Various common properties of plastic packaging materials introduced
As the synthetic material has superior performance, which was large in the field of packaging applications. The biggest advantages of plastic packaging materials, is easily adjusted through a variety of methods of material properties to meet various needs; also be made of composite thin films and multilayer plastic bottles, light weight, unbreakable, easy to transport and carry. Transparent plastic packaging materials, clean, smooth, easy printing and decoration style may beautify the appearance of goods, improve merchandise display performance.
Most plastics can be used in beverage and food packaging, which is the largest amount of low-cost polyolefins. Commonly used plastic types are: polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinylidene chloride, and polycarbonate.
Polyethylene (PE)
Polyethylene is the world’s largest output of synthetic resin, is the largest consumption of plastic packaging materials, about 30% of plastic packaging materials.
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) better transparency, flexibility, elongation rate and large, impact resistance and low temperature resistance than HDPE as excellent, in all kinds of packaging consumption is still large, but as a food packaging material of its obvious shortcomings.
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) with high crystallinity, allowing a higher temperature, its hardness, air tightness, mechanical degree of chemical resistance are better, it made extensive use of blow molding bottles and other hollow container. Because of its high resistance to mineral oils, widely used to contain milk, milk products, packaged natural fruit juice and jam like the food. However, Paul Hong HDPE, poor food and drink should not be loaded for long. However, it can be used with good sealing performance characteristics as the inner layer of composite film materials. Such as two-story, three composite materials, has a large number of used beverage packaging, the United States using cellophane / adhesive / PE compound containing lemon juice bottle special.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
PVC plastic can be divided into hardware products, software products and three types of paste products. Hardware products generally less than 5% of plasticizer, the soft products in up to 20% or more plasticizers.
Rigid PVC with plasticizer for free or very little, the finished product without plasticizer the smell, and excellent mechanical strength, light weight, chemical stability, so containers made of PVC is widely used in beverage packaging. Using injection stretch blow bottle production of the PVC seamless line, sidewall thickness and can be used to contain carbonated drinks such as Coca Cola and so on.
PVC material has been the safety of people’s concern. PVC resin used in packaging of vinyl chloride content of not higher than 1 × 10-6, 1 kg of PVC resin that is only allowed with 1 mg of vinyl chloride monomer and PVC resin production in this bottle to drink, in food testing no vinyl chloride monomer.
Polypropylene (PP)
High crystalline polypropylene film structure, permeability to polyethylene 1 / 4 to 1 / 2, transparent, smooth, high processing performance, widely used to prepare the fibers, molding products, mainly plastic film.
Currently, with the air tightness and thermal co-coating of polypropylene film and other film, cellophane, paper, aluminum foil composite mass production of composite materials are used PP composite materials can be used for beverage packaging containers.
Various types of PP have a common characteristic of static electricity, to solve this problem, usually in thin film coating anti-static agent or the anti-static agent mixing in the film. Tightness in the film coating good PVDC resins can improve the oxidation resistance of PP polyester (PET or PETP)
PET is a good crystal, colorless and transparent, extremely tough materials. Glass appearance, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, flammable, burning yellow flame with blue edges, good air tightness.
PET expansion coefficient, low mold shrinkage, only 0.2%, is one-tenth of polyolefins, PVC and nylon relatively small, it is dimensionally stable products. Mechanical strength are the most, the expansion degree of similarity with the aluminum film strength 9 times for the polyethylene, polycarbonate and nylon 3 times the impact strength of the film is generally 3 to 5 times. While the film there are moisture and protect Hong properties.
Although PET has the advantage, but the more expensive film, sealing problems, static electricity easily, so rarely used alone, mostly with the seal of the common good of the resin coating made of composite films.
Two axis extends PET bottle blow molding method, can give full play to the characteristics of PET, which has good transparency, high gloss surface, showing glassy appearance, is the most suitable plastic instead of glass bottles.
PET bottle production has developed rapidly in recent years, heat-resistant PET bottles are widely used in tea drinks, juice drinks, canned drinks need heat.
Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC)
PVDC is characterized by soft and breathable with a very low permeability performance, prevent odor by, fresh aroma and good performance, suitable for long-term preservation of food; acid, alkali, chemicals, and excellent resistance to oil, has a good shrink nature, suitable for sealing packaging, shrink packaging material is good.
PVDC drawback is too soft, poor operating performance; crystalline strong, easy to crack perforation, poor resistance to aging; the monomer is also toxic, it is mainly used for coating materials or manufacturing of composite materials.
PVDC often associated with paper, aluminum foil and other plastic film made of composite material or PVDC coating material. Obtained by solvent viscosity legitimate good combination. These composite materials have excellent moisture and oxygen barrier, sealing performance, but also easy to heat sealing, water suitable for packaging food.
Polycarbonate (PC)
PC is a colorless, transparent, bright and clean and plastic. As the PC non-toxic, no odor, prevent the ultraviolet through the performance and the performance is good aroma and moisture, temperature and a wide range of non-brittle fracture under the -180 ℃, 130 ℃ environment in the long-term use, it is an ideal food packaging materials.
Using PC good impact resistance, easy molding characteristics, can be manufactured into bottles, cans and various forms of containers for packaging beverages, wine, milk and other liquid substances.
PC biggest drawback is the stress cracking. In addition to use in production of high purity raw materials, strict control of various processing conditions, the use of internal stress of the resin modification, such as the small amount of polyolefin, nylon, polyester and other melt blending, can significantly improve the resistance to stress cracking resistance, water resistance .