Barrier and film technology
Oxygen, moisture and aroma each move through a film differently. We design the structure to the shelf life the product is sold on, rather than to the highest barrier available.
Barrier is a
shelf-life question,
not a material one
Over-specifying barrier costs money and usually costs recyclability. The useful question is how much permeation the product tolerates across its declared life, in the climate it is stored in — and then which structure meets that with the fewest layers.
01
Permeation targets
Oxygen and water-vapour transmission rates set from the product, its declared shelf life and the storage climate it will meet.
02
Structure design
Monolayer, blend or coated structure chosen against those targets — the fewest layers that hold, because every layer added is a layer to separate later.
03
Sealing and web handling
Seal initiation temperature, hot-tack and stiffness tuned to the forming and sealing equipment, not to a laboratory jaw.
04
Ageing behaviour
Barrier measured after ageing, not only on fresh film — most structures lose more in the first month than in the eleven after it.
Where it is applied
The right barrier is the lowest one that still holds at the end of shelf life.
This capability sits within Polymer Engineering. If it is the one your problem turns on, tell us the constraint and we will tell you whether it is worth starting.