Why CPP Films Are So Good for Packaging

The global food packaging industry has been continuously growing over the last few years. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global food packaging market size is expected to grow from $304 billion in to $463.65 billion by the end of . With such a whopping demand in the food packaging space, the need for improved and innovative packaging solutions is imminent. This is where materials like CPP come in.

For more bopp tenter processinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Image Source: http://www.poligal.com

Also known as Cast Propylene, CPP films have earned significant popularity over the last couple of years. CPP films have left no stone unturned in providing better packaging solutions from the food industry to pharmaceuticals, flower industry, textile, and many other areas.

At present, the global cast propylene packaging films market is growing at the speed of light. In , the overall CPP films market has valued at $.28 million. It is expected to grow continuously at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.22% from to .

Data from the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) and the US Census Bureau, US have revealed that the flexible packaging industry was worth approximately $31 billion in , and the numbers have continuously skyrocketed ever since. One of the reasons behind this uninterrupted growth is the ever changing lifestyle and eating habits of people around the world, which has impacted the demand for CPP films.

What Exactly is CPP Film?

CPP is a sub-type of Polypropylene Film (PP). Polypropylene films are low density plastic films known for providing superior packaging integrity while providing an excellent moisture barrier, which makes them stable and, when used in packaging, increases product shelf life.

Image Source: https://www.indiamart.com

What makes CPP stand out from other films is its impeccable heat sealing properties. Used in both traditional flexible packaging and in non-packaging applications, this versatile polymer is dominating the packaging space &#; thanks to its unique physical and chemical properties. From bread to snacks and fresh produce, cast polypropylene is used in the packaging of a variety of different foods. Not just that, the CPP film is also employed for both retort and non-retort purposes.

How is CPP Different from BOPP and BOPA?

Both BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) and CPP are polypropylene films, and there&#;s no doubt that BOPP is more popular than CPP. However, the softness and flexibility of CPP films are the unique features that set them apart. The heat sealing properties of CPP films are also better than BOPP films, which require special coatings for heat sealing. While BOPP and BOPA films demonstrate better barrier properties, CPP films exhibit higher impact and tear resistance, better heat-sealing properties, and improved performance at cold temperatures.

What&#;s more, cast propylene films have high transparency and can easily be printed, making them perfect for use in food packaging. From a commercial standpoint, CPP films are relatively inexpensive and have a higher yield per unit area.

CPP Film Extrusion Lines

Image Courtesy: http://www.shunde-qd.com/

Macro Advanced Extrusion Systems

CPP Film Extrusion Lines provide the coextrusion solutions for producing the highest quality CPP films. Macro Advanced Extrusion Systems is one of the leading CPP film extrusion line providers. Their equipment is versatile, and films produced through these lines maintain a high degree of clarity and efficiency.

The key features of CPP film extrusion lines include optimized design, screw and die dimensions that ensure remarkable gauge uniformity. In addition, the system encompasses a newfangled winding technology that produces superior quality film rolls. What&#;s more, the modular design of the Macro Advanced Extrusion Systems ensures it can be modified for future lines to be used for coating and lamination along with extrusion.

The net output of these systems varies between 550- kg/h with a production speed of 350m/min. The maximum film width attained with Macro Advanced Extrusion Systems is up to mm.

The Macro Advanced Extrusion Systems can produce a variety of CPP films, including:

&#; High-Transparency Films &#; Suitable for packaging dry foods and bread

&#; Twist Films &#; Called so because they can be twisted and used to package confectionary items and candies

&#; Metalized Films &#; Coated with a thin metal film, these CPP films are perfect for packaging snack foods

Triple Manifold CPP Film Co-Extrusion Line

Triple Manifold Co-Extrusion Line is a fairly advanced system that works like all-in-one equipment. Apart from extrusion and embossing, the system also does in-line trimming, slitting, and cutting. This recycling element eventually helps reduce the waste rate and save overall cost. The net CPP film output in a Triple Manifold Co-Extrusion Line is around 450kg/hr. It has a maximum width limit of up to mm.

Technological Advancement in the CPP Film Lines

MasterCast &#; The Widest CPP Film Line

As the demand for CPP film rises, more and more manufacturers are breaking their backs to develop more efficient production lines that can increase output in less time. That&#;s when the world&#;s widest CPP film line, MasterCast by SML films, came into being.

The company claims to be the sole provider of the widest film line, owing to the ongoing demand for increased film width and line output. Their new line focuses on producing metalized and laminated films, with a maximum film width of up to mm. The line will have a maximum gross output of mg/hr. It also allows great flexibility in controlling the different layers of the film. For instance, the sealing and metallization layer of CPP films manufactured through MasterCast can be optimized, resulting in a very high layer distributing efficacy. As a result, the costs of raw materials can be reduced, lower power will be consumed, and labor costs will be minimized. All in all, this new technological advancement by MasterCast will help boost the large-scale, economical production of CPP film lines.

