Standup spout pouches are a large part of the packs for household fabric softner liquids in the current market. The standup spout pouch utilizes a folded gusset at the bottom, to hold extra products, and at the same time, present better display when they stand on the goods shelves. It would require the foil materials to be strong and durable, to assure the products are well protected during the filling, transit, and distribution process.
Based on a flexible combination of various polymer film materials, the foil materials are able to provide excellent barrier properties, protecting the fabric softner from air, moisture, and light. Furthermore, a creative artwork design can be printed 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 packaging 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 screw cap bags for household fabric softner that increase product sales and establish a good brand image.
In this post, we will analyze the exact foil materials of this 2500ml softner detergent standup bag, hoping it could serve as a reference for your products.
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 used to convert this standup fabric softner bag.
It is made of triplex layers, with the outside PET film 12 microns working as the print substrate film, PA film 15 microns working as the middle supportive layer, and finally, the LDPE film working as the inner sealing layer. The thickness LDPE film should be adjusted to suit the requirements of 2500ml detergent liquids.
Next, let’s get into a deeper understanding of each substrate film material.
PET Film
PET film is a popular choice due to its excellent clarity and stiffness. 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.
PA Film
PA film stands for Biaxially Oriented Polyamide film, which is also known as biaxially oriented nylon (short as NY) film. PA film is outstanding in its high tensile strength, excellent barrier properties.on the other hand, PA offers enhanced toughness and puncture resistance. This is important for a spout bag pouch that may need to withstand handling and transportation without getting damaged.
LDPE Film
LDPE means low-density polyethylene film, which is the most used inner sealing layer for softner screw cap spout 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, LDPE membrane can be modified against the requirement of specific products, and finalize the package with great seal strength and protection. The thickness of the LDPE membrane film will be decided against the particular application.
The property of LDPE film should be modified to resist the alkaline corrosion of the liquid detergent. Different formulas of the detergent liquids may require a different particular modification on the low density polyethylene film. You may reach us for further assistance if you need.
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/PA15/LDPE foil.
Thickness
As you can see from the below picture, the overall thickness of this spout pouch is 0.42 mm, which equals to 210 microns for this laminated foil.
So, how does this foil structure perform when it is intended for standup fabric softner bags? Will it break during the transit?
Great Standup Effect
The multilayer structure of PET/PA/LDPE contributes to a great standup effect.The different layers also distributes the weight of the fabric softener self, preventing the bag from sagging or collapsing. This standup effect not only improves the aesthetics of the packaging but also enhances the functionality and convenience of use.
Through this video, you may learn the standing effect when 3 litres of liquid detergent is filled into spout bag based on this laminated foil PET12/PA15/LDPE.
Mechanical Property
The spout package will protect the fabric softner 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 fabric softner contaminating the cartons or the floor?
We put the mechanical property of this 1800ml fabric softner standup sachet on our top priority in our manufacturing plant. Serious measures are taken in our QC system, to assure 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 2500ml water into this bag, perform the drop test from 1.6 meters high, 3 times, and check if it breaks.
This foil laminate can be good for detergent liquid packs of 1litre, 2 litre, 3 litres and even 1 gallon. Of course, there are reinforced foil structures available for more robust packages.
- PET12/PA25/LDPE
- PA15/PA15/LDPE
- PA15/PA25/LDPE
Barrier Performance
Generally, The essential formulas of a household fabric softner liquid should include but not be limited to the list below.
- primary and secondary surfactants
- chelating agents
- enzymes
- builders
- bleaching agents
- optical brighteners
- foam control agents
- fragrances
- colorants
- preservatives
Upon experience, all the bags and sachets for fabric softner liquids should be light-shielding to protect the formulas work as expected. Because strong light will decrease the cleaning effects, and some fragrances may decompose or deteriorate. Fabric softner products will be kept away from the light shielding to stay function-active as long as possible.
As you can observe from the above picture, the left screw cap bag is semi-transparent and the filled level can be easily seen at the lower part on the bottom. It can never work well for household fabric softner liquids. On the contrary, the right screw cap pouch is what we are producing for our fabric softner customers, which is fully opaque, and keeps the product in a fine situation even under daylight conditions.
Furthermore, WVTR (short for water vapor transmission rate) and OTR (Oxygen Transmission Rate) are evaluated for this laminated foil, to decide if this spout doypack is finally meeting the requirements of each customer.
| Item | Standard | Unit | Typical Value |
| Water Vapor Transimission Rate | ASTM E 96 | g/m2/24hr | 19.5 |
| Oxygen Transmission Rate | ASTM D 372-99 | cc/m2/24hr | 8.5 |
Technical Data Sheet of 2500ml fabric softner liquids pouch
Here, we attach the specification sheet of this 2500ml fabric softner bag based on foil laminate PET12/PA15/LDPE180.
More tests are included in this specification sheet with items available listed as 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)
If you want to get a further understanding of this PET/PA/LDPE laminated foil, you may just read it here.
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 detergent market, more and more consumers are more likely to purchase a product that acts toward environmental sustainability.
Compostable Packaging Materials
The below graphic shows clearly the foil structure for this laminated compostable foil.
The artwork is printed reversely on the inner side of plant-based cellulose film, with another layer of metallized cellulose working as the light-shielding and barrier layer, and PLA+PBAT biodegradable film works as the inner sealing layer.
However, it didn’t hit the customer’s expect.
As explained previously, it is crucial for the laminated foil to protect the formulas of the liquid detergent in the sachet. However, for this compostable foil, the ingredients of the liquid detergent can easily penetrate into the PLA+PBAT film, which is in full touch with the liquids for all the time. When a certain amount of ingredients passes through the PLA+PBAT film, it will inevitably damage the adhesive between PLA+PBAT film and metallized cellulose, which leads to the delamination of this foil.
For this customer, the compostable foil fails to meet his requirements.
Based on this situation, the compostable foil materials will never be allowed to hold products in large volumes, like 1 litre, 2 liters, or 3 liters. That is different from the traditional polymer film materials explained above. You may us for further ideas if you need.
Fully Recyclable Mono Materials
Some of our customers are actually moving to fully recyclable mono materials bags which are well resistant to the formulas of liquid detergent.
Now it’s the end. You are welcome to reach us when you have any questions regarding juice pouches. Have a nice day.
