fashion, textiles, automobiles, or agriculture; jute can fulfill your requirements.
What is a Knurl?
A knurl is a small protrusion (bump) on the surface of metal or plastic. It is a series of grooves and ridges that are etched onto the surface of the objects. Knurls are used to make the objects easier to use. Knurling also makes the surface rough, making it easier to grip on them. Knurls can be of different patterns, made of a variety of materials and each serves different purposes. Besides that, knurls also aid in assembly of metallic and plastic items. Since they make the material handling easier, they are important in the packaging industry.
Properties of Knurls
Knurling can be done- straight, annular, linear, or diamond. The different types of knurls have some standards or predefined sizes of the grooves and ridges. Based on these standards, forming tools are created which in turn, are used in lathe machines to create standard knurls.
The properties of knurls include:
- Improved Ergonomics: Knurling is primarily done to enable better gripping on metal surfaces. Knurling makes a smooth surface into rough and hence increases the friction.
- Increased life span: Knurling is done one smooth surface only. Previously knurled surfaces that have worn down can again be knurled. This prevents replacing the entire part and hence extends its life.
- Provides anisotropic friction between surfaces: Straight or angular knurling increases friction in only one direction. This is frequently implemented in fitting jobs.
Applications of Knurl
Knurls are constructed on a wide range of metallic surfaces. Different knurls have different functions. Annular rings are used when metal and plastic parts are to be joined. The rings allow easy mating between the parts and also makes it difficult to pull them apart. Linear knurl provides high torsion between components. Diamond knurl is commonly used to provide better grips. Straight knurls provide an-isotropic friction. These include the following:
- Tool Handles: Most cylindrical metallic tool handles have knurled surfaces. These include hammer handles, saw handles, grips on pistols or firearms, grips on common utilities made from metal, such as flashlights.
- Bicycle parts: Bicycles have multiple knurled parts. The seat post has diagonal or crisscrossed knurls. The handlebar comes with straight knurls. Handle ends are also knurled so that the rubber grips stay in place.
- Handrails in public transports: Knurling can be commonly seen in handrails and seat rails on public transport such as buses and trains.
- Handles in heavy machinery: In the handles of heavy machinery, such as paper pressing machine, lathe machine, milling machines, or other powered heavy machinery knurled handles can be found as they require high precision manual control.
- Knobs and control dials: Knurling can also be found in the adjusting knobs of analog wristwatches, rotary controls- such as volume adjustment dials on audio players and multimedia systems, control dials on cameras, focus rings and aperture rings on camera lenses, etc.
Products built using Knurls
Knurling is implemented on any metal surfaces that need grip or friction. Knurling is used to manufacture products like auto parts, bicycle parts, pistol grips, gym equipment like barbell bars, firearm grips, musical instruments and even parts of combustion engines.
Kraft paper is known by many names and is frequently called paperboard or simply Kraft. As compared to the paper used in documents, home, office printing, and books; kraft paper is thicker, darker, and coarser.
What is kraft paper?
Kraft paper is a type of paper that is produced from wood pulp; commonly used in the packaging industry. The process to produce these papers is known as the kraft process. Depending on the process of manufacturing, multiple variants of kraft paper are available in the market.
Properties of kraft paper
Kraft papers have varying properties depending on their manufacturing process. In general, kraft paper is stronger than regular paper, they are darker in colour, usually brown or yellow, and have good elasticity. Pulp produced during the kraft process is stronger than pulp produced while making paper. The different kinds of kraft paper and their properties are as follows:
- Normal kraft paper: Such papers are relatively coarse and stronger than most other variants of kraft paper. Usually kraft paper is available from 40 to 135 GSM.
- Sack kraft paper: Often called sack paper, it comes with high elasticity and high tear resistance. Sack kraft paper is used for packing products.
- Absorbent kraft paper: This type of paper is highly porous. Absorbent Kraft Paper is available with different porosity. Clean low kappa hardwood kraft is it used to make this paper.
- Spinning kraft paper: This type of paper is lighter in weight but has high strength. By orienting the fibers in one direction, directional strength can be achieved in this type of kraft paper.
- Hunting kraft paper: This type of kraft paper is used to wrap shotgun shells.
Applications of a kraft paper
Kraft paper is commonly used as a replacement for plastics in the packaging industry. The following are the common applications of kraft paper-
- It is used to pack consumer goods, food, flower bags, cement, etc. in paper sacks.
- Large oil-filled transformers use kraft paper for electrical insulation.
- Other packing material such as envelopes, multi-wall sacks, and paper grocery bags can be made from kraft paper.
- A very common use for kraft paper is to construct the base of sandpaper.
- It is used for wrapping flower bouquets.
- Inexpensive particle boards are lined using kraft paper.
Products built using kraft paper
Kraft paper is used for making multiple commercial as well as industrial products. Commercial stationery products such as boxes, bookmarks, book covers, and stickers are made from kraft papers. For industrial usage kraft paper is available as rolls.
Kraft paper products that are available in bulk for the industrial use includes envelopes, paper bags, pouches, and stand-up pouches. Kraft paper bags are often dyed and printed to give them distinctive looks. They are also lined with other materials such as plastics to make them waterproof and more durable.
When to buy kraft paper
Kraft paper is an important asset for the packaging industry. A lot of inexpensive packaging and artistic packaging products can be made from kraft paper. Kraft paper can also be used by Department stores, retail stores and grocery stores for packing the products.
What are Labels?
Labels are printable materials glued to the product. A label is responsible for providing detailed information about the product like company name, product description, date of manufacture, batch number, serial number, part number, price, date of expiry, composition and more.
Labels are of different varieties: some can be printed instantly on label makers, and some need an end-to-end assembly line for printing. Also, labels are made from a wide variety of materials like paper, plastics, and even metals. Labels vary in quality, durability and print accuracy.
Properties of Labels
Labels generally take the properties of the materials that they are manufactured with. The most common material used for labels are papers.
In most of the cases, the labels are chosen based on factors like environmental exposure, similar details in the information, the relevance of color printing, speed, and economical aspect.
Labels should usually have two properties – it should be easy to print on, and the printed material should last long. It can easily be water resistant with a simple hydrophobic coating. Printing on labels are done using a wide array of procedures. Here is a list of common paper labels:
- Direct Thermal Roll Labels: These are the most commonly used labels on which you can print directly without any ink. Direct Thermal labels darken when in contact with heat and hence are printed using heated pins. However, they can only be printed in black.
- Thermal Transfer Roll Labels: These labels are rolled along with paper labels. A roll coated with powdered ink, usually, carbon is rolled along with the paper. Using heated pins, the carbon is transferred from one paper to the other. Thermal transfer labels are generally black but can be of other colors too, such as blue, green or red. But they are always monochromatic.
- Inkjet Roll Labels: These paper labels are printed using inkjet printing technology, similar to what conventional desktop inkjet printers use. However, they use a water resistant, long lasting inks, which prevents fading. They also provide full color, high-resolution photo prints. These labels require special printers for printing on rolled sheets of paper.
- Sheet Paper Labels: These come in standard A4 or letter page size. Each page has multiple labels that one can print on any desktop inkjet printers. They are really good for short term labeling.
- Anodized Aluminum and metal labels: Most metallic labels are made out of aluminum and come with a coating of chrome paint or nickel. Metallic labels are used in areas that need to withstand a lot of wear and tear. They are used on heavy machinery, vehicles, and computer CPU labels.
- Plastic labels: Plastic labels are widely used on items frequently exposed to water. It can be printed in full color and can be clear, translucent or opaque.
Applications of Labels
Label are used in almost all industries and business. Labels are crucial in manufacturing industries. They are also extremely important when it comes to shipping and transportation. Labels are needed for two primary reasons. One is to put up the manufacturing information, and other is to put up the item specifications.
Labels are used on agricultural and organic products, apparels, beverage bottles, computer components, such as optical discs, hard disk drives, CPUs, GPUs and more, electrical components, industrial machinery, stationeries and office supplies, laboratory instruments, medical instruments, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, sanitary supplies, et al.
Labels are occasionally used to make marketing material for products and items. They are also used to print unique identification like barcodes, QR codes and serial numbers on products. Metallic labels are used to make identification badges for machinery in a factory or assembly line.
What are layer pads?
Layer pads are used inside cases to divide layers of stacked products such as cans, bottles and other rigid packaging. The layer pad stabilizes the products and disperses weight evenly to ensure they remain free from damage during transit. The top layer pad also offers additional product protection when cases are being cut open.
Properties of layer pads
- Available in a range of corrugated cardboard or solid board grades
- Bespoke to your exact size and performance requirements
- Die cut to meet any corner or groove requirements
- Water resistant and other barrier coatings available
- Can be printed upon
- They are 100% recyclable and made from a renewable resource
- An environmentally friendly alternative to plastic products
Applications of layer pads
Layer pads are ideal for the palletization of automotive components and are available in a variety of materials. Let us have a look at the type of layer pads and their application.
- Corrugated cardboard layer pads: Layer pads are available in single, double & triple wall, depending on the application & rigidity required. They can be flat sheets to support a dashboard, or die cut to locate and isolate vulnerable automotive components and assemblies. Layer pads can be creased and folded too, creating incredibly rigid structures to support heavy loads for domestic and global distribution.
- Polypropylene layer pads: They are solid PP, twin wall PP sheets or bubble structure sheets with or without welded edges, resistant to moisture, oils, and chemicals, therefore perfectly suited to the automotive industry.
- Plastic layer pads: This is ideal for protection of machine parts and other sensitive items. The pads are smooth and are not affected by oils, grease, solvents etc. The layer pads prevent superficial damages, such as scratches and dents. Their material is very flexible and can be adapted to all boxes, pallet frames etc.
When to buy layer pads?
It caters to market segments such as beverages, bakery, confectionery, dairy, fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry and fish, health and beauty, household cleaning, electronics, tobacco, and other convenience food.
What are Multi-Layer bottles?
