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A
Abrasion: Scuffing or wearing of a part against its package or vice versa. Scuffing of a package against external surfaces. The damage caused by friction such as rubbing, scuffing, or scratching.
Adhesive: A substance, such as glue, used to laminate two structures together.
Adhesive Lamination: A laminating process in which individual layers of multi-layer packaging materials are laminated to each other with an adhesive.
Air-Flow: Air-Flow is used in agricultural product packing and has die cut holes to reduce spoilage and ensure even cooling. Air-Flow replaces pallet netting and gives users all the advantages of conventional LLDPE Pallet Stretch Wrap, which include strength, load-holding and ease of use.
Aluminium Foil (AL): A thin gauge (6-12 microns) aluminium foil laminated to plastic films to provide maximum oxygen, aroma and water vapour barrier properties. Although it is by far the best barrier material, it is increasingly being replaced by metallised films, (see MET-PET, MET-OPP and VMPET) because of cost.
Ambidextrous Control: Separate right/left hand braking control which allows the operator to have total stretch control over 100% of the surface area of the stretch film while wrapping.
Angel Hair: Thin strands of film left on the edges of rolls caused by improper bologna slicing.
Anti-Stat: Contains an anti-static additive that dissipates static electrical charges. Good for short-term storage.
Auto Bander: Jumbo rolls of stretch film for automatic bundling equipment.
B
Bags on a Roll: Continuous roll of seamless tubing perforated under bottom seal. Bags must be torn off to open.
Ballooning: A pillow effect created when air is trapped within the shrinking bag.
Banding/Bundling: Wrapping several items together with plastic stretch wrap.
Bar Code: A way of labeling or coding a product that allows a clear description of the contents. Bar codes can only be read by scanners. See also UPC.
Barrier: Protection from deterioration or ingress of moisture/gas through package material.
Barrier Film: Specially formulated film typically used to extend the shelf life of food products. Prevents transmission of moisture and gases.
Barricade Tape: Non-adhesive warning films printed with standard text or custom logos.
Bead Seal: A thin round weld created when pressure and heat are applied to two layers of film.
Bi-Axial Orientation: Oriented along both X and Y-axis. Bi-axially stretched films are generally well balanced in both directions and much stronger in terms of tear strength.
Blade line: Where the doctor blade on a rotogravure press develops an imperfection causing a line or streak in the print on the piece at this imperfection
Bleed: Where the printing on a piece goes all the way to the edge of the plastic accomplished by printing beyond the margins of the piece and then trimming to the margin
Blocking: A condition in which two layers of film adhere to one another.
Base Locking: The thick layer of film produced by manually applying stretch film at a 45 degree angle to the floor. This wrap helps lock the boxes to the skid to prevent shifting.
Blocking: The undesired adhesion of two or more plies of material to the extent that surfaces become damaged or distorted, or the inks or coatings transfer from one surface to the other when adjacent layers are separated.
Blooming: The time period that the Poly Iso Butylene takes to migrate to the surface of the stretch film. Once this happens high cling films are at their peak of perfection.
Blown Films: Plastic films produced from synthetic resins (such as polyethylene) by the blown process. In this process, the molten resin is extruded through a circular die into a tube. This tube is expanded (“blown”) by internal air pressure into a larger bubble with a much reduced wall thickness and cooled with external air quenching.
Bologna Slicing: A film slitting process in which a rotating double edge blade cuts a roll of film while the roll is spinning. This is the quickest way for slitting film. However, the quickness can cause the film to melt in some places, resulting in the film hanging up and tearing it, as it is unwound off the roll.
Bond Strength: A measure of strength of a bond between two adhesives.
BON: Bi-axially Oriented Nylon film, with excellent oxygen and aroma barrier properties, (see Nylon), but it is a poor water vapour barrier. BON is much stiffer than cast nylon film, but cannot be thermoformed.
Bottom Seal Bags: Individually cut bags from seamless tubing, sealed on the bottom. Flat or side gusseted bags with a strong seal – usually have a tail.
Boxboard: a paperboard used in the manufacture of light non-corrugated containers. It can be plain, lined or clay-coated.
Braking Tension: The tension applied to stretch film mechanically or manually.
Bulkheading: A shipping technique that combines both unitization and stabilization. The pallet loads nearest the back door of a truck are unitized while the pallet loads towards the front of the trailer are stabilized.
Bundling: Banding articles together into distinct and separate units with plastic stretch film.
Burn Through: A temperature or condition where a film becomes cloudy or burns in the shrink tunnel.
