Stand-up pouches are a large part of the packs for juice products in the current market. With a flexible combination of various polymer and biopolymer film materials, the stand-up juice pouch can protect the juice product during distribution and be more cost-effective. Furthermore, you can print any creative design on all sides of the standup pouch, including all the information for branding and sale, which makes the final package more attractive to consumers.
As a well-known flexible converter located in Qingdao, China, we are making the best use of the film materials in the market, listed below.
- fossil chemical polymer films
- Aluminum foil metal sheet
- Vacuum metalized film materials
- Ceramic film substrates
- plant-based biopolymer materials
- biodegradable film materials
- compostable substrate films
- Fully recyclable substrate films
We are devoted to creating story-telling standup juice bags that increase product sales. In this post, we will analyze the exact foil materials of this 3000ml apple juice standup bag, which assists this Cameroon juice manufacturer in greater success in their market.
Ok, let’s get into the details of this standup screw cap spout bag.
Packaging Foil Materials
The figure below shows the composition structure of this laminated foil material, which is used to convert this stand-up juice bag.
It is made of triplex layers, with the outside PET film working as the print substrate film, the PA and Aluminum film working as the middle reinforced layer, which has good barrier performance, and finally, the LDPE film working as the inner sealing layer.
Next, let’s get into a deeper understanding of each substrate film material.
PET Film
PET Film is one of the most commonly used printing substrates in flexible packaging sachets. With great optical clarity, high gloss, good chemical resistance, stable mechanical strength, excellent dimensional stability, and great printability, it can present the customer artwork print in great quality and also provide great mechanical strength to the final package.
The most commonly used thickness of PET film applied in the flexible packaging industry is 12 microns, which equals 0.48 gauge. So whenever you see PET12 or 0.48 g PET, you will know they mean the same thing.
BOPA Film
BOPA stands for Biaxially Oriented Polyamide, which is also known as biaxially oriented nylon (short as NY) film. It’s a versatile and flexible material that’s made by biaxially stretching polyamide resins using a flat cast die process, a three-layer co-extrusion method, and a two-step tenter frame orientation.
BOPA film is especially popular for food packaging because it can help keep food fresh and can display important information like whether the product is organic, vegetarian, or halal and if it contains allergens. The growing demand for packaged food and the pharmaceutical industry is expected to drive the growth of the BOPA film market in the coming years.
AL Film
Aluminum foil is a thin, pliable sheet of aluminum alloy that is often used for wrapping and covering food during cooking. It is made by rolling large slabs of aluminum until they are less than 0.2 millimeters thick and then solidifying the molten alloy between water-cooled rollers. During the final rolling process, two layers of foil are passed through the mill at the same time, resulting in one shiny side and one dull side. The different finishes do not affect how the foil reacts with food, so it doesn’t matter which side is facing up or down when cooking.
LDPE Film
LDPE means low-density polyethylene film, which is the most used inner sealing layer for standing juice bags. LDPE is also lightweight, easy to fabricate, and has good chemical and impact resistance. LDPE is recyclable and reusable, making it a popular alternative to traditional plastic. LDPE is nontoxic, non-contaminating, and has a high degree of break resistance. Most importantly, the LDPE membrane can be modified against the requirement of specific products and finalized the package with great seal strength and protection. The thickness of the LDPE membrane film will be decided against the particular application.
The customer artwork is printed reversely on the inner side of the first PET film layer in the gravure printing system. Then, these 3 layers are bonded together into a finished laminated foil material under the dry lamination or solvent-free lamination process.
Usually, we describe the finished laminate as PET12/AL/PA15/LDPEfoil. So, how does this foil structure perform when it is intended for stand-up juice bags? Will it break during transit?
Great Standup Effect
PET film is of great stiffness, which makes it suitable for creating a good straight-standing effect for the standup bags. For some low-volume packages less than 500ml, even PET12/LDPE foil laminate can create enough standing effect for most products. So, when there is a BOPA layer applied in the middle of this foil laminate, the stiffness of this finished foil will be able to present a stand-up profile.
Mechanical Property
The spout package will protect the juice product during filling, transit, and distribution. Under the emergency circumstances of unexpected shock in delivery or packages falling off the goods shelf, the spout package will never be allowed to break. Can you ever imagine the leaked juice contaminating the cartons or the floor?