Multi-layer Bottles are specialized plastic bottles that are designed to increase the shelf life of the products and increase their durability. Multi-layer bottles have layers of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) layered on High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). These bottles are manufactured using blow molders just conventional PET bottles. Generally, Multi-layer bottles are used to prolong the life of perishables thereby maintaining the same flexibility as conventional PET bottles.
Properties of Multi-Layer Bottles
The features of Multi-layer bottles include:
- Increased durability: Multi-layer bottles are extremely durable. The body of the bottle is lined with multiple layers of different polymers, making it stronger.
- Leak Resistance: Multi-layer bottles are leak resistant and impermeable.
- Reduced gaseous exchange: Multiple polymer layers also reduce gaseous exchange between the substance that is contained and the air outside. The multiple polymer layers act as a physical barrier that prevents leaking of the gas into or out from the beverage or chemical that it contains. The idea is to keep oxygen at bay and prevent oxidation of the product inside.
- Easy to manufacture: Multi-layer bottles can be manufactured just like any standard HDPE or PET bottles by blow moulding. Therefore, mass manufacture of any type of multi-layer bottles can be done in a short span of time.
- Custom coatings: Based on what product these bottles will contain, the coating can be changed during manufacturing. If the bottle will contain cleaning agents, it will have inner anti-corrosive polymer coatings. If the bottle will contain food or beverages, it will contain food grade coatings that will reduce the permeability of the walls.
- Available in various shapes and sizes: Just like any other bottles, these bottles are available in multiple sizes and capacities. They can also be built to have a flexible body, such as ketchup bottles, or have a hard construction, like bottles for fertilizers. The bottles are also available as transparent or opaque as needed.
- Recyclable: Some variants of multi-layer bottles are recyclable.
Applications of Multi-Layer Bottles
Multi-layer bottles are used in food and chemical manufacturing industry to pack and preserve the products and protect them from sun, moisture, and external contamination. Food and beverages may contain acidic chemical components that can degrade the plastic bottle over a long time.
Fertilisers, pesticides, detergents, and chemicals that contain corrosive agents may decay the regular plastic bottles. Therefore, multi-layer bottles are suitable in these cases.
Products built using Multi-Layer Bottles
Multi-Layer bottles are used to manufacture containers for the following products:
- Food items: Ketchup bottles, topping sauces, pickles, yogurt and curd, fruit based juices.
- Baby food and dairy items: infant formula, infant cereals, milk and milk-based products.
- Medicines: Liquid medicines such as antacids and cough syrups. Topical medications such as eye drops, ear drops, antiseptic lotions.
- Aerated drinks: This includes soft drinks, sodas, and beer.
- Agrochemicals: Fertilisers and pesticides come in multilayer bottles.
- Cleaning agents and corrosive chemicals: Liquid detergents, drain cleaning acids, bleaching powders come packaged in multi-layer bottles.
When to buy Multi-Layer Bottles?
Multilayer bottle is a good investment anytime you need to increase the shelf life of the products. Typically, corrosive and volatile chemicals were stored in glass bottles, but the glass is brittle and can break if not used carefully. A multi-layer bottle can be a good replacement. Also, for medicines and food items, multi-layer bottles is a cost-effective packing and storage solution that keeps the items fresh by preventing gaseous exchange.
What is Mycobond?
Mycobond is a vegetative packaging product that is built, rather grown from organic products. Mycobond is developed from a fungus called Mycelium. It is both biodegradable and fire resistant.
Mycobond is produced from waste organic substances such as cottonseed hulls, rice husks, bucket weed husks, oat husks, and other woody biomass. These organic wastes are inoculated (incorporated/mixed) with a fungus, generally mushrooms. The material is also constantly inoculated with mycelium. The material that grows is placed in molds so that they take the shape of the mold.
Properties of Mycobond
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi and mold from which Mycobond is manufactured. Mycotoxin contaminates over 25 percent of corn, barley, and wheat production. In warm and temperate regions, this is higher. Mycotoxins make these unfit for consumption, both by humans and livestock. However, they make great packing material. Here are the properties of Mycobond.
- Low cost: Since the manufacturing does not require any special equipment and other materials, the manufacturing process is also very cheap. It virtually costs nothing to develop Mycobond packaging materials.
- Organic and biodegradable: Being organic in nature, it is also biodegradable, unlike polystyrene packing materials. When left exposed to the external environment, the Mycobond packaging will degrade over time.
- Non-combustible: Mycobond is also noncombustible. This is a very important property of Mycobond as it is often used to construct fire-retardant components for packaging and building construction.
- Reusable as compost: Mycobond can also be reused as compost in farming and gardening.
- Mycobond does not require any extra effort to be developed. The fungi grow on the dead organic matter inside a mold, taking the shape of the mold. The end result is a foam-like packing material.
Applications of Mycobond
Mycobond is used as a biodegradable and eco-friendly solution to polystyrene foam or other types of synthetic foams. Here are the common uses for Mycobond:
- Mycobond is very commonly used to build protective packaging or molds to hold the product in place in the retail box.
- Mycobond is used to insulate thermally controlled rooms. They can also be used for soundproofing.
- Being non-combustible, Mycobond is also used for fire retardant packing. Mycobond linings are also used in floors and walls of buildings to prevent spreading of fire.
Products built using Mycobond
Products built using Mycobond includes the following:
- Customized padding: Mycobond is used to create customized padding for packing products.
- Planters: Small planters made from Mycobond is also available. The planters are lined with synthetic non-degradable products so that the planter does not wear out over time.
- Tiles: Specialized tiles are built from Mycobond that are used in construction to make buildings fire retardant.
- Acoustic tiles: Mycobond is also used to create acoustic tiles that are used to soundproof movie theatres, studios or room theatres.
- lamp shades: Recently, Mycobond is also being used to make pendant lamp shades.
When to buy Mycobond
Mycobond is useful for packaging and construction industries. They are both cheaper and greener than traditional padding, insulation or fire retardant solutions.
Non Woven Bags
What are Non-woven bags?
Non-woven bags are recyclable bags that are used as shopping bags or as tote bags. These bags are made from synthetic non-woven fabrics such as polypropylene and other recycled materials. These bags are commonly used as an alternate to plastic bags and paper bags, offering durability and water resistance.
Non-woven bags have gained a lot of traction across the globe for its excellent reusability. It is available in various shapes and sizes, colors, and can be customized with prints as needed by businesses.
Properties of Non-woven bags
- Durable: Non-woven bags are quite sturdy. Even the ones manufactured from low GSM fabrics tend to be extremely durable in nature. It has high tear resistant and is comparatively lighter.
- Eco-friendly: Non-woven bag is mostly known for its eco-friendliness. The non-woven fabrics are made out of natural plastics or polypropylene. If left outdoors, these bags will completely decompose in three to six months depending on the fabric thickness or the GSM. The fabric is broken down by bacteria and chemicals, present in nature, and mixes with the soil completely. This makes non-woven bags a contender for eco-friendly choices.
- Washable and reusable: Non-woven bags are washable and reusable. It is, however, not water resistant. Some non-woven bags have an inner lining of thin recyclable plastic, or come with a hydrophobic coating offering some water resistance. Most non-woven bags can be washed and reused. However, after multiple washings it does not offer the same initial level of water resistance.
- Easily Printable: Non-woven bags offer easy and accurate printing. It can be printed on using the same printing technologies, as that for apparels. Non-woven bags are mostly opaque and provide good privacy. They also can be manufactured in various colors.
Products built using Non-woven bags
Common non-woven bags have D-Cut , G-cut or loop handles. It can be cake bag with loop handle, shoe bag with drawstrings. It can be a bag with or without bottom or side gussets. The bags available in various sizes, varying between 10 X 8 inches to 19 X 16 inches, available in a variety of colors and GSM, ranging between 45 to 80. The bags are built either by stitching the non-woven fabric, or by gluing them using heat and adhesives.
Most bags with 45 GSM tend to be translucent. However, those with a GSM of 60 and above are completely opaque. Polypropylene sheets of high GSM and with water resistant coating or lining can also be used to make attractive and cheap tote bags. They can also be customized using any graphics or text prints.
Applications of Non-woven bags
Non-woven bags are mostly used as shopping bags or carrier bags and boasts of a good price-quality balance.
With their decent shelf life, non-woven bags can be used to store fruits, vegetables and other perishables in cold storages in supermarkets and departmental stores. Small non-woven bags are also used to pack expensive electronics, such as professional cameras and lenses before they are put in cardboard boxes. This keeps the packing breathable, prevents moisture deposition and prevents growth of fungus on lens optics. They are also used to pack leather items such as bags, shoes and belts for similar reasons.
When to buy Non-woven bags
Non-woven bags are an excellent choice for any business. Businesses who want to show that they care for the environment should switch to non-woven bags and also encourage others to use them too.
These eco-friendly and recyclable bags can be used in departmental stores, apparel stores, electronics arenas, or any other retail outlets.
What is Nylon in packaging?
The name “nylons” refers to the group of plastics known as polyamides. Nylons are typified by amide group of polymers and encompass a wide range of material types (e.g. Nylon 6,6; Nylon 6,12; Nylon 4,6; Nylon 6; Nylon 12 etc.), with each group having specific properties. Nylon is used in the production of film and fiber, and also as a moulding compound.
Nylon is formed by two methods-
Dual numbers arise from the first, a condensation reaction between the diamines and dibasic acids produces a nylon salt. The first number of the nylon type refers to the number of carbon atoms in the diamine, the second number is the quantity in the acid (e.g. nylon 6,12 or nylon 6,6).
The second process, however, involves opening up a monomer containing both amine and acid groups known as a lactam ring. The nylon identity is based on the number of atoms in the lactam monomer (e.g. nylon 6 or nylon 12, etc.)