CPP Film Recycling &#; Trends and Technologies

Plastic film recycling is yet another market segment that has been tremendously growing over the last few years. Manufacturers are actively researching various technologies to come up with a recyclable version of CPP film that offers both superior protection and heat-seal resistance. One such initiative has been taken by Coveris, a European flexible packaging film supplier. The company is set to launch a high-performance CPP film that can be recycled. It can be used for the packaging of a vast variety of human and animal food products. Moreover, this recyclable CPP film variety is expected to be stiffer than conventional CPP films, providing added protection to products from external damage. It&#;s because the recyclable CPP film is made by combining a CPP film print layer with a CPP seal film. This unique combination renders the recyclable CPP film strength and stiffness comparable to the CPP and BOPP characteristics.

What&#;s more, the new film has high transparency and an immaculate gloss finish. It can be imprinted with flexo and rotogravure printing, making each packaged product aesthetically pleasing to the customer&#;s eye.

Future developments in the CPP Film Recycling space aim to provide even more value by improving its barrier properties.

Ecological Aspect and Biodegradable CPP Films

One of the most significant advantages of CPP films is that polypropylene itself does not contain harmful additives, including plasticizers, acids, and heavy metals. The absence of these non-irritating components, along with the film&#;s neutral taste and odor, makes CPP ideal for food packaging. While these polymers can easily be recycled, efforts are being made to process polypropylene films into biodegradable polymers. One such company is Profol that has come up with an additive called EcoPure. The company claims that when treated with EcoPure, CPP films undergo biodegradation. And there&#;s more to it.

For more information, please visit flexible printable bopp film.

While treatment with EcoPure renders biodegradable properties to CPP films, the material still remains stable during its shelf life. It only undergoes biodegradation once it gets in contact with microorganisms that are typically found in dirt and landfills. Therefore, rather than relying on temperature, UV light, or mechanical stress, the new technology starts biodegradation only when it gets contaminated beyond its shelf life.

Conclusion

Cast Polypropylene (CPP) belongs to a group of polymers that have a considerable advantage over other plastic materials, thanks to their lower specific gravity and technological advancements that have made processing much more cost-effective. This is why more and more customers are moving towards CPP-based packaging for food and non-food related products.

Opp film is a kind of polypropylene film. Because the production process is multilayer extrusion, it is called co-extrusion oriented polypropylene film.

If there is a process of biaxial stretching in processing, it is called biaxial stretching oriented polypropylene film bopp film.

Compared with the co-extrusion process, the other is called cast polypropylene film cast polypropylene.
Opp: unidirectional stretching
Bopp: biaxial stretching, horizontal and vertical stretching.
Cpp: cast film, no stretching.

I. OPP film
OPP: Oriented polypropylene (film), stretchable polypropylene, which is a kind of polypropylene.

OPP main products:

1. OPP tape: based on polypropylene film, it has the advantages of high tensile strength, light weight, non-toxic, tasteless, environmental protection, wide application range, etc.

2. OPP bottle: light weight, low cost, improved transparency, good heat resistance, suitable for hot filling.

In recent years, two-way polypropylene (OPP) transparent bottles have become the substitute for PET bottles. At present, the applications in packaging include self-adhesive label, in-mold label, winding label and wet glue point label, the latter is mainly used in beverage and alcohol labeling abroad, and the adhesive self-adhesive label and in-mold label are gradually introduced from Europe to China market in recent years, and their application fields include food, chemical industry, daily chemical products and so on.
In addition, OPP, like PE and PVC films, should be used for shrink films, with the advantages of high transparency, good gloss, high shrinkage rate and shrinkage stress, but poor heat sealing performance and strength, high shrinkage temperature and narrow range.

For daily chemical products with relatively saturated and homogeneous market, appearance is everything, and the first impression determines consumers' buying behavior. Shampoo, shower gel, detergent and other products are used in warm and humid bathrooms and kitchens. Labels are required to withstand moisture without falling off, and their extrusion resistance must match the bottle body. At the same time, transparent bottles put forward strict requirements for the transparency of adhesives and label materials.

3. OPP label: Compared with paper label, it has the advantages of transparency, high strength, moisture resistance, and not easy to fall off. Although the cost has increased, it can get good label display and use effect. With the development of domestic printing technology and coating technology, it is no longer a problem to produce self-adhesive film labels and printed film labels. It can be predicted that the usage of OPP labels in China will continue to increase.

Because the label itself is made of PP, which can be well combined with the surface of PP/PE container, it has been proved that OPP film is the best material for in-mold labels at present, which has been widely used in the field of food and daily chemical in Europe and gradually spread to China, and more and more users have begun to pay attention to or adopt in-mold labeling technology.