C
Caliper: The thickness of sheet material expressed in "points" or mils (thousands of an inch). (see gauge)
Camera Ready Art: artwork that's ready for the process camera that captures the dots and density of your artwork and then translates it into a negative. No matter what color you'd like your imprint to be, the type, artwork and graphic materials should be a very high black-and-white contrast.
CAN: Cast Nylon Film (see Nylon). Used mostly for thermoformable packaging applications.
CAPP or CPP: Cast PP film, (see PP). Unlike OPP, it is heat seal-able, but at much higher temperatures than LDPE, thus it is used as a heat seal layer in retort-able packaging. It is, however, not as stiff as OPP film. (PP = polypropylene)
Carton: a container made from thin paperboard that typically measures between 0.25 and 1 millimeter in thickness. Cartons are primarily used for displaying products on store shelves. They typically feature a chipboard stock that can support printing and graphics.
Carton-board: a paperboard that is used to make folding boxes or cartons.
Cartoner: a machine that erects and closes carton blanks or folded and side-seam sealed cartons.
Case: a container made out of corrugated cardboard that is 3 to 6 millimeters thick.
Case packer: a machine that is similar to a cartoner, but it typically works with a heavier type of paperboard.
Cast Film: The fabrication of a film by continuously pumping the polymer through a straight slot die, then chilling this hot plastic immediately through contacts with a chilled roll. Film width is determined by how fast the chill roll pulls the film away from the die.
Center fold Film: A film that has been folded in half, lengthwise.
Center folder: A mechanical device used to create center folded film.
Changeover: the process of changing a packaging line from one product or type of package to another. It typically involves switching parts or fixtures. Changeover is an important indicator of lead time. Longer changeovers increase lead time and increase time to market; shorter changeovers reduce lead time and reduce time to market. Also called “set up.”
Clarity: Transparency of the film based upon surface gloss and haze.
Cling: The characteristic of stretch film which makes it stick to itself.
CMYK printing: (C - Cyan, M - Magenta, Y - Yellow, K - Black) Printing that uses different combinations & amounts of 4 ink colors to achieve a photographic like effect.
Closing machine: a device that seals or closes filled packages by crimping, folding or tucking. Adhesives, gummed tape and ultrasonic welding are often used, in addition to heat sealing.
Co-extrusion: Two or more polymers extruded and combined in a die, each forming a distinct layer in the final film.
Coefficient of Friction (C.O.F.): The amount of slip exhibited when one surface is dragged against an adjacent surface. Static COF is the force required to begin the structure moving. Kinetic COF is the force required to maintain structure movement at the test pull speed. Hi Slip = less than 0.2, Medium Slip = .2 - .5, Low Slip = more than 0.5 (kinetic) Commonly referred to as the “slipperiness” of plastic films and laminates.
Coffee Valve: A pressure relief valve added to coffee pouches to allow natural unwanted gasses to be vented whilst maintaining the freshness of the coffee. Also called an aroma valve as it allows you to smell the product through the valve.
Cold Slip: The amount of force required to slide two surfaces against one another at ambient temperature.
Cold Flex (CF): Ability of a film to perform at low temperatures without failure.
Color fastness: The measurement of the permanence of a color in its resistance to sunlight and various chemicals as may be expressed.
Color Separation: The translation of an original photograph or other artwork into separate plates for four-color printing. More Printing Terms
Container-board: solid fiber or corrugated and combined paperboard used in the manufacture of shipping containers.
Co-polymer: Result of two monomers being combined through polymerization.
Core: A paper tube on which film is wound.
Corrugated: a durable, lightweight material used for making cases. Corrugated packaging has an arched layer, called fluting, between smooth sheets, called liner. The corrugated cardboard most commonly used to make cases has one layer of fluting between two smooth sheets.
Cross-Linking: A process which binds the polymer chains into a network. Significantly increasing a films heat stability and strength.
Cross Top Wrapping: A unitization technique which covers the top of a load. Not only does cross top wrapping protect the tops of pallet loads but it also helps to pull the load together as it settles during shipment.
Crow's Feet: A series of wrinkles radiating out from a finished package's corners.
Cube: The total area inside a truck trailer. The length times width times the height of the trailer is the cube space.
Curl: An undesirable condition caused by uneven rates of absorption or evaporation of moisture, uneven rates of contraction or expansion, or internal stresses in the material. Curl is most prevalent in laminated structures where the components have differing physical property
D
Dead Fold: Stretch film sticking to itself during wrapping without the use of any additional heat sealing (i.e. – PVC films used in food wrapping have high dead fold).
De-lamination: separations or splitting, usually caused by lack of adequate or sufficient adhesion in laminating or plied goods.