Properties of Nylon
Some of the important properties of nylon include:
- Nylons are semi-crystalline in nature, hence rigid material with high thermal resistance
- They are resistant to many chemicals as well
- Nylons are hygroscopic in nature (ability to absorb moisture). In some cases, this is useful, as they become flexible
- They can be blended with other engineering plastics to increase performance. The possible processes on nylon are injection moulding, rotational moulding, casting or extrusion into film or fiber
- They have high tensile strength
Application of Nylon
- Nylon fibers are used in textiles, fishing line, and carpets.
- Nylon films are used for food packaging, offering toughness and low gas permeability, and coupled with its temperature resistance, for boil-in-the-bag food packaging.
- Moulding and extrusion compounds find many applications as replacements for metal parts, for instance in car engine components. Intake manifolds in nylon are tough, corrosion resistant, lighter and cheaper than aluminum (once tooling costs are covered) and offer better airflow due to a smooth internal bore instead of a rough cast one.
- Its self-lubricating properties make it useful for gears and bearings.
- Electrical insulation, corrosion resistance, and toughness make nylon a good choice for high load parts in electrical applications as insulators, switch housings and the ubiquitous cable ties.
- Another major application is for power tool housings.
When to buy Nylon?
Nylon is a useful packaging material and an important component in a wide range of industries.
Businesses dealing with packaging, electronics, power equipment, automobiles, textiles, etc can benefit from nylon.
Nalgene is a brand of plastic under the registered trademark of Nalge Nunc International. Nalge is popular for laboratory equipment and now has ventured into household and travel utilities. The inception of nalgene plastic dates back to 1940s and the first product developed was the plastic pipette jar.
What is Nalgene?
Nalgene is a brand of plastic products, developed for laboratory use, which is shatterproof and lighter than glass. Nalgene plastic is not reactive with most of the chemicals, and hence suitable to work on with various substances and at various temperature range.
Since the past few decades, Nalgene bottles are gaining popularity in households because of the lightweight and non leaching plastic taste in water.
Properties of nalgene
Nalgene products, in general, incorporates the following properties-
- Superior impact resistance
- High endurance to temperature variations
- Nonreactive with large number of chemicals, hence very suitable for laboratories
- They are not brittle
- Graduations to measure the level of liquid and solids in them
- Household bottles are dishwasher safe
Applications of nalgene
As mentioned, nalgene products are of great use in laboratories, household, and travelers. Travellers/adventure sports enthusiasts prefer nalgene bottles because they are lightweight and they have high impact resistance.
Products made from nalgene
Nalgene plastics are used to make a number of products, which include items like- jars, bottles, test tubes, graduated cylinders, pipettes, petri dishes, etc.
Because of its popularity, a number of products from other manufacturers are designed to be compatible with nalgene bottles like- screw on water purifying filters, insulated nylon fabric cases, screw on LED lights, splash guard for bottles, and much more.
When to buy nalgene
Nalgene products are of great use when your business involves chemicals and scientific research. These are also useful for travel accessories suppliers, home utensils and cookware manufacturers and suppliers.
What is Offset Finish?
Offset finish, also called offset lithography or offset printing is a printing technique in which the inked image is transferred from the printing plate to a rubber cylinder and then transferred from the cylinder to the material (usually papers of different dimensions) to be printed. The act of transferring the ink from the rubber cylinders to the surface to be printed is called the offset.
Offset printing is quite an old method of printing. However, it is still in use. It is one of the fastest ways of bulk printing on the same type of material. Offset printing was introduced during the late 19th century and is still in use. The principles of operation are still the same, but the printers are way faster. Modern offset finish machines can produce high quality full colour images faster and at a very low cost.
Properties of Offset Finish
Properties of offset printing-:
- Consistent high-quality printing: Offset printing provides clean and sharp prints in a very short time because the rubber blanket used to transfer the ink conforms to the texture of the printing surface.
- Fast plat printing: Flat items, such as cardboard, metal sheet, paper can be printed very easily. However, based on the hardness and flexibility of the item to be printed, the setup is different.
- Low cost printing: The initial setup for offset finish is pretty high, but eventually, for printing in bulk, this method turns out to be the cheapest. Cost of printing can further be reduced by controlling the amount of ink on the fountain roller. The ink adjustment also allows the image quality to remain consistent over time. Modern printers can electronically adjust the amount of ink on the fly.
- Full color prints using CMYK color model: Offset finish can print in full color using different component colors, or print in halftone. In offset printing, halftone dots are always hexagonal.
Applications of Offset Finish
In the industry, before offset finish, color printing was extremely expensive. Today, this technique is a primary method for printing in bulk in the print industry.
Offset printing suitable for printing the same content in large volume at lower price. These include printing packages and boxes for products, printing newspapers or books, printing on sheet metal for branding purposes and so on.
Products that use Offset Finish
Products that are built using offset finish or offset lithography includes the following items:
- Retail boxes and packaging
- Newspapers and magazines
- Business cards, greeting cards, letterheads, calendars, invitations, fliers
- Sheet metal of auto parts, window panes, vehicle license plates
- Plastic film stickers for visual decoration of cars and electrical appliances
When to buy Offset Finish Printers
Offset Finish printers are expensive and are difficult to set up. Even most small industries outsource mass printing to other printing industries. Offset finish printers are generally used in printing industries or businesses that offer printing services to its clients.
OPP (Oriented Polypropylene)
Polypropylene is the second most widely produced synthetic plastic, right after polyethylene. OPP or oriented polypropylene is a polymer that is made from propylene, a monomer that is highly resistant to chemical and mechanical wear and tear.
What is oriented polypropylene?
Oriented polypropylene is polypropylene manufactured in a slightly different procedure. Polypropylene is commonly used in manufacturing many day to day materials including laboratory equipment, automotive parts, electronics parts, plastic jars, containers, packaging materials, and even polymer banknotes. Oriented polypropylene, commonly available as biaxially oriented polypropylene is available as thin transparent plastic sheets that are used for packing and lamination.
Properties of oriented polypropylene
Oriented polypropylene has many properties similar to the common plastic sheets. These properties include the following:
- Improved stiffness: Oriented polypropylene has improved stiffness over sheets made from commodity plastic. The degree of stiffness can be further modified by the use of fillers during the manufacturing process.
- High tensile strength: Oriented polypropylene sheets exhibit high tensile strength and therefore does not tear easily when subjected to stress. This is an important property that is required in the packing industry.
- Low cost: Because of the simple construction, OPP films can be manufactured at very low costs. Since they can be readily used to make retail packaging, OPP films bring down packing cost of products.
- Mono layered: Oriented polypropylene can be used as a single layer of plastic sheet to pack products, or can be co extruded with other types of plastics or metals. Metallized oriented polypropylene sheets are much stronger than standard ones.
- Vapour barrier: Oriented polypropylene is non-porous. Also, it does not allow any type of gaseous exchange to occur, thereby forming an effective sealing in plastic packaging.
- Transparent in nature and printable: Oriented polypropylene films are generally transparent in nature, but can be made opaque if needed. Often pigments are added during the manufacturing process to give the sheet any desired colour. This can also be done to control the degree of transparency. In general, OPP comes with excellent transparency, gloss, and clarity.
Applications of oriented polypropylene
Oriented polypropylene is most commonly used in the packing of food products. OPP packing satisfies many of the requirements of food packaging. OPP packaging can protect the food and its nutritional properties until the food is consumed because of its excellent barrier properties.
Being cost effective, it is also used for packing low cost food items, such as snacks and chips. Oriented polypropylene packaging also enhances the sales of the product by allowing the product information to be printed directly on the product. Because of the transparent nature, they can be used to show the product directly also.
Products built using oriented polypropylene
Oriented polypropylene is generally available for purchase as sheet rolls. Products that are built from these sheets include the following:
- Adhesive tapes
- Transparent disposable bags and pouches
- Low cost decorative bags
- Thermal lamination films
- Soft packing wraps
When to buy oriented polypropylene
OPP films are primarily useful in food packing industries. However, they are also commonly used in packing and shipping industries.
Plastic Recycling Code
Recycling codes, are used to identify the material from which an item is made, to facilitate easier recycling or other reprocessing. Most plastics are not biodegradable and will survive in the environment for hundreds of years. Instead of biodegrading, plastic photo degrades, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces.
To help identify the different plastics, a Plastics Identification Code is stamped on the final product to indicate what type of resin it contains. The code is displayed as a number inside a triangle of chasing arrows.
Products and their Plastic Recycling Codes
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, PETE): PET is clear, tough, and has good gas and moisture barrier properties. Cleaned, recycled PET flakes and pellets are in great demand for spinning fiber for carpet yarns, producing fiberfill and geo-textiles. Nickname: Polyester.
- Clear and optically smooth surfaces for oriented films and bottles
- Excellent barrier to air and chemicals
- High impact capability and shatter resistance
- Capability for hot-filling
- Plastic bottles for soft drinks, water, juice, sports drinks, beer, mouthwash, catsup and salad dressing.
- Food jars for peanut butter, jelly, jam and pickles.
- Oven film and microwavable food trays.
Things made with recycled PET:
Fibre for carpet, fleece jackets, comforter fill, containers for food, beverages (bottles), and non-food items.
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): HDPE is used to make unpigmented and pigmented bottles. Because HDPE has good chemical resistance, it is used for packaging many household and industrial chemicals. Pigmented HDPE bottles have better stress crack resistance than unpigmented HDPE.
- Excellent resistance to most solvents
- Higher tensile strength compared to other forms of polyethylene
- Relatively stiff material with useful temperature capabilities
- Bottles for milk, water, juice, cosmetics, shampoo, dish and laundry detergents, and household cleaners
- Bags for groceries and retail purchases
- Cereal box liners
- Reusable shipping containers
Things made with recycled HDPE:
Bottles for non-food items, such as shampoo, conditioner, liquid laundry detergent, household cleaners, motor oil and antifreeze; plastic lumber for outdoor decking, fencing and picnic tables; pipe, floor tiles, buckets, crates, flower pots, garden edging, film and sheet, and recycling bins.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, Vinyl): In addition to its stable physical properties, PVC has good chemical resistance, weatherability, flow characteristics and stable electrical properties.