Second, BOPP film

BOPP: biaxially oriented polypropylene is also a kind of polypropylene.

Commonly used BOPP films include: ordinary biaxially oriented polypropylene, heat-sealed biaxially oriented polypropylene, cigarette packaging film, biaxially oriented polypropylene pearl film, biaxially oriented polypropylene metallized film, matte film, etc.

The main uses of various films are as follows:

1. Ordinary BOPP film
Usage: mainly used for printing, bag making, adhesive tape and compounding with other substrates.

2. BOPP heat sealing film
Usage: mainly used for printing, bag making, etc.

3. BOPP cigarette packaging film
Usage: used for high-speed cigarette packaging.

4. BOPP pearl film
Usage: used for packaging printed food and daily necessities.

5. BOPP metallized film
Usage: used as vacuum metal plating, radiation, anti-counterfeiting substrate, food packaging.

6. BOPP extinction film
Usage: used for packing boxes of soap, food, cigarettes, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, etc.

7. BOPP antifogging film
Usage: used for packaging vegetables, fruits, sushi, flowers, etc.

BOPP film is a very important flexible packaging material, which is widely used. BOPP film is colorless, odorless, tasteless and nontoxic, and has high tensile strength, impact strength, rigidity, toughness and good transparency. The surface energy of BOPP film is low, so corona treatment is needed before gluing or printing. However, after corona treatment, BOPP film has good printing adaptability, and can be printed in color to get a beautiful appearance, so it is often used as the surface material of composite film.

BOPP film also has some shortcomings, such as easy accumulation of static electricity and no heat sealing property. In the high-speed production line, BOPP membrane is easy to generate static electricity, so it is necessary to install static eliminator. In order to obtain the heat-sealable BOPP film, the surface of BOPP film can be coated with heat-sealable resin glue, such as PVDC latex and EVA latex, or coated with solvent glue, and the heat-sealable BOPP film can also be produced by extrusion coating or coextrusion.

The film is widely used in the packaging of bread, clothes, shoes and socks, as well as the cover packaging of cigarettes and books. The initial tear strength of BOPP film is improved after stretching, but the secondary tear strength is very low. Therefore, there should be no notches on both ends of BOPP film, otherwise the BOPP film is easy to tear when printing and laminating. BOPP can be coated with adhesive to produce sealing tape, which is a large market for BOPP.

BOPP film can be produced by tube membrane method or flat membrane method. The properties of BOPP films obtained by different processing methods are also different. Due to the large stretch ratio (up to 8-10), the strength of BOPP film produced by flat film method is higher than that of tube film method, and the uniformity of film thickness is better.

In order to obtain better comprehensive performance, multilayer composite method is usually used in the process of use. BOPP can be compounded with many different materials to meet special application needs. For example, BOPP can be compounded with LDPE(CPP), PE, PT, PO, PVA, etc. to obtain high gas barrier, moisture barrier, transparency, high and low temperature resistance, cooking resistance and oil resistance. Different composite films can be applied to oily food.

Third, cast polypropylene

CPP: It has the characteristics of good transparency, high gloss, good stiffness, good moisture resistance, excellent heat resistance and easy heat sealing.

Cast polypropylene has been printed and bagged, which is suitable for: clothing, knitwear and flower packaging bags; Documents and photo album films; Food packaging; And metallized films suitable for barrier packaging and decoration. Potential uses also include: food packaging, candy packaging (twisted conjunctiva), medicine packaging (infusion bag), replacing PVC, synthetic paper, adhesive tape, business card holder, ring folder and standing bag composite materials in the fields of photo albums, folders and documents.

CPP has excellent heat resistance. Because the softening point of PP is about 140&#;, this kind of film can be used in hot filling, retort pouch, aseptic packaging and other fields. In addition, it has excellent acid resistance, alkali resistance and grease resistance, making it the first choice for bread product packaging or laminating materials. Its contact with food is safe, and its demonstration performance is excellent, which will not affect the flavor of the contained food, and different grades of resin can be selected to obtain the required characteristics.

As mentioned above, the production process of cast film generally adopts the T-shaped die method, which is characterized by:

(1) The casting method omits the film blowing stage of the tube membrane method, which is easy to start and has less waste;

(2) During the production by tape casting, the chemical molecules are arranged orderly, so it is beneficial to improve the transparency, luster and thickness uniformity of the film, which is suitable for advanced packaging;

(3) The casting part adopts electric up-and-down swinging and back-and-forth moving structure, which is easy to operate;

(4) The corona part is air-cooled and water-cooled, so the product is not easy to deform.

Firstly, the extruder melts the raw resin, and the molten resin is cast on the cooling roller with smooth surface through the die and quickly cooled into a film. After thickness measurement, traction, corona treatment and flattening, the leftover material with thicker edge is cut off, and then it is unfolded and rolled into a film roll again.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit metallizing film.