Destruct Bond: A strong bond of two materials where if one attempts to pull the two apart a destruction of one of the materials will occur. The bonding agent is stronger than the materials bonded together.
Die: A device used in extrusion processes to shape the extrudate.
Dog-Ears: Triangular projections of un-shrunk film at the corners of finished packages.
Doorknob Bags: Side-weld bag, staple-packed with perforated lip and hole just below the top of the bag
Double Stacking: One pallet placed on top of another during shipping.
Doy Pack (Doyen): A stand-up pouch that has seals on both sides and around the bottom gusset. In 1962, Louis Doyen invented and patented the first soft sack with an inflated bottom called Doy pack®. Although this new packaging was not the immediate success hoped for, it is booming today since the patent has entered the public domain.
Drape: The softness of a film characterized by the ability to conform to irregular shapes.
Draw Down: A thin coating applied and spread by a number of instruments, hand rollers or pulling a smooth flat knife blade. Used to check such coating characteristics as shade, color strength and tones.
Dwell time: The time usually expressed in seconds at a given temperature that is required for the application of heat to seal a heat sealing membrane.
E
EAA: Ethylene Acrylic Acid co-polymer. Because of its excellent adhesion to aluminium foil, it is mostly used for extrusion lamination of foil to other surfaces.
Eco-Wrap: Micron Pallet Wrap. Stiffer and stronger than conventional hand wrap. Has a high resistance to stretch for superior load retention.
Elasticity: the ability of paper or plastic to rebound back to its original state after being stretched.
Electrically Conductive: Carbon-impregnated polyethylene bags providing exterior protection from static charges.
Electron Beam: A device used in the cross-linking process.
Elmendorf Tear Test: A standard test for determining the internal Tearing Resistance, named after its inventor, Armin Elmendorf.
End-of-line packaging: the final step in most packaging lines; the process consists of cartoning, case packing and palletizing.
EVA: Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate co-polymer. Much softer and clearer than LDPE or LLDPE and has lower melt temperature. Its melt temperature goes down, while its softness increases with increasing vinyl acetate (VA) content. EVA resins with 2-18% VA content are used for cast and blown packaging films. Strengthens and improves seal-ability. Appropriate for use in cold-temperature applications.
EVOH: Ethylene-Vinyl Alcohol co-polymer, used in co extruded plastic films to improve oxygen barrier properties. It is, however, a poor water vapour barrier. Even its otherwise excellent OTR, (oxygen transmission rate) is sensitive to high humidity, therefore, for packaging applications, it is usually the core layer of co extruded plastic films, where it is shielded from moisture by protective layers of polyethylene. Its OTR also depends on its VOH (vinyl alcohol) content.
EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate): A co-polymer put in stretch film adding strength to ordinary polyethylene film.
Extensibility: the ability of paper or plastic to be stretched without breaking.
Extra Bright foil: Foil having a uniform extra bright specular finish.
Extra Hard: Maximum hardness and tensile properties.
Extruder: A machine that makes stretch film. It consists of a large steel barrel surrounded by heaters, which melt the plastic resin pellets. Inside of the barrel is a large screw to force the liquid plastic under pressure through a die to be made into plastic sheeting by either the cast or blown processes. Production Diagram.
Extrusion: A product formed by pushing material through a die.
Extrusion Lamination: A laminating process in which individual layers of multi-layer packaging materials are laminated to each other by extruding a thin layer of molten synthetic resin (such as polyethylene) between the layers.
Eye Spot: Sometimes referred to as an "Eye-mark". It is a small solid image, usually in the shape of a rectangular mark that may be printed at one of the corners of each printed bag. A possible alternative to this are microdots.
F
F.O.B. Destination: The seller will bear transportation charges to the Ship to location served by common carrier where the buyer or designee takes custody of the goods.
F.O.B. Shipping point: Buyer will bear all transportation charges, and will take custody of the products at the shipping point
Faraday Cage: Provides both interior and exterior protection from static and other charges.
FFS: Form Fill Seal
Filling machine: a device that measures a predetermined volume, weight or number of product and fills it into a bag, bottle, box, container, sack, tube or other type of package.
Fill and Seal Machines: Packaging machines which combine the functions of filling and closing in one machine.
Fish Eyes: A scalloped surface on a finished product surface.
Five Sided Wrapping: Wrapping a pallet load’s four sides plus the top. The top of a pallet can be wrapped by using the cross top wrapping technique.
Flange: The extended lip of the hand brake that keeps the operator’s hand from sliding down and rubbing against the roll.
Flap Lock: Bag has lip folded back with side seals. Commonly known as a sandwich bag.