- High impact strength, brilliant clarity, excellent processing performance
- Resistance to grease, oil and chemicals
- Rigid packaging applications include blister packs and clamshells.
- Flexible packaging uses include bags for bedding and medical, shrink wrap, deli and meet wrap and tamper resistance.
Things made with recycled PVC:
Pipe, decking, fencing, panelling, gutters, carpet backing, floor tiles and mats, resilient flooring, mud flaps, cassette trays, electrical boxes, cables, traffic cones, garden hose, and mobile home skirting.
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE): LDPE is used predominantly in film applications and now a days also to manufacture some flexible lids and bottles,wires and cables.
- Excellent resistance to acids, bases and vegetable oils
- Toughness, flexibility and relative transparency
- Bags for dry cleaning, newspapers, bread, frozen foods, fresh produce, and household garbage
- Shrink wrap and stretch film
- Coatings for paper milk cartons and hot and cold beverage cups
- Container lids
- Squeezable bottles
Things made with recycled LDPE:
Shipping envelopes, garbage can liners, floor tile, paneling, furniture, film and sheet, compost bins, trash cans, landscape timber, and outdoor lumber.
Polypropylene (PP): PP has good chemical resistance, is strong, and has a high melting point making it good for hot-fill liquids. This resin is found in flexible and rigid packaging, fibers, and large molded parts for automotive and consumer products.
- Excellent optical clarity in biaxially oriented films and stretch blow molded containers
- Low moisture vapor transmission
- Inertness toward alkalis and other solvents.
- Containers for yogurt, margarine, takeout meals, and deli foods
- Medicine bottles
- Bottle caps and closures
Things made with recycled polypropylene:
- Automobile applications, such as battery cases, signal lights, battery cables, brooms and brushes, ice scrapers, oil funnels, and bicycle racks.
- Garden rakes, storage bins, shipping pallets, sheeting, trays.
Polystyrene (PS): PS is a versatile plastic that can be rigid or foamed. PS is often combined with rubber to make high impact polystyrene (HIPS) which is used for packaging and durable applications requiring toughness.
- Excellent moisture barrier and optical clarity
- Excellent optical clarity in general purpose form
- Significant stiffness in both foamed and rigid forms
- Thermal insulation
- Food service items, such as cups, plates, bowls, cutlery, hinged takeout containers (clamshells), meat and poultry trays, and rigid food containers (e.g., yogurt).
- Protective foam packaging for furniture, electronics, and other delicate items.
- Packing peanuts
Things made with recycled polystyrene:
- Thermal insulation, thermometers, light switch plates, vents, desk trays, rulers, and license plate frames.
- Cameras or video cassette casings.
- Plastic mouldings and foam protective packaging
In medicine, edible capsule tablets have been in use since a long time. Nowadays, the edible films are also gaining popularity. Do you know, what are these edible films and capsule tablet coating made of? Mostly, they are made of pullulan, which is a tasteless, edible polymer.
What is pullulan?
Pullulan is an edible polymer, whose molecules are made up of glucose units. They are produced from the starch of pullulan fungi. Well, they are called polymers because of their complex and large, repeating molecular structure.
Properties of pullulan
Apart from being organic and having multiple industrial suitability, some of the properties that pullulan incorporates are as listed-
- It is soluble in water
- It is anti-static
- It is oil resistant
- It provides foam retention and smoother texture to formulations
- It is good antioxidant
- It is edible and mostly comprises of glucose molecules
- It can be easily digested in our body
Applications of pullulan
Pullulan has a variety of applications in different industries. Some of its applications are as listed-
- It is used as a glazing agent (i.e. to give a vitreous surface or coating)
- It is used as a film forming agent
- It is also used as a carrier in the production of capsules for dietary supplements and medicine
- For making Breath fresheners
- In food industry for making Jams and Jellies
- It forms a foaming agent in milk based desserts
- It is used in confectionaries
- It is also used as an ingredient in many beauty products and cosmetics
Products made using pullulan
Pullulan is used for making oral hygiene products like breath fresheners, liquid mouthwash, etc.; cosmetics, medicinal capsule tablets, in food industry as thickening agent and in desserts.
When to buy pullulan?
The manufacturing industries related to dental and oral hygiene, medicines, food, and cosmetics can use pullulan in their formulations.
QR codes were initially used in the automotive industry but quickly spread to other industries because of their ability to store more data than standard bar codes. They are also more reliable than standard bar codes. A QR code can store binary data, numeric data, alphanumeric strings, or even kanji or Japanese alphabets.
What is QR code?
QR code, or Quick Response code is a 2 dimensional bar code. QR codes are generally available as black and white optical labels that are machine readable. QR codes have four different encoding modes, as opposed to a single one on UPC bar codes. QR codes can simply be read using any camera and using an error correction algorithm called the Reed-Solomon error correction.
Features of QR code
- High storage capacity: A printed QR code can contain large amounts of machine readable data than any other type of printed label. It can store 7089 numeric characters, 4296 alphanumeric characters, 2953 binary bytes (that is 23624 binary bits) and 1817 Kanji characters. However, the storage size depends on the version of QR code that is being used.
- Error correcting: QR codes can come with built in error correction. This allows the machine to scan the code even when it is damaged. There are four distinct levels of error correction capabilities:
- L or Low: this can restore 7% of the damaged code words
- M or medium: about 15% of code words can be restored
- Q or Quartile: 25% restoration possible
- H or High: 30% restoration possible
- Available in a various sizes: Depending on the amount of data that is required to be stored, QR codes can be available in multiple sizes or versions. Here is a list of version numbers with the grid sizes:
- Micro QR code – 11 x 11
- Version 1 – 21 x 21
- Version 2 – 25 x 25
- Version 3 – 29 x 29
- Version 4 – 33 x 33
- Version 10 – 57 x 57
- Version 25 – 117 x 117
- Version 40 – 177 x 177
- Extensible: QR codes can be further extended using non-standard methods for proprietary uses. This includes incorporating other colours in the grid, other than black and white to store more data. Using 4 or 8 colours allows QR codes to store even more data. They can also be used for cryptographic purposes.
Application of QR code
The primary application of QR codes is identification and tracking. Besides, QR code is also used in advertising. URL encoded QR codes printed on product labels and product packaging can be used to guide the consumer to the product websites. This allows companies to boost sales. Billboard and newspaper advertisements use QR codes to directly allow the consumer to buy the product. This increases the chance of sale of a product.
QR codes are also used to encode V-cards, or pre-written emails. These scans can be scanned to save contacts or send mails. QR codes are also used to send metadata to apps on mobile devices. When scanned with the camera, the QR code can open an app, or add coupons to shopping apps.
QR codes are used in tickets for faster checking in and verification. ID cards also contain QR codes so that they are machine readable. Reserve Bank of India has developed a variant of QR code, called the IndiaQR with four major card companies to power their Unified Payments Interface platform. QR codes are also used to authenticate payments made from any other digital wallets, such as PayPal, Bitcoins wallets, PayTM and so on.
QR codes can be used in multi-factor authentication for websites too. A QR code shown on the computer screen, when scanned using a registered user’s smart-phone, logs in the user automatically. Both the computer and the smartphone must be connected to the internet.
When to buy QR code
QR codes are freely available and do not require to be purchased. There are multiple APIs available to generate QR codes following JIS or ISO standards. Even though there are some patented QR code standards, they are rarely used elsewhere other than the organization who owns the patent. Any product manufacturer can include QR codes on their product packaging to provide additional product information, for tracking or identification purposes, or just for advertisement purposes.
What are Retort Pouches?
Retort pouches are a type of sterile food packaging constructed from a laminate of metal foils and flexible plastics.
Retort pouches originated in the army for MRE or Meals-Ready-to-Eat. The pouches get the name from the process of cooking the food after it is packed in a pouch. The pouches are heated in an autoclave, which is also often called a “retort”. The pouches form a sterile packaging used to pack both solids and liquids, and are commonly used to increase the shelf life of perishables. These are commonly used to provide food in space, army, or to take food during camping.
Some variants of retort pouches have a gusset beneath them and are called stand up pouches.
Properties of Retort Pouches
Retort pouches are well-sealed and extremely durable pouches. This makes it ideal for rough handling and have mostly field and outdoor applications.
- Thermally Sterilized: Retort pouches are made from flexible metal and plastic laminates. The metal-plastic laminate then undergoes a thermal processing for sterilization. This prevents bacterial or mold infestation in the pouches, giving the food extended shelf life.
- Ready to Eat: The food contained is either raw and is cooked after packing. The cooking inside is similar to that of a pressure cooker. The method also effectively kills any micro-organism present in the food. This makes packaged food in these pouches safer to eat. Also, retort pouches can be heated without any fire or gas to cook the food.
- Flexible and Durable: Retort pouches are highly durable. The metal-plastic laminate keeps it flexible and gives the same benefits as that of a can. The laminate does not allow for any gas exchange keeping the food fresh for long. It also employs different barriers for acidic and basic food. This helps in improving the shelf life of the food.
- Constructed from composite materials: The layers that are used in retort pouches include the following:
- Polyester (PET): The layer provides an outer rigid glossy protection. Since it is so clear, the inside can also be printed.
- Nylon (bi-oriented polyamide): This one provides a strong fabric-like material giving rigidity and tear or puncture resistance.
- Aluminum: A thin material helps keep the food fresh by forming an effective gas barrier.
- Food-Grade Cast Polypropylene (CPP): This is the layer used to seal the pouch. Sometimes zip locks are also used to seal the items.
- Polyethylene (PE): It is sometimes used instead of polypropylene to seal the pouch. PE helps form a bonding layer on the pouch.
Applications of Retort Pouches
Retort pouches are excellent for military or aeronautical use. However, it also finds its use in commercial food packaging found in supermarkets. In the military, retort pouches are used to provide MREs. These are Ready-to-Eat meals for sporadic consumption. In the military, retort pouches are used to pack cooked food such as beans, rice, beef, meatloaf and gravy.