We put the mechanical property of this 3000ml juice standup sachet on our top priority in our manufacturing plant. Serious measures are taken in our QC system to ensure each order is finalized with the expected result.
To put it simply, a drop test of a filled package is one of the most reliable ways to check if the package may burst under sudden sharp forces.
Here, we are going to fill 3000ml water, perform the drop test from 1.6 meters high, 3 times, and check if it breaks.
Barrier Performance
Usually, the barrier performance of a multi-material laminate is evaluated by WVTR (short for water vapor transmission rate) and OTR (Oxygen Transmission Rate). The juice product will be kept away from these two elements to stay fresh as long as possible. However, please keep in mind that the barrier property of this laminated foil is just a part of the measures taken to ensure the shelf life of juice products. The table below shows the typical value of the WVTR and OTR of this triplex foil laminate PET12/AL/PA15/LDPE.
| Item | Standard | Unit | Typical Value |
| Water Vapor Transimission Rate | ASTM E 96 | g/m2/24hr | 0.01 |
| Oxygen Transmission Rate | ASTM D 372-99 | cc/m2/24hr | 0.01 |
It is easy for the customers to understand that this foil laminate is not of excellent barrier performance, as there is no high-barrier film layer in this foil structure. For some customers who have higher requirements for the flavors and freshness of their juice products, a foil laminate with higher barrier properties is inevitably needed.
In most cases, a layer of vacuum-metallized film, aluminum foil, or clear AlOx Coated polyester film is going to be included in the multi-layer foil materials. Through the table below, you can easily find out the typical values of moisture vapor transmission rate and oxygen transmission rate of common substrate film materials.
So, some reinforced foil structures are better protections for the freshness and flavors of juice products, with some available items listed below.
You may reach us for further ideas on each foil structure if you need assistance.
Technical Data Sheet of 3000ml juice standing doy-pack
Here, we attach the specification sheet of this 3L juice stand-up sachet based on foil laminate PET12/AL/PA12/LDPE130.
More tests are included in this specification sheet, with items available listed below.
- Yield (grams per square meter)
- Tensile Strength (Mpa)
- Elongation Rate (%)
- Coefficient of friction, short as COF
- Solvents Left (mg/m2 )
- Sealing Strength (N/15mm)
- Sealing Conditions
- Bond Strength (N/15mm)
- Burst Strength (J)
- Anti-puncture ability (N)
- Drop Test Ability (cm)
- Anti-pressure ability (kgs)
- Water Vapor Transmission Rate (g/m2/24hr)
- Oxygen Transmission Rate (cc/m2/24hr)
More Sustainable Materials Options
Along with the increasing burden of fossil-chemical polymer materials discarded into our environment, there is an unprecedented demand for sustainable packages, which leads to a more eco-friendly activity of the business. Upon the recent investigation of the juice market, more and more consumers are more likely to purchase a product that acts toward environmental sustainability.
Compostable Packaging Materials
Compostable packaging materials are very similar to biodegradable materials. In most cases, people may not get a clear understanding of the difference between compostable and biodegradable. Generally speaking, compostable materials are based on biodegradable materials, and when they break down, they will not release harmful elements into the environment.
As to the materials used in our factory, the customers can just consider biodegradability equal to compostability.
The compostable packages are based on plant-based fibers like cellulose or bio-mass like corn starch, cassava, or sugarcane. The resins derived from these resources are usually named bio-polymer, which can break down into inorganic elements under the functions of algae, bacteria, and other microorganisms.
Premium-quality compostable standup sachets and rolls are produced in our plant, which are intended to meet the particular requirements of every product. You may reach us for further ideas if you are interested in compostable packaging materials.
Fully Recyclable Mono Materials
Compared with the high cost of compostable foil materials, fully recyclable material sachets and rolls are flooding the market for lightweight product packages at much lower prices. Mono-materials packages mean each layer of the multi-layer foil is made of the same resin, which can be easily processed in the human recycling system and reused for other applications. This recyclable materials sachet largely reduces the rate of plastic polymer film packages ending up in landfills.
Now, the mono-materials recyclable spout sachet can be well intended for juice from 50~250ml, with the barrier performance as good as traditional metalized film spout doypack. That’s good enough for the juice products.
Of course, you are welcome to reach us if you have any questions regarding juice pouches. Nice day.