Flat Bags: Two-dimensional bag (width x length) with bottom or side seals.
Flat -Bottom Stand-up Pouch: a stand-up pouch that is made from one piece of film. The front, gusset, and back are continuous, so there is no seal at the gusset. Holds more weight than Doy-style pouches, so are commonly used for heavy products.
Flexibility: The property of a material, which will permit its being bent or twisted without breaking, the state of being non-rigid.
Flexographic Printing: (Abbrev: flexo) An economical printing method, mostly done on web-fed equipment, in which a rubber roll, partially immersed in an ink fountain, transfers ink to a fine-screened steel roller carrying the design to be printed, which in turn deposits a thin layer of ink on the printing plate. The print pattern is raised and the non-print area is lower. The ink is applied to the raised area of the rubber plate, then transfers to the material to be printed in the desired pattern. Flexographic printing produces remarkably sharp reproductions of multicolor work, including lettering in small type sizes. Also called aniline printing because flexographic inks originally used aniline dyes.
Floor Loading: A technique used for packing a truck in which pallets and stretch film are not used. Hand carrying (conveyors are frequently used) a load on a truck and shipping the load by leaving it on the trailer floor.
Foil (AL): A thin gauge (6-12 microns) aluminium foil laminated to plastic films to provide maximum oxygen, aroma and water vapour barrier properties. Although it is by far the best barrier material, it is increasingly being replaced by metallised films, (see MET-PET, MET-OPP and VMPET) because of cost.
Form, Fill and Seal Machines: Packaging machines which form, fill and seal a package in the same machine.
Four Color Process Printing: Also called process printing - Indicates the four-color plates or cylinders commonly used in color printing. Usually of photographic quality. (C - Cyan, M - Magenta, Y - Yellow, K - Black.) In flexographic printing the minimums are much higher, and the cost more substantial than in spot color printing.
G
Gauge: A term used in referring to the thickness. The higher the gauge, the thicker the material. Here are some examples and equivalents:
1mil = 1/1000 of an inch = .001
1 mil = 25.4 microns
1 micron = one millionth of a meter
1 inch = 25.4 mm = 2.54 cm
100 gauge = 1 mil
80 gauge = 8/10 mil = .0008 inches
Gauge Band: Thickness irregularity in films.
Gel: Small piece of undissolved resin causing imperfection in film.
Gravure Printing: (Rotogravure). With gravure printing an image is etched on the surface of a metal plate, the etched area is filled with ink, then the plate is rotated on a cylinder that transfers the image to the film or other material. Gravure is abbreviated from Rotogravure. Gravure printing is ideal for printing in long runs and contributes to higher printing speeds. Gives excellent reproduction of detail to the image printed.
Gusset: the fold in the side or bottom of the pouch, allowing it to expand when contents are inserted
Gusseted Bags: Flat style bag with both sides or bottom tucked in to form gussets. Designated with three dimensions; Side Gusset (width x depth x length) or Bottom Gusset (width x length + gusset).
H
Half Tone: A plate or cylinder or printed piece or process involving the shooting of artwork through a lined screen, which breaks up the art into a dot pattern
HandyWrap: Pallet stretch wrap with disposable extended core handles.
HDPE: High density, (0.95-0.965) polyethylene. Has much higher stiffness, higher temperature resistance and much better water vapour barrier properties than LDPE, but it is considerably hazier.
Header Bags: Side-weld bag with continuous seal along top, 2"-3" below fold. Bag is loaded and sealed from the bottom and typically has a hang hole.
Heat Seal coating: A coating on a material, which allows that material to be laminated to a second material with a surface that when heat is applied the two materials will bond together. The bond strength is such that the materials will be destructed if one tries to peel apart the two. Also called a "destruct bond".
Heat seal Layer: A heat seal-able innermost layer in plastic packaging films and laminates. Can be either adhesive laminated or extrusion coated onto a non-seal-able film (or foil).
Heat seal Strength: Strength of heat seal measured after the seal is cooled, (not to be confused with “hot tack”, see next item).
Hickeys: Marks on printed material caused by dirt or foreign material during the printing process.
High Density Load/Product: A load or product that is relatively heavy (i.e. – an engine block on a pallet).
High Density Polyethylene: Thinner, yet stronger than low density polyethylene. Moisture and vapor barrier, non-porous.
Hole Punch: A mechanical device used to produce an air evacuation hole.
Hot Slip: The amount of force required to side two surfaces of heated film against on another.
Hot Tack: Strength of heat seal measured before the seal is cooled, which is very important for high-speed packaging operations.
I
Identi Film: Pallet stretch film in colors. Tinted films give protection from tampering and theft. Improves load appearance, product rotation.