In case of anti-gravity food for astronauts, it contains freeze dried food. Retort pouches for field or camping needs contain raw food for cooking using heat.
Retort pouches are also used to pack food in departmental stores. These include frozen items, such as peas, corn, cottage cheese, spices, cereals, sauces and pickles. Also, a lot of food manufacturers have switched from using cans to stand-up retort pouches.
Products built using Retort Pouches
Retort pouches are generally used to make ziplock bags or simple heat sealed pouches. These pouches are available from 3.5” x 6” up to 13“ x 18”. Generally, ziplock bags come with a bottom gusset and are called stand-up pouches.
When to buy Retort Pouches
Besides being excellent for military and anti gravity food, retort pouches finds great use in the commercial food industry. Companies manufacturing ready-to-eat food, such as instant noodles or soups, can benefit a lot from retort pouches. This allows food to be consumed on the go, making it a very convenient option for consumers. Companies that also manufacture frozen or dried foods can benefit by switching to retort pouches as it will help in increasing the shelf life of the food.
What is Reaming?
Reaming is a finishing process, usually performed with multi edge tools to provide high precision holes on metal and sometimes on corrugated boxes. It is an important aspect of material handling.
Properties of Reaming
The notable features of reaming are as follows:
- It is a finishing process: Reaming is a finishing process that is done once the object has been completely created. Reaming is done in the end to smoothen out all the kinks and protrusions from insides of holes.
- It is a repeated process: The process of reaming is repeated multiple times. Often one pass of the reamer is not enough to smoothen out the innards of the hole. Therefore, multiple reamers are used in succession to ensure that the bore is made as smooth as possible.
- Can be done manually or by machines: Reaming can be done by hand using hand reamers. There are also reamers available that can be attached to drill machines, milling machines or lathe machines to ream holes. These are called machine reamers.
- Often used for Chamfering: Reaming can also be done to create chamfers within the metal boxes. Chamfers are angular cuts that are made to smoothen out the edges and ensure that fitting is done properly.
Applications of Reaming
The packaging that requires ventilation, such as dry boxes, have reamed ventilation holes. The musical instruments such as cello, violins and other instruments come with carry-on-go cases, made from composite materials – including metal and wood. In these carrying cases, proper fitting between metal and wood is done by reaming the holes in the metal parts.
Metallic boxes are also often used as retail boxes for expensive items, such as wrist watches, pens, enthusiast-grade computer components, electronic components, and batteries. The metallic packages can also have reamed holes that serve functional or aesthetic purposes.
The reaming tools are mainly made from metals, as metals have the strength and endurance to bore holes in the tightest of packaging materials. They can have carbide tip, which ensures greater finishing while boring holes.
The popular reaming tools include straight flute and spiral flute reamers. The straight flute reamers are used for reaming cuts without interrupted cuts. The spiral flute reamers are useful for blinding and through hole operations; they are mainly used to bridge the interrupted cuts.
When to buy reaming tools?
Reamers are a perfect solution to enlarge an existing hole or to give the finishing touch to improve its size and tolerance.
The reaming tools are available according to the industry standards as well as customised options depending on the clients’ requirements. When you are an industry dealing with material handling, reaming comes as a handy solution to provide the best fit for the product packaging.
Waste management has become a prime concern today because of increasing demand and supply of almost every product that we use in our day to day life. The waste when not disposed of properly increases the landfill, which is of course of not any use. It is always better to reuse the products by recycling. It should be noted that among all packaging products, corrugated boxes are the most recycled material and raggers play an important role in their recycling process.
What are raggers and how they work?
Raggers are solid waste management equipment mostly used in the recycling process of corrugated boxes. The corrugated boxes are collected, sorted, and baled for space optimised storage and then sent to the recycling centre. At the recycling centres, the bales are put into the repulper (a blender like huge tub), mixed with water and agitated to form a slushy pulp.
The ragger hangs in the repulper, and the contaminants such as long pieces of ropes, strings, tapes, plastic and metal bands wraps around the ragger, which can be pulled out. The remaining slushy pulp can be sent for further processing to reform the products.
Benefits of raggers
Raggers are beneficial to use because-
- Raggers save landfill space and help in separating different types of waste
- They reduce disposal costs
- They can generate revenue out of waste
- The residual waste can also be used as an alternative fuel
Application of raggers
The application of raggers includes gasification, in metal foundry, recycling solid and dry waste, and research and development.
Products that use raggers
Many of the packaging products can be recycled and reused. Out of them, the solid packaging materials (metal, papers, corrugated boxes, and plastic) require raggers at the time of recycling.
When to buy raggers?
The manufacturers who plan to incorporate the waste management in their businesses can opt for raggers, as they are very helpful in the recycling process.
What are Sachets?
Sachets are small sealed bags or packets; also porous at times, which are used to contain aromatic ingredients. Sachets generally consist of soft, heat sealed packing pouches made from metalized sheets, fabrics, paper or plastics. Sachets also come in different shapes and sizes, for multiple packaging applications.
Properties of Sachets
Sachets are used to store both liquids and solids. The notable features of sachets include:
- Low cost: One of the most important features is the low cost associated with manufacturing sachets and packing products in the sachet in an assembly line. For packing small or low-cost products, using sachets adds very little overhead packaging cost.
- Heat Sealable: sachets made from plastic sheets or metalized plastic sheets are heat sealable. Heat sealable sachets are tamper proof and require no additional adhesives or sealant to be sealed.
- Durable: Most sachets are manufactured to be durable. Sachets made from metalized plastic sheets are more durable.
- Can be manufactured from different materials: Sachets can be of different qualities and can be manufactured from multiple materials based on the requirements. These materials include paper, plastic sheets like HDPE (High-density poly ethylene) and LDPE (Low-density poly ethylene), metalized plastic sheets, aluminum foils, woven and non-woven fabrics.
- Printable: Sachets can be used to print the product details, branding graphics and more directly on the packing itself without the need for any separate exterior packing.
- Water resistant: All plastic based and non-woven fabric sachets are water resistant.
Applications of Sachets
Applications of sachets include packing food products, healthcare and cosmetics, toys, electronics, home improvement tools, and more. Sachets are generally used for low cost and small quantity packing applications. Here is a broader view on the applications of sachets:
Diffusing sachets: Sachets made from porous materials are used to diffuse the internal contents. They are used for desiccants, deodorizers or can be used as tea bags.
For packing food, medicine, and cosmetics: sachets made from metalized plastic sheets are generally used to pack ready-to-eat food items, such as instant soup mixes, instant coffee powder, powdered milk, sauces, and pickles. Sachets made from multi-layer plastic sheets are used to pack shampoos and conditioners.
For keeping small components grouped together and secure: Small screws, nuts, and bolts that come with electronics or furniture that must be self-assembled in small sachets. These make sure that the smaller components do not get misplaced.
Sachets come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The most commonly available sachets include:
- Aluminium foil sachets: Metallized plastic sheets or aluminium laminated between plastic sheets are used to make sachets that can contain liquid products, and extend the life of perishables.
- Plastic sachets: Plastic sachets are cheap, with low packing cost overhead and is great for packing inexpensive products, or grouping small items together.
- Kraft paper sachets: Paper sachets are often used to either contain dry non-perishable products or are used as diffusing sachets.
- Sachets with spout: Sachets also are available with an extra spout that makes them reusable.
When to Buy Sachets
Sachets can be used in various industries and are most used in food, healthcare, and cosmetics. They are generally used as retail packaging for small quantity and sample products. They are also used as a secondary layer of packaging for keeping items grouped in large packages.
Soilon was developed as a replacement for paper bags used to make tea bags since it is biodegradable. Over the time, the application of soilon expanded for a number of other products like for filtering water, beverages, laboratories, etc.
What is soilon?
Soilon is a filter made from biomass called polylactic acid that is generally developed from sugarcane or corn starch. Polylactic acid, called PLA in short, is the second most consumed bioplastic in the world. High availability of PLA also makes Soilon one of the cheapest mesh filters available on the market.
Soilon is commonly used to make tea bags, even though it can be used for other filtering purposes also.
Properties of soilon
- Built from organic material: Soilon is built from plant starch as the base material. The manufacturing process includes fermentation of lactic acid and polymerization of it. Finally, the resultant material is made into fibers and are finally woven together. The opening between the fibers provides a consistent level of permeability across the entire area of the filter.
- Chemically safe even in high temperatures: Soilon in completely safe even when immersed in boiling water – which is why it is mostly used as tea bags. Soilon does not disintegrate it heat and works as advertised even with high-temperature liquids.
- Degrades naturally: Soilon degrades naturally by hydrolysis. When buried underground, the matter can be broken down by microorganisms. Over time, it actually turns into water and carbon dioxide. The degradation speed depends on the type of soil, its acidity, moisture content, also the level of microorganisms present.
- Safely combustible: Soilon when burnt does not give out any toxic fumes. emission of carbon dioxide is also much lower than that of any synthetic plastic.
- Prevents mold growth: Soilon, over prolonged storage, does not get fungus. It is mildew-proof and bacteriostatic properties.
Applications of soilon
Soilon is generally used as a mesh filter for beverages. Soilon is used to make tea bags because they are cheap, they act as a mesh filter and also they can withstand the hot water. However, Soilon can also be used elsewhere.
Soilon can be used as a filter for coffee or other similar beverages. Soilon can also be used in water filters for filtering out larger solids. It can also be used in laboratories to filter out the precipitates in a solution. However, it has to be noted that only the chemicals that do not react with polylactic acid can be used to filter using soilon.
Products built using soilon
At present, the only product that is available in the market is tea bags made from Soilon. Soilon tea bags are tetrahedral in shape, unlike square paper tea bags. The tetrahedral shape allows the tea to efficiently drip through the filter.
