Heat Sealable Paper
With government targets and consumer demands driving sustainability in packaging, this was a big talking point at Interpack 2023.
In a recent co-creation project with SN Maschinenbau GmbH, a leading manufacturer of horizontal pouch-packaging machines, UPM Specialty Papers tested a range of heat-sealable barrier papers on SN Maschinenbau’s packaging machines. The goal was to create a recyclable, renewable, fibre-based pouch ideal for dry, frozen, and greasy foods. The sample was displayed at Interpack 2023.
“Compared to a paper-plastic laminate, UPM Confidio™ barrier paper offers a much higher level of fibre collection, helping customers achieve recyclability targets. According to certified recyclability tests, up to 99% of the paper can be recycled into raw material for new fibre-based products,” explains Esa Saukkonen, Manager, Packaging Portfolio Development at UPM R&D.
“The big trend for the entire packaging industry, especially for the major brand owners, in the coming years is certainly the switch to packaging made from sustainable and recyclable materials. We see that our customers are increasingly using paper to make their pouch packaging sustainable and recyclable. Therefore, it is important for SN Maschinenbau that we can assure them of the processability of new sustainable packaging materials, without compromising on quality. In some cases, this means adapting existing machines to new materials. For this reason, we have collaborated with UPM Specialty Papers and tested the compatibility of their heat-sealable barrier paper on our machines,” says Felix Eberhardi, Team Lead, Marketing at SN Maschinenbau GmbH.
Since the barrier papers proved to be compatible with existing SN pouch-packaging machines, no new investments or technical changes are required. The resulting ‘ready to go’ fibre-based solution is ideal for dry, frozen, and greasy foods, as well as any end-use where heat sealing is required.
Visitors to Interpack 2023 were able to watch live demonstrations of the pouches being packaging on SN Machinery.
Sustainable Stand Up Pouches
Film manufacturer SÜDPACK also came together with SN Maschinenbau to present an innovative and sustainable concept for the production of stand up pouches.
The versatile, PE-based and therefore recyclable packaging material from SÜDPACK was used on the SN Maschinenbau pouch packaging machine, the FMH 300, for the production of stand-up pouches with zippers. In combination with the pouch packaging machine featuring a special hygienic design, the PE mono-material is particularly suitable for primary packaging, for example for grated cheese, sausages or snacks.
The PE mono-material can be equipped with different features and barrier properties to ensure that products are aroma proof, airtight and have a longer shelf life when packaged. Easy-to-integrate zipper systems make it convenient to open and close pouch packaging. These PE-based systems are already available on the market, which means these stand-up pouches can be assessed as a true single-material solution and introduced into the appropriate recyclable material cycles.
The FMH 300
The FMH 300, which this material was displayed on is a horizontally operating pouch packaging machine that features a special hygienic design with a rotary table to form, fill and seal flat and stand-up pouches from roll stock (FFS).
It is possible to process conventional material structures as well as those that are modern, sustainable and recyclable, such as SÜDPACK’s PurePE, without any difficulties, reduction in speed or losses of quality. A host of innovative technologies, such as continuous web draw-off and the option of adding continuous ultrasonic zipper sealing or the fully automatic block adjustment of sealing frames, lead to significant processing advantages and potential savings because even thinner and more recyclable films are used, which limits the environmental impact.
The impressive FMH 300 triplex model offers high speed operation and maximum flexibility thanks to its extremely broad format range. Depending on the product properties and the size of the pouch, it is possible to achieve an output quantity of up to 270 pouches per minute. Format changing is nearly fully automatic, requires almost no tools and is performed on the operating panel (HMI) of the machine.
Learn more about sustainable bagging options here