Intermediate temper: obtained by controlled strain hardening
Impulse Seal: A heat sealing technique where the element is pulsed with voltage during the sealing cycle.
Impulse Sealer: also known as a heat sealer. These units use an electrical current passed through a Ni-Chrome wire heating element to seal bags & tubing. Can be used on many plastic materials to create strong permanent welds.
J
K
Keyline: Also called a mechanical. This is the guide used in making plates or engraving cylinders, and printing a piece - a diagram of copy and art for reproduction.
L
L-Sealer: A term used to describe equipment where the seal area is in the shape of a "L".
Laminate: A general term used to describe structures comprised of two or more materials.
Lamination: Composite product consisting of two or more sheets or films joined together, with glue, adhesive, wax, etc.
Lap Seal: A seal made with two layers of film overlapping one another.
Laundry Wraps: All purpose PVC over wrap for use in commercial laundries.
Layout: A rendering of a proposed printed piece, indicating positions for headings, copy, art and borders. May also indicate color treatments.
LDPE or PE (Low Density Polyethylene): A resin base for making film. Even though LDPE is a relatively strong transparent film with good tensile strength it does not match the performance of the newer LLDPE. Used mainly for heat seal-ability and bulk in packaging. (0.92-0.934) polyethylene.
Line print / Spot Color: Solid color art work which does not require half-tone reproduction.
Linear Low Density Polyethylene: Stronger than low density. Resistant to punctures and tears, non-porous, and stretchable.
LLDPE: Linear low density polyethylene. Tougher than LDPE and has better heat seal strength, but has higher haze.
Lip: One side of the bag is longer than the other, allows bag to be opened more easily.
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE): Porous and somewhat stretchable. Good clarity.
M
Machinability: The ability to form and seal on over wrapping equipment.
Machine Direction (MD): The direction the film is manufactured and moves through the sealing equipment.
Maximum Stretch: The ability of the film to stretch as far as it can without tearing.
MDPE: Medium density, (0.934-0.95) polyethylene. Has higher stiffness, higher melting point and better water vapor barrier properties.
Memory: The ability of a film to maintain its characteristics after shrinking.
MET-PET: Metallised PET film. It has all the good properties of PET film, plus much improved oxygen and water vapor barrier properties. However, it is not transparent. see also VMPET.
MET-OPP: Metallised OPP film. It has all the good properties of OPP film, plus much improved oxygen and water vapor barrier properties, (but not as good as MET-PET).
Metallocene: Thinner and stronger than low density polyethylene. Puncture resistant.
Metric conversions:
1 kilogram (kg) = 2.2046 pounds
1 meter = 39.37 inches = 1.0936 yards
1 pound = 0.4536 kilograms
1 mile = 1.6094 kilometers
1 short ton = 2000 pounds
1 yard = 0.9144 meter
1 kilometer = 0.6237 miles
1mil = 1/1000 of an inch = .001
1 mil = 25.4 microns
1 micron = one millionth of a meter
1 inch = 25.4 mm = 2.54 cm
100 gauge = 1 mil
80 gauge = 8/10 mil = .0008 inches
Microdots: A non visible "to the naked eye" dot that is used in the place of Eye-marks. Microdots are not always available to be used.
Mil: Thickness of material: The higher the mil, the stronger the material. (1/1000 inch = 1 mil)
Mono-axial: A film which is oriented in only one direction. These films are generally much stronger and stiffer, but have very poor tear strength in the direction of orientation.
Mono-layer Film: A single layer film extruded from one or a blend of raw materials.
Mullen Test: Measurement of bursting strength of paper and paperboard, in pounds per square inch. A relatively simple machine, either motor-driven or hand-operated, applies increasing pressure to one square inch of the sample until it ruptures.
Multilayer Film: A film comprised of more than one layer of similar or different polymers.
MVTR: Moisture vapor transmission rate, usually measured at 100% relative humidity, expressed in grams/100 square inches/24 hours, (or grams/square meter/24 Hrs.) See WVTR.
Mylar™: Mylar is a registered trademark of the Dupont-Teijin Corporation. Is the industrial brand name for that corporation’s polyester (PET) film. Polyester film is a staple of multi-layer packaging for a wide variety of applications.
N
Neck Down: The narrowing tendency of stretch film when being stretched or pulled.
Nylon: Polyamide resins, with very high melting points, excellent clarity and stiffness. Two types are used for films - nylon-6 and nylon-66. The latter has much higher melt temperature, thus better temperature resistance, but the former is easier to process, and it is cheaper. Both have good oxygen and aroma barrier properties, but they are poor barriers to water vapor. Also, nylon films can be cast (see CAN), or oriented, (see BON).