When to buy soilon
Soilon is particularly useful for tea manufacturing and processing industries. However, other beverage manufacturing industries can also use it. Soilon is essentially a cheap, organic and biodegradable filter and it can be used in any industries that have liquid filtration requirements. It can also be used in other industries, such as packaged drinking water industry, to filter out the solid wastes from water before further purification.
Tamper Proof Bag
What is a tamper-proof bag?
The plastic bags with damage resistance and sealing mechanisms are known as tamper-proof bags. They come in different shapes, sizes and types; just like conventional plastic bags. However, the most characteristic feature of tamper-proof bags is their different sealing mechanisms. These bags may be resealable or have a tamper evident sealing. In most of these bags, the seals are very hard to break.
Properties of tamper-proof bag
Notable features of tamper-proof bags include-
- Waterproofing: Since the tamper-proof bags have an exterior LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) coating, these bags are waterproof.
- Odor barrier: The plastics used to construct tamper proof bags prevents gaseous exchanges with the outside world. This keeps the odor of the food items packed inside and retains freshness.
- Tear resistant: The polyethylene sheets can stand high levels of stress before tearing. Therefore, even thin and light bags can be used to pack heavier items.Tamper Proof bags may have multiple layers of polyethylene sheets. This is used to make the bag stronger and provides higher tear resistance.
- Metallic lining: Some Tamper proof bags are metalled. During manufacture, a thin metal foil is laminated on both sides using plastic sheets and the laminated sheets are used to make the bag. The metalled bags can withstand higher temperatures even without being impaled.
- Heat seal-able: Since they are made of plastic, tamper proof bags are heat seal-able and can be sealed using heat sealers for conventional plastic bags.
- Resealable and Reusable: Some variants to tamper-proof bags come with zip locks that allow the bag to be resealed after the heat seal has been broken. This also makes the bag reusable. Since most tamper-proof bags have a long life, consumers can clean and reuse them as needed.
- Available as both clear or opaque variants: Depending on the needs of the businesses, the bags can be both clear and opaque. Metallized bags have one side or both sides opaque. Clear bags allow the product inside to be seen. Opaque bags are needed to shield the product from harsh light.
- Printable: Product information and branding can be printed right on the tamper-proof bags. No additional labels are needed.
Applications of tamper-proof bag
Tamper resistant bags are generally used in retail packaging. They are also used to pack smaller electronics such as headphones, charging and data cables, as well as smartphone accessories. They can be used to pack hardware and tools, as well as delicate items such as jewelry.
Tamper resistant bags are a great option for retail packaging. Tools, smaller computer hardware or peripherals, smartphone accessories, ornaments, and cosmetics come packed in tamper-resistant bags. The retail bags are often built in the form of stand-up pouches and have die cut holes so that they can be hung up in stores. Clear tamper proof bags show the product as it is.
Pre-cut vegetables, fruits, nuts and some beverages come packed in tamper-resistant bags. Pre-Processed meat can also be packed in tamper-resistant bags. Often cereals are packed in tamper-resistant bags that are both heat sealed and have a ziplock for reusability.
Tamper resistant bags can also be used to ship confidential documents or computer discs.
When to buy tamper proof bags
Businesses can benefit by using tamper-resistant bags only as their retail packing. It does not require any cardboard boxes and they look good enough on store shelves. From food to the electronics industry, tamper-resistant bags fit the requirement for many.
In some of the groceries, soft drinks, toiletries, etc. there is a label marked- “tear here” or “pull here to open.” These are the tear tapes, which aid the opening of the packaging so that excess force or additional opening tools are not required.
What is tear tape?
Tear tape is also known as tear strip or tear off the ribbon. It is a narrow adhesive tape which is incorporated in the packaging to enable easy opening and to eliminate the need for tools like scissors, knives, etc and excessive force to open the packaging.
The tape strip is usually made from polypropylene and sometimes other polymers, yarns, and filaments. The tear tape strip on one side has an adhesive which uses heat activated adhesive system. Sophisticated and heat responsive products use tear tape with pressure sensitive adhesives.
Properties of tear tape
The tear tape incorporates following properties-
- Provides easy opening on the packaging for both solid and liquid products
- When used as guided, prevents product spillage
- It performs well in retained and modified atmosphere and vacuum
- It can be printed and laminated
- It has clean cut edges
- Can be both heat and pressure sealed
Applications of tear tape
Usually, tear tape is secured to the inner surface of the packaging in papers, paper boards, corrugated fiberboards, plastic films, etc. Tear tape provides guide on the tear area, which helps in precise opening corresponding to the packaging pattern and thus minimizing product spillage. Tear tapes are also used in food packaging and pharmaceuticals.
Products that use tear tape
The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) like soft drink packets and bottles, groceries, toilet accessories, cigarettes, cigars, courier envelopes, corrugated boxes, etc. commonly use tear tapes.
When to buy tear tapes?
Tear tapes are designed for quick, easy, and effective opening. The manufacturers who tend to give a convenient packaging solution to their customers, tear tapes are of great use. They can be customised in terms of dimensions, adhesion, and printing over the surface so as to meet the manufacturer’s requirements.
UPC Symbol: Universal Product Code
What is UPC?
UPC or the Universal Product Code is a barcode symbol that is used to track items in stores. Nearly everything that is purchased from a mass merchandiser, grocery or department store comes with a universal product code.
Properties of UPC
The Universal Product Code of UPC originated from the Uniform Code Council (UCC). To be able to have a code for a product, a manufacturer first needs to apply to the UCC. The UCC grants the manufacturer the permission to use UPC on their products. The UPC has two distinct parts:
- A machine-readable barcode often read with a line scanner and
- A human-readable 12 digit code.
The barcode contains the same information as the 12 digits human readable code.
The 12 digit UPC is divided into three sections. These are:
- The 6 digit manufacturer code: This code is assigned to the manufacturer when they register with the UCC. All products from the same brands will have their first 6 digits same.
- The 5 digit product code: The next five digits, that is digit 7 to digit 11 from the left is the product code. This is different for different products. However, product code from products of different manufacturers can be the same. In that case, the manufacturer code will differ, obviously.
- Parity check digit: The final digit is the parity check digit. The parity check digit ensures that all the previous digits are correctly decoded or not. The parity check digit is calculated using the 11 digits. Every time the barcode is scanned, the scanner performs a series of arithmetic operations using the first 11 digits and if the result is the 12th digit, then the scanning is a success.
The standard version of UPC is called the UPC-A code that has 12 digits. However, most of these codes have a lot of zeroes in them, since all the digits are not used. The popular manufacturer codes have the maximum number of zeroes. This redundancy is eliminated by introducing a shorter “zero-suppressed” UPC-E code that comes with 6 digits. UPC-E is used on smaller packages that do not have much space for the entire UPC code.
Universal Product Codes can also be used for other purposes, as determined by the number system that they follow. This number system is again determined by the first digit of the manufacturer’s code. Here is a list of what each digit means:
- 0 – Standard UPC number, present even on zero-suppressed codes
- 1 – Reserved
- 2 – Random-weight items such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and so on
- 3 – Pharmaceuticals
- 4 – In-store code for retailers. Setting the first digit as 4 allows retailers to use the code in any way they want
- 5 – Coupons
- 6, 7 – Standard UPC number
- 8, 9 – Reserved
Applications of UPC
UPC makes billing or inventory reporting much easier. Manual entry of product details is no longer required. Manufacturers can maintain a single database and update it as products are added. This database can be shared with retailers who can then use the details to keep track of products in their store. Besides that, retailers can further use a second UPC code to maintain their own personal inventory. A UPC code also helps prevent fraud by making it easy to verify the product description and manufacturer details. UPC codes can also be used as coupons for products.
What is Unica?
Unica is manufactured from vulcanized lump paper, which is generally carried out with untreated rubber. It involves mixing sulfur with untreated or uncured rubber to form durable polymers. Unica was used extensively during the Second World War and is now replaced with plastics. The most common Unica product was the lunch box. Unica is still used to make packing boxes for a wide range of products.
Properties of unica
- Homogeneous: Unica, like other vulcanized fiber material, is homogeneous in nature. Even though it is made from paper, it is completely free from cellulose mass. It also does not contain any artificial resins, binders or glues.
- High Tear and Tensile Strength: The vulcanization process makes Unica a hard material, similar to plastic. Therefore, it is highly resistant to tears.
- Flexible: Unica can also be made flexible by decreasing the thickness of the material.
- Moldable: Using high-temperature steam, Unica can be softened. When placed in molds under high pressure, Unica takes the shape of the mold. Hence making molded products from Unica is possible.
- High-temperature tolerance: Unica can tolerate temperatures up to a 100 to 120 degrees centigrade without degrading.
- Electrical insulation: Any vulcanized fiber material does not conduct electricity. Hence Unica is a suitable material for making boxes for electrical components.
- Resistant to Penetration: Unica shows high resistance to penetration by most common organic solvents. This includes oils and petroleum derivatives too.
Applications of unica
During the second world war, household commodities, luggage, storage boxes and clothing accessories were made with Unica. Many Swedish airplanes had their fuel tanks made out of Unica. Parts of shoes, buttons, helmets, suitcases were also made from unica.
At present, Unica is used to make boxes, shelving racks, book covers and holders and other similar items.
Products built using unica
Unica is used for fancy and heritage packaging these days. Boxes for expensive wine bottles, cigars, folders for documents, book holders are made from unica. For packaging purposes, products with higher price tags have their retail packaging made from unica. These also include jewelry, wrist watches, or any other expensive gifts.
When to buy unica
Unica, at present, has low availability. However, custom boxes can still be bulk ordered for retail packaging of products. Also, for packaging of heritage products to give the sepia feel, packaging with unica gives a perfect solution.
What is VCI paper?
VCI paper is an anti-corrosive packing paper. VCI stands for Vapour Corrosion Inhibitor or Volatile/Vapour Phase Corrosive Inhibitors. These packings are specifically designed to keep metallic corrosion at bay. VCI2000 specializes in manufacturing their proprietary anti-corrosive packaging for metallic products. VCI paper is only of the many products that include plastics sheets, bags, emitters, powders and so on.
