mInimAl

Projectname:
Application of the induction sealing process to recyclable packaging materials with minimal metal content produced by vapor disposition

Workgroup: Filling and packaging processes

Research Partner and Scientific Guidance:

  1. Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung IVV, Dresden, Johanna Wolf

IGF: 22673 BR
Financing: BMWK
Duration: 2022 – 2024

The need for recyclable plastic packaging is increasing enormously by consumer`s demand and legal requirements. This results in numerous new developments by film and packaging manufacturers. One major development direction is the replacement of non-recyclable composite films by new, good recyclable mono film systems. However, this new packaging materials show poorer properties compared to conventional composite materials regarding their sealability using the widely used heat contact sealing, because the heat must be conducted to the joining zone from the outer surface and therefore the whole sealed seam area melts.

Hence, sealing technologies that enable heating directly in the joining zone are more suitable to join mono film systems. Hereby an efficient process approach is induction sealing. This technology is currently only used in specific applications within the packaging industry. Preliminary tests showed a metal layer less than 1 % of the film mass is sufficient for the sealing layer’s required heating for joining. This leads to two research objectives. On one side optimized mono film systems are to be developed for induction sealing, whose low metal content is sufficient for heat generation and enables a classification as mono film. One the other side technological fundamentals are to be established to qualify the technology for manufacturing pouch packages with the developed mono films. At this, the currently established heat contact sealing can be contrasted with a considerably more effective and more suitable sealing technology for mono film systems.

The IGF project presented here by the Research Association of the Industrial Association for Food Technology and Packaging (IVLV e.V.) is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the program for the promotion of industrial community research (IGF) based on a decision of the German Bundestag.