O
Offset Printing: The process of printing by indirect image transfer, especially by using a metal or paper plate to ink a smooth rubber cylinder that transfers the ink to the paper.
Opacity: Hiding power of pigmented (mostly white) plastic films. It is beneficial for packing materials sensitive to light (visible or ultraviolet).
Opaque: Relatively impervious to light
Optics: The visual properties of a film. Examples; an anti fog shrink film providing clear presentation in refigerator and freezer applications.
OPP: Oriented PP (polypropylene) film. A stiff, high clarity film, but not heat sealable. Usually combined with other films, (such as LDPE) for heat sealability. Can be coated with PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride), or metallised for much improved barrier properties.
Orientation: The stretching technique used in the manufacturing of film.
Oriented: The stretching and aligning of a film's molecules at a temperature below its melting point.
OTR: Oxygen transmission rate. OTR of plastic materials varies considerably with humidity, therefore it needs to be specified. Standard conditions of testing are 0, 60 or 100% relative humidity. Units are cc./100 square inches/24 hours, (or cc/square meter/24 Hrs.) (cc = cubic centimetres)
P
Pallet: a portable, horizontal, rigid platform used as a base for assembling, storing, stacking, handling and transporting goods as a unit load. A pallet typically contains a raised superstructure that allows it to be lifted and moved by a forklift without damaging any cases.
Palletizer: a machine that forms, dismantles or secures pallets and other loading units. Can be either conventional (fixed) or robotic (flexible).
Peel Seal coating: Similar to heat-seal coating except that the bond will allow the two materials to be peeled apart.
Perforations: The practice of creating a long series of holes so that plastic film can be torn more easily. Postage stamps are one common application of this.
PET - Polyester, (Polyethylene Terephtalate): Tough, temperature resistant polymer. Biaxially oriented PET film is used in laminates for packaging, where it provides strength, stiffness and temperature resistance. It is usually combined with other films for heat sealability and improved barrier properties.
Pillow Pouch: (Three Side Weld) - A pouch made from two pieces of film, sealed on three sides leaving one side open. This has no gusset.
Pin Perforators: A device used to produce small holes in film to allow air to escape during the shrinking process.
Plug-and-pack: a multi-vendor drive-controller interface for packaging machinery that is based upon the Open, Modular Architecture Control (OMAC) standard.
PMS Number: The Pantone® Matching System is the universally accepted color definition system. Colors can be blended or individually specified to match a specified Pantone reference color exactly
Polyethylene: A simple thermoplastic polymer of ethylene. Highly puncture and tear resistant. Not affected by extreme temperatures. Does not possess barrier properties. Good clarity. Depending on its density, it may be low density (see LDPE). medium density (see MDPE). or high density, (see HDPE).
Polymer: A material made through the process of polymerization.
Polymerization: A gas heated under pressure forms a solid.
Polyolefin: A generic term used to describe ethylene and/or propylene based plastics. Also see polyolefin shrink film and shrink film packaging products
Polypropylene: A thermoplastic polymer of propylene. Has much higher melting point, thus better temperature resistance than PE. Preserves freshness with vapor and moisture barriers. Non-porous and excellent clarity. Possesses ability to withstand high temperatures. Two types of these film are used for packaging - cast, (see CAPP) and oriented (see OPP Stronger and more rigid than polyethylene.
Pouches/Sachets: A flexible material (usually paper, foil, PE, PET or a multi-laminate) used to package medication.
Preferential Shrink: The characteristics of a film to shrink more or less in a specific direction.
Primary packaging: refers to packaging that immediately envelopes a product. It provides most of the strength and the moisture, vapor or grease barrier needed to safeguard a product’s purity, potency and integrity from the time it leaves the assembly line until it’s used by the consumer. Examples of primary packaging include blister packs, clamshells and trays.
Printing Terms: Blade line, Bleed, chromalin, Color Key Proof, Color Separation, Flexographic printing, Gravure printing, Half Tone, Hickies, Line print, Rotogravure printing, Process print,
Process print: Also called four-color process - Indicates the four-color plates or cylinders commonly used in color printing. Usually of photographic quality. C - Cyan, M - Magenta, Y - Yellow, K - Black
PVC: Polyvinyl chloride. A tough, stiff, very clear film. The oriented version is used mainly for shrink film applications.
PVDC: Polyvinylidene chloride. A very good oxygen and water vapor barrier, but not extricable, therefore it is found primarily as a coating to improve barrier properties of other plastic films, (such as OPP and PET) for packaging. PVDC coated and ‘saran’ coated are the same.