VCI papers are natural craft papers that are embedded with the inhibitors. This is a very effective method of dry corrosion protection for ferrous metals. VCI papers are available in different variants for different applications. They are also available in as a part of composite layer packaging.
Properties of VCI paper
- Grease and oil-free rust Protection: Grease and oil are commonly used to protect metal parts from rusting, which requires to be cleaned after unpacking. VCI papers can protect metallic products from rust, stains or discoloration that occurs when metal parts are kept exposed to air. If the packing is done in the recommended way and is not opened, then VCI papers can keep the metal parts rust free for up to two years. It is a dry method of protection.
- Nitrite-free: VCI paper is nitrate free and hence does not cause any harm to the user or the environment. It also does not contain any other heavy elements such as chromates, phosphates or silicates.
- Anti-Static: VCI paper can also be laminated with anti-static plastic sheets or coating, making it ideal for packing electronics parts.
- Provides cushioning: VCI paper is available in different types and thicknesses. Thicker VCI paper can provide some amount of cushioning to the packed metal part.
Applications of VCI paper
Car, airplanes, electronics, communication devices, kitchenware, tools – all use big and small metal parts. These metal parts, after being manufactured in the factory, are often stored away for a very long time before they are actually used in any product. Therefore, during this storage period, and also during shipping, it is important to keep these metal parts protected from corrosion. This is where VCI paper comes into play.
VCI paper is commonly used in the following areas:
- Auto parts
- Metal Mechanics
- Heavy Machinery
- Steel Manufacture
VCI paper products
VCI paper is available as craft Paper rolls. These rolls have different width and length. The smallest available standard length is 200 yards, and the longest is 500 years. Each roll can be from 36 inches to 48 inches in width.
VCI paper is also available as sheets, with sizes ranging from 12” x 12” to 35” x 42”.
These papers can be further used make ready-to-use packing solutions, such as envelopes, paper boxes, cardboard boxes lined with VCI paper and so on.
When to buy VCI paper
The businesses that manufacture and stores metal parts for a long time will benefit from purchasing VCI paper. VCI paper can be used in factories manufacturing metallic electrical or electronic parts, such as such as water pumps, pedestal and ceiling fans, washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, smartphone parts, camera parts and so on.
Hardware stores that stock tools and machinery such as wrenches, hammers, pliers, drill bits, and similar metallic items can use VCI paper to wrap these items while they are stashed away. Garages, car part manufacturers, and car dealers can use VCI papers to pack products while they are not in use.
Velostat is pressure sensitive packaging material, typically used to protect the items from electrostatic discharge. It was originally developed by Custom Materials, which is now a part of 3M. Commercially, it is also known by the name linqstat.
What is Velostat?
Velostat is a popular packaging material, which is made from polyolefins impregnated with carbon black to make it electrically conductive. It is especially used to protect the items which are prone to damage from static electricity discharges.
Properties of velostat
The Veloster provides electrical resistance, which varies with varying pressure. For example, the electrical resistance provided by velostat decreases with increasing pressure. What’s best is that it is very economical and much cheaper than off-the-shelf pressure or bend sensors.
The velostat sheets can be rolled and folded and it can be reshaped to the original (removing creases due to folding) easily. They can be thermoformed or fabricated into conductive containers and objects. They are also available in pellet form (small, rounded, compressed form) for injection molding and extrusion.
Applications of velostat
We all have seen those sneakers, that light up when one walks. The lighting sneakers, which are popular among kids; has the soles made from velostat. The resistance in the circuit reduces when one steps as the pressure is applied and that makes the shoe light up.
Another important application of velostat includes making inexpensive sensors for microcontroller experiments. These are highly useful in the packaging industry for safe shipping of gadgets, as they give protective cover against both- electric charges and jerks while transportation.
Products made from velostat
Some of the products that are made from velostat include sensors, conductive containers, pressure sensitive padding sheets, electrical toys, table tops, and floor mats.
When to buy velostat
Velostat is useful for the packaging the products that are susceptible to damage from electrostatic discharge. These are used to pack such items which are to be stored for longer time. They are also useful for the electronics sector for making sensors for microcontrollers.
What is Warehousing?
Warehousing is storing the goods in a large commercial building, called a warehouse. Warehouses are used by exporters, importers, manufacturers, and transporters to store goods. Especially in this era of eCommerce, when the goods need to be shipped a location different from where it is manufactured, warehouses are a savior.
Warehouses are large plain buildings with one large room that is used to store and protect the goods from the external environment.
Features of Warehousing
Storing goods in an intermediate and temporary location has a lot of benefits for both manufacturers and consumers.
- Warehouses provide a safe storage for the products.
- Smart warehouses can ease the manpower and logistics required; as automation can help by reducing the time to select and dispatch the products. E.g. Amazon’s warehouse.
- Large-scale manufacturers can warehouse in-house for raw materials and further packaging for the finished goods.
- Warehousing acts as a buffer for when the manufacturing unit is experiencing down times. The stock in the warehouse stays secure and hence that manufacturing unit has that window to get online again. This also stabilizes the supply of goods in the market.
- Warehousing allows a more secure way to transporting goods. Warehouses are powered by sophisticated management systems that log items coming in and leaving the stock. Third party warehouses also provide merchants or manufacturers with insurance, providing safety against damage, theft or natural disasters.
Applications of Warehousing
Warehousing allows storing and processing of a wide range of goods. Anything other than perishables, raw meat or livestock can be stored in warehouses. These include building construction items, electrical and electronics components, appliances, clothing, books, vehicles and vehicle parts, medicines, cosmetics, sports products can all be warehoused.
Warehouses make an important phase of the eCommerce industry.
When to warehouse?
Almost all large or medium-sized businesses or manufacturing units can opt for warehousing. Warehousing services are also offered by third party service providers. This is a good option for smaller manufacturers. These warehouses allow multiple manufacturers or importers to store their stock, thereby further reducing warehousing costs.
In-house warehousing is also an option for the large-scale manufacturers, where they can store and use the raw materials depending on their production plans.
Every day people across the world throw away millions of plastic packaging, out of which only a few are recycled. Dr David Edwards, a biomedical engineer at WikiFoods thought of reducing the packaging waste by consuming it. So he brought the concept of wikicells; an edible packaging for food. The objective was to create a food packaging that was film-like and edible and can hold most food items without breaking.
What is WikiCell?
WIkiCell is an edible food packaging where the packaging forms a part of the food itself. The design is nature inspired, where raw natural food items, such as fruits and vegetables are protected by a naturally occurring external skin. The concept itself is a major breakthrough with multiple applications in the food packaging industry.
Properties of WikiCell
The following are the properties of Wikicell.
- Film-like: Wikicell is a film like material that mimics the skin on fruits, like that of grapes or berries. The idea is to enclose the food item in that membrane that itself is held together by the food particles. The food is connected to the membrane by electrostatic forces. Using a nutritive ion (Calcium) along with a natural molecule such as chitosan or alginate, the electrostatic gel is made. This is the core packing of WikiCell.
- Multi-layered: Generally, WikiCell packaging is multilayered. The inner gel packing may be further enclosed in a more rigid packing made from isomalt, bagasse, or tapioca. These are all naturally occurring substances. The external layer can be edible, or disposable.
- Edible: The skin, like in naturally occurring fruits and vegetables, are edible. The packaging, on its own, is tasteless. However, flavors can be added to complement the product being sold.
- Biodegradable: If not eaten, the packaging degrades naturally over time. Hence, food packed in Wikicells do not have the shelf life as conventional packaging.
- Washable: Now, a concern with WikiCell packaging is that the package will be on store shelves where it can be contaminated with germs. However, WikiCell packages can be washed before the food item is eaten.
- Available in varying rigidity: Depending on the application, the rigidity of the packaging can be adjusted during the time of manufacturing. For example, for ice creams, it can be a rigid packing, having a texture similar to ice cream cones. For drinks, it can be shaped like glasses, can be soft and gelatinous, like plastic cups. Again, for chocolates and sweets, it can be thin and soft.
Applications of WikiCell
WikiCell has a wide range of applications in the food packaging industry. They can be used to pack virtually any type of food item, and even beverages. From yogurt to ice cream, to alcoholic drinks and even coffee can be packed using Wikicell.
WikiCell has been commercially available since 2013, but not many companies have used it yet. It was first launched in Paris and Boston in the fall of 2013. The “GoYum” ice cream brand used it for commercial packaging of yogurt and ice cream.
When to buy WikiCell?
Mass availability of WikiCell for the commercial food and food packing industry is still absent globally. Brand interested in a unique and eco-friendly food packaging can get custom packaging built for them by WikiFoods.
Can you imagine a product being so popular that its name is used as a synonym to the original word?
Yes, it’s the Xerox. We all use the word “Xerox” instead of saying “photocopy.” Well, Xerox came into limelight with its product Xerox 914, a photocopy machine, which is also the most successful single product of all time.
What is Xerox?
Xerox Corporation is an organization dealing with document solutions. It was founded in 1906 as The Haloid Photographic company and originally manufactured photographic paper and equipment. The company gained fame with its photocopying machine- Xerox 914, which was the first plain paper photocopier ever.
Properties of Xerox Photocopy / Xerography
Most current photocopiers use xerography technology, which uses electrostatic charges on a light-sensitive photoreceptor to attract and transfer toner particles onto paper forming an image. The technology was introduced by Xerox Corporation in 1959 and it gradually replaced other technologies like photostat, mimeograph, and other duplicating machines.
The key advantages of xerography is its ability-
- To use untreated, plain office paper
- Two-sided printing
- To scan several pages automatically
- To sort and staple the final copied papers
Applications of Xerox photocopy
Xerox photocopy technology is deployed in offices, educational institutes, manufacturing industries, and so on. Many small-scale businesses run on photocopying by simply installing a Xerox machine and offering to duplicate of documents to the customers.
