PRODUCT: FFS tubing for packing 25kg of a moisture sensitive UN approved chemical powder
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company with about 105,000 employees, six Verbund sites and close to 385 production sites worldwide.
BRIEF
The customer was perfectly happy with the existing co-ex UN approved film we were supplying but they had feedback from their customers in the Asia Pacific region asking for a more rigid pack to help in their manual handling activities.
We therefore had to adapt the existing FFS (form fill and seal) film to;
- Propose a stiffer more rigid film for easier single-pack handling
- Take cost out of the packing and logistics chain
- Have an easy-seal recipe for dusty filling environments
- Run through the FFS packer at high speed
SOLUTION
We looked at this from a technical development perspective rather than the usual route of “thicker is better”. We decided to formulate a 3 layer co-ex film using premium resins that would give us these performance criteria.
The film required would need to be tubular FFS so we had a problem with lower BUR (blow up ratio) performance from the extruder compared to flat film technology. This is where recipe knowledge and experience in the laboratory and real-life applications is essential.
We proposed a 140mu co-ex film that we had developed > this film increased the yield strength of the film (that which most people know as stiffness or rigidity) by between 40-50% compared to the existing film that had performed well and to expectation.
In addition the puncture and tear resistance also increased by between 15-20% which brought further additional enhancements and benefits to the pack.
CONCLUSION
A technically-led solution allowed us to satisfy the customer;
- We completed the brief with regards to the pack rigidity and further enhanced the performance of the pack
- A film reduction of 12.5% (from 160mu to 140mu) was made so reducing the packaging waste cost obligation
- More film could be wound on the reel, so increasing the number of “packs” per reel > this further increased packing efficiencies and took up less storage space
- The film sealed well in the dusty powder environment