Q
R
Reclosable Bags: Seal-top reclosable bags can be made with or without a tamper-evident adhesive seal. Also includes zipper and slider zipper bags
Recovery: Stretch film trying to return back to its original form after it has been stretched. This action constantly pulls the load together since the stretch film tightly form-fits the load. Stretch wrapping continues to tighten the load as it settles during shipment, due to the recovery property, keeping the load safe and secure during shipment.
Recycling Resin Symbols: Detailed Explanation
Release Coating: A coating applied to the non-sealing side of cold-seal-able packaging films and laminates supplied in a roll form that will allow the packer to unwind these films or laminates on packaging machines.
Relieved Area: An area that is predesigned into a package for easier openings.
Recovery: Stretch film trying to return back to its original form after it has been stretched. This action constantly pulls the load together since the stretch film tightly form-fits the load. Stretch wrapping continues to tighten the load as it settles during shipment, due to the recovery property, keeping the load safe and secure during shipment.
Release Coating: A coating applied to the non-sealing side of cold-seal-able packaging films and laminates supplied in a roll form that will allow the packer to unwind these films or laminates on packaging machines.
Relieved Area: An area that is predesigned into a package for easier openings.
Registration mark: Marks made on a surface to help with alignment of both placement of art on a bag and alignment of one color to another. It can be compared to, in appearance, to cross hairs in a rifle scope.
Resin: Any of a class of solid or semi-solid organic products of natural or synthetic origin, generally of high molecular weight with no definite melting point. Most resins are polymers. (Plastics Engineering Handbook of The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., edited by Michael L. Berins, 1991). Recycling Symbols.
Retort: The thermal processing or cooking packaged food or other products in a pressurized vessel for purposes of sterilizing the contents to maintain freshness for extended storage times. Retort pouches are manufactured with materials suitable for the higher temperatures of the retort process, generally around 121o C.
Reverse Printing: When the outermost layer is printed on the backside of a transparent material and laminated to the rest of a multi-layer structure so that when viewed from the front the image is correct. While not mandatory in all industries, it is the preferred method for the food industry as it guarantees there will be no ink contact with the food product.
Rotogravure print: See Gravure printing
S
Seal Strength: Measurement of force required to break or destroy a heat seal formed by any of the heat sealing sheets.
Seal Wire: An element made from nichrome wire used to seal film.
Secondary Packaging: the outer package into which the primary package is placed. Its major function is to protect the product during shipping and distribution. Examples of secondary packaging include cartons, containers and pallets.
Security Wrap: Opaque pallet stretch film. Opaque film blocks UV rays from damaging products. Protects shipments during transit by not allowing contents to be seen.
Set Up: The process of getting a printing press ready to print a job. Also referred to as Change Over" when a finished job is complete and the new job is being transferred onto the press.
Selvage: Another term for trim waste.
Shrink: Defined as the ability to become smaller.
Sheeting: The cutting of a large master roll into sheets.
Shrink Tunnel: A type of equipment featuring a chamber producing heat and airflow designed to shrink film.
Shrink wrapping: a technique of packaging in which the strains in a plastic film are released by raising the temperature of the film, thus causing it to shrink over the package.
Side-Gusset Pouch: A Pouch with gussets on both sides, with a fin-seal running from top to bottom and sealed horizontally at the bottom and the top. Commonly used in the coffee industry.
Side Weld: Bags are sealed on the side. No bottom seal.
Singlewound Film (SW): A single layer of shrink film wrapped around a core.
Slip: The quality of a film to move over surfaces with little resistance. Additive that helps prevent bags from sticking to each other and promotes easy insertion of packaged goods. Also see C.O.F
Slitting: The cutting of a large master roll into smaller rolls used.
Soft temper foil: Foil completely softened by thermal annealing treatment.
Spot Color / Line print: Solid color art work which does not require half-tone reproduction.
Spout pouch: A recloseable or resealable pouch produced with a weld spout and a cap which allows for recloseablility in a flexible package, particulary appropriate for liquids. Many forms and sizes of caps and spouts are available.
Stability Testing: The process used to confirm the efficacy of individual medicines for a set time within a given package under elevated humidity and temperature conditions.
Stand-up Pouch: A pouch that has seals on both sides and around the bottom gusset having the ability to stand up – see Doy Pack.
Star Seal: Strongest bottom seal for liners that combines four sections in a star design. Seal maximizes carrying capacity.
Static: An electrical charge built-up in plastic film.
Static Seal: A type of longitudinal seal used in FFS equipment. Overlapping film edges are adhered to one another via a static charge.