When to buy Xerox photocopy machine?
The offices, schools, colleges, industries, and other sectors that require duplicating of documents frequently can install the Xerox photocopy machine. Small-scale startups who tend to make document copying as their profession can also go for this equipment.
Though the photocopying technique has made replicating the documents easier and cheaper, the materials that are subject to copyright (books, scientific papers, legal documents, etc) should not be copied without the permission of the owners.
What is yellow silite?
Silite is the name of a company that produced blankets for the U.S. Army besides other things. After the war, Silite Incorporated used cotton rags to reinforced plastic dinnerware – what is now known as Melamine dinnerware. Yellow Silite is often used to refer to the thermo-formed dinnerware made out of yellow melamine.
Yellow Silite is commonly used in public food service. They are durable and reusable plastic tableware. Even though it is available in multiple colours, the yellow colour is commonly used since they undergo less discoloration over prolonged and repeated use.
Properties of yellow silite
Properties of yellow silite include:
- Durable and lightweight: Yellow silite is extremely durable. Compared to ceramics or glassware, yellow silite will last much longer even if handled improperly. They may not have the aesthetics of glassware or ceramics, but they are surely a lot more durable. Yellow Silite tableware, being essentially made from plastic, also weighs much lighter than glass or ceramics.
- Thermoformed: Yellow silite is manufactured by thermoforming. The reinforced plastic heated and given a shape using a mould. This makes mass manufacturing much easier. Also, this allows giving the plates and trays a wide range of shapes, making them space efficient.
- Easily washable: Washing dinnerware made from yellow silite is easy since the dinnerware comes with a laminated crystalline coating. This makes dirt and grime stick less to the plates. The dinnerware can be washed with little or no detergent.
- Retains colour: Even though silite can be of different colours based on the plastic grains that were used to manufacture it, those with shades of yellow undergoes the least discoloration over time. This is why yellow silite is preferred in public spaces.
- Printable: Yellow silite is also printable. On the thermoformed plastic, designs can be printed before it is laminated.
- Inexpensive: Yellow silite is cheaper than glass, ceramic or steel tableware. Given that it does not degrade over time like the others, yellow silite, with its long life, becomes the cheapest option for tableware in public areas.
Applications of yellow silite
Yellow silite is used for serving food at different places like- airports, air planes, railway stations, railways, schools, offices, restaurants and other areas where food is served to thepublic inn bulk.
Yellow silite tableware requires almost no maintenance and multiple products are available to make serving the food and consuming it easy. Being non-conductive, yellow silite plates can hold hot food without heating up the plate, making it easier for the one holding the plate. Thermoformed divided trays allow multiple dishes to be served in one single tray without mixing up the food.
Products built using yellow silite
Most commonly used yellow silite product is the divided trays. These trays have different cavities for different food items and for holding cups.
In restaurants and cafeteria, yellow silite plates can be frequently seen. Other products made from yellow silite also include large and small bowls of different shapes, spoons, serving trays, mixing bowls, along with cups and glasses.
When to buy yellow silite?
Businesses that need to serve food at low cost and with low maintenance tableware should invest in yellow silite. Almost all commonly used tableware are available in yellow silite.
What are yellow straps?
Yellow Strap is the common name of the packing straps that are yellow in color. Packing straps are made from polyethylene, as well as other synthetic fibers that give them high strength and are commonly used to strap cartons during shipping. These straps are also used in various areas, from heavy lifting to outdoor uses.
Properties of yellow straps
- Made from PET material: Yellow straps are generally made from PET material. PET stands for Polyethylene terephthalate that is commonly used to make fibers. PET is also recyclable, thereby making Yellow Straps recyclable too. Yellow Straps can also be made from other synthetic fibers, such as Nylon or polypropylene.
- Reusable and Recyclable: Yellow straps can be further reused depending on how they have been hooked. If they are tied up using metal hooks, the hooks can be detached and the straps can be reused again. However, heat sealable straps do not offer this flexibility. The PET material construction also allows them to be recycled.
- Can withstand High Stress: Yellow straps, or any packaging straps are built to withstand high stress. The normal braking force for such packing straps is 2200 to 10800 newtons. The strength varies with thickness and also the manufacturing process.
- Available as textured or smooth: The straps are available as smooth or embossed straps. Straps with embossed textures provide a better grip while packing manually. Smooth straps can be used while packing using machines that ensures that the strap flows smoothly through the machine. Some packing straps also come with a wax coating to smoothen their surface even more.
- Printable: Yellow straps can also be printed upon. Shipping companies or retailers can print their logo for identification of packages.
Applications of yellow straps
Yellow straps are used to strap down goods while shipping them. They can be used to tie up cardboard shipping boxes using ratchets and hooks. They can also be used to group multiple boxes together. Since they can take the weight of the entire package without breaking, yellow straps are also used for hooking the packages and lifting them. Binding boxes in yellow straps makes it easier to move them about in warehouses using forklifts, or by any other types of machinery. The boxes or packages do not stand a chance of opening up and spilling their contents in case they fall.
Yellow straps are also used to attach boxes onto trucks or in shipping containers. They can also be used to strengthen paperboard or corrugated boxes by tying them up with stronger products.
Yellow straps are also used in other areas besides packing. They are used in outdoor activities, such as in hiking, or in setting up tents. They can be used by lumberjacks to tie up logs before transporting them. They can also be used to hold textiles or agricultural products.
Yellow straps are generally available in rolls. The primary specification for yellow straps is their width and the thickness of each strap. Packing straps, in general, are also available in different shades. Some yellow straps are optimized for use with strapping machines whereas others are built to work better with ratchets or simply manual strapping.
When to buy yellow straps?
Yellow straps are one of the most reliable strapping solutions in the industry till date. Any businesses or warehouses that need to pack large boxes, group boxes of any size, or to secure them during shipping needs yellow straps.
Zipper Slider Bags
What are zipper slider bags?
Zipper Slider Bags are reusable and resealable plastic bags, which are generally used to store items in an airtight environment. These are made for both home and industrial use. Zipper slider bags are extremely versatile storage solution for small sized items.
Properties of Zipper slider bags
Zipper slider bags have properties similar to the material that is used to make them. The notable features of zipper slider bags are-
- Resealable: One of the most important features of these bags is that they can form a perfect seal every time. Zipper slider bags implement a ziplock with an additional slider tab that makes it easier to open and close the lock.
- Airtight: Zipper slider bags are air-tight. This means that these bags do not allow any gaseous exchange. This makes it a great option for storing items that have any sort of odor. Being air-tight, Zipper slider bags also keeps the humidity in check.
- Waterproof: These bags are completely waterproof since they are made from polyethylene.
- Zipper Slider bags are available in a wide variety of plastics. They can be made from LDPE sheets, with composite metalized plastic sheets, or anything in between. Depending on the type of material used, the bag exhibits varying tear resistance and durability.
- Low cost: Zipper slider bags have a lower cost than any other re-closable packing solution.
Applications of zipper slider bags
They have vast application in food industry, household product storage, retail, and scientific labs.
They are often used to keep smaller similar items in groups. For example, scientific samples, sterile laboratory supplies, laboratory glassware, etc. can be grouped together in zipper slider bags and can be stored in a temperature controlled storage.
In retail packaging, breakfast cereals come packed in zipper slider bags with an exterior packing having a tamper-proof seal. Zipper slider bags are also used to store food. In the catering industry, prepared food is often stored in zipper slider bags, warmed using microwave ovens and then served.
Dry fruits are also packed in zipper slider bags.
Furthermore, zipper slider bags can be used for packaging apparels, clothing accessories, electronic accessories and components, and can keep documents protected while shipping them.
Zipper slider bags products
Zipper slider bags are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Common sizes vary from 6 inch x 6.5 inch to 10 inch x 10.5 inch. There are others that are sized to fit A4 or A5 documents. Custom sizes are made available for bulk use by businesses.
When to buy zipper slider bags?
Zipper slider bags can be used in various industrial and scientific areas. Zipper slider bags can be used in labs in schools and colleges. These bags reduce the cost of storing lab glassware in a sterile environment.
In many industries like food, catering, electronics, etc. they can be used to keep smaller items in groups or be used as retail packing.
Ziplock bags or pouches are no jargon in the packaging industry. They have made the packaging reusable and have greatly reduced the use of containers for storing consumable products.
What are ziplock bags?
Ziplock bags are reusable, resealable zipper storage bags often called as ziplock pouches. They are usually made from polyethylene or other plastic polymers and are transparent in nature. They come in different sizes and can be customised to form stand-up pouches.
Properties of ziplock bags
The ziplock bags incorporates following properties-
- They are thin and lightweight
- They are transparent but have a printable surface
- They can be re-sealed and reused number of times
- They protect the product inside from moisture and external environment
- Their shape can be customised and additional features can be added
- They can be manufactured and bought at a feasible cost
- They can retain the aroma, flavor, and taste of the food inside and makes it easy to carry food without spillage
Applications of ziplock bags
Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) are a big market for ziplock bags. Even pharmaceuticals are using ziplock bags to store medicines. They can be also used as ice bags. The ziplock bags can have a printed surface for branding and product information and a part of the whole of it can be left transparent to make the product inside visible.
Stand-up pouches, another important packaging material can also include zip locking as an additional feature to it.
Products that use ziplock feature
Common packaging products that use zip locking include- sandwich bags, freezer bags, twist and lock containers, zip and steam bags for cooking, retail packaging, storage, etc.
When to buy ziplock bags?
Manufacturers can use ziplock packets for their products to ease storage for the consumers. Ziplock bags can have customised dimensions, gussets, extra sealing, etc to suit the manufacturer’s requirement.
Homemakers can use transparent or partially transparent (a section of the packet is not printed) to store dry fruits, spices, food, chopped vegetables, and fruits. Smaller quantities of the products can be placed in ziplock packets to protect them from moisture especially during travel.