Static Shielding: Four layer construction providing Faraday Cage protection. Offers greater protection than anti-static.
Strip Pack: A package used to protect solid dose pharmaceutical products, and to provide relatively inexpensive protection for individual dosages.
Strong-Bow: Pre-stretched pallet wrap. Film has been stretched leaving better load retention and lighter weight rolls.
Surface Print: The process where by the ink is deposited directly onto the outermost surface of the packaging film or material. The process is most commonly used in short run printing. A UV (ultraviolet) coating may be added to provide a hard exterior finish that prevents the ink from flaking or chipping.
T
Tacifier: A general term used to refer to cling additives in stretch film (see blooming, cling, poly isobutylene).
Tamper Evident: One or more safety features used to indicate that a package is not in the original condition as it was when shipped from the manufacturer or packager.
Tap Switch: An electrical device used to control the amount of voltage introduced to sealing elements.
Tear Initiation: The amount of force required to initiate a tear.
Tear Resistance: The ability of a film to resist the propagation of a tear.
Tear Strength: See Elmendorf Tear Test
Tensile Strength: The force required to break through film and bags, or snap rope, cable ties, and wire by pulling on opposite ends. Determined by material thickness and width.
Thermoforming: a process of forming thermoplastic sheet that consists of heating the sheet and forcing it into a mold by vacuum, air pressure or mechanical pressure.
Three Side Weld Pouch: (Pillow) - A pouch made from two pieces of film, sealed on three sides leaving one side open. This has no gusset.
Tolerance: Allowable deviation from a nominal or specified dimension. Minimum/maximum range of measurement.
Top Sheeting: A protective covering put on the top of a load to protect the top from dust, dirt, and other objects that might damage or dirty the load.
Transmission: Quantity of moisture and/or gas passing through the packaging film or foil over a specific period of time.
Transverse Direction (TD): The direction parallel to the film width.
Trap Print: Another term for Reverse Printing (see Reverse Printing). Trap printing derives its name from the fact that the ink is trapped between the outer layer of material and the substrate.
Tray: a multicavity package thermoformed from plastic that holds numerous parts or products. Trays are often used as standalone retail-store displays.
Trim: The amount of excess film severed during the sealing process.
Trim Seal: A seal made by using a sealing wire element.
U
Unbalanced: Unequal orientation in the LD and TD.
Unitization: Wrapping techniques that protect a pallet load from top to bottom, making all packages in the load one single unit. These techniques are ideal for long distance hauls and less than truckload shipments. X-wrapping, Wrapping Low, and Cross Top Wrapping are wrapping techniques that promote the best unitization.
UPC: Universal Price Code or bar code.
UVI: Ultra Violet Inhibitor. Additive extends life of the product in sunlight conditions.
V
VCI Film (Vapour Corrosion Inhibitor): Functions as a Vapour Corrosion Inhibitor in packaging products in the form of Plastic Film. A significant breakthrough in proctective packaging technology. It offers a new concept in production protection without the need for rust preventative coatings. It provides protection for aluminum alloys and copper while providing excellent protection for ferrous metals, steel, and stainless steel. IT PROTECTS PRODUCTS SUCH AS; Tools, spare parts, components, bin/box liners, motor and mechanical controls, electrical equipment and controls, long tubular products and pipes, interleaving, etc. METALS PROTECTED: Copper, Brass, Aluminum, Steel, Tin, Silver Iron, etc.
Vent Hole: Air evacuation holes in a film made by pin perforators
VMPET: Vacuum Metallised PET film. It has all the good properties of PET film, plus much improved oxygen and water vapour barrier properties.
W
Weld Spout - See Spout Pouch
Wind: The direction in which the film or shrink film is wound on the core.
WrapNet: Netting pallet wrap. Knitted pallet wrap that hold load together but also allows air to circulated throughout the pallet.
Wrapping machine: a device that wraps a flexible material, such as plastic film, around a product or group of products.
WVTR: Water Vapor Transmission Rate, (also known as MVTR moisture vapor transmission rate), is the rate which moisture vapor can permeate through the structure and into a dry atmosphere on the other side. It is recorded in units of gm/100 inches square / 24 hour (g/m2/24 hr). WVTR is dependant on the gauge of the structure, the materials used in the structure, and the quality of the materials used. Vapor can pass through channels in the seals, holes, tears, or imperfections in the package.
X
Y
Yield: The amount of stretch a film gets without interfering with the performance of other properties like tear and puncture resistance.
Z
Zip top pouch: A recloseable or resealable pouch produced with a plastic track in which two plastic components interlock to provide a mechanism that allows for recloseablility in a flexible package.
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