Aluminium Foil Big Roll has gained popularity in recent years in various packaging, construction, electronic and other industries due to its light weight, resistance to corrosion and strong barrier performance in modern industry and life. However, if you want to fully understand the aluminium foil big roll industry, it is essential to know some important professional terminology such as thickness "μ", alloy classification and slitting width. We will now fully collect these parameters for different application scenarios of aluminium foil big roll.
Common thickness, alloy and width of aluminium foil big roll
●Thickness specification
Aluminum thickness is generally measured in microns (μm / mm). The industry has defined aluminium foil big roll as Foil made of aluminum with thickness of less than 0.2mm - most common thickness of aluminum foil big roll is between 6μm and 200μm. To clarify: 6μm - 20μm is defined as ultra-thin aluminum foil thickness, and primarily used for high-end horizontal packaging sectors requiring strict set thickness; 20μm - 100μm is the nominal thickness, and is suitable for most common daily packaging needs and industrial use; can be used in industrial manufacturing application with 100μm thickness in the areas requiring more strength and rigidity.
●Commonly used alloy grades
Aluminum foil is generally made from an aluminum-manganese alloy in the 3xxx family (3003, 3004, etc.) and an aluminum-lithium alloy in the 8xxx family (8011, 8079, etc.). In comparison to pure aluminum, 3xxx aluminum-manganese alloys are stronger and has enhanced fatigue resistance and weldability; the 8xxx aluminum-lithium alloys are light in weight while providing certain strength level for industries that require a light weight specification.
●Slitting width
The range of slitting width for aluminum foil is quite large and is dependent on user needs which are often custom. The typical range of slitting width can be as small as tens of mm or it can confidently be several meters. When the aluminum foil is produced, it is rolled into a large width roll which is then slit into different widths by the slitting equipment to suit various needs of downstream user specifications. For blown film production, a narrow aluminum foil may be used to create medication packages strips while a wider aluminum foil may be used to create building waterproofing materials.
Specification of household aluminum foil
●Alloy selection
Pure aluminum is non-toxic and odorless, has stable chemical properties, does not chemically react with food and can guarantee food safety. At the same time, good flexibility and ductility allows users to wrap, fold, and other operations easily, meeting the needs of common cooking and food preservation.
●Thickness standard
The thickness of household aluminum foil is generally between 12μm to 20μm. 12μm aluminum foil is thinner and lighter, suitable for simple operation such as wrapping food for a temporary short period or covering baking trays. On the other hand, 20μm aluminum foil is thicker and it's not easy to break when you are baking meat or wrapping larger foods, and it can better maintain food flavor and moisture.
●Width setting
The common household aluminum foil width specifications on the market are 30cm, 45cm, and other specifications. These widths can not only meet the use needs of different size baking tray and container used in the home, but also user's cutting and operation needs. The smaller width is suitable for individuals or small family, and the larger is suitable for family gatherings and large amounts of food baking.
Specifications of aluminum foil used for lunch boxes
●Alloy type
Aluminum foil for lunch box mostly use alloy 3003. 3003 aluminum-manganese alloy has much strength and hardness, is more resistant to stamping, stretching and other processing techniques in forming a lunch box forming after the lunch box formed will not be deformed. It also has good corrosion resistance to acid and alkali substances in food itself, which can effectively resist the corrosion of acid and alkali substances and extend the life of the lunch box.
●Thickness Range
The thickness of the lunch box aluminum foil is usually 30μm - 80μm. The thicker thickness makes the lunch box stiff enough, and it makes it difficult to deform or break in the process of carrying and holding, and to a certain extent bear the weight of the food stably. In addition, the right thickness gives some degree of heat insulation to avoid scalding user.
●Width size
The slitting width for aluminum foil lunch boxes is often determined by the lunch box mold and our production processes, with common widths in the range of 500mm - 1500mm. A wider slitting width can improve productivity and reduce raw material waste and supports continuous lunch box forming processing on the automatic production line.
Specifications of aluminum foil flexible packaging
●Alloy grades
Flexible packaging aluminum foil commonly uses alloy grades of 1235 and 8079; 1235 alloy has good barrier properties and can effectively block oxygen, water vapor, and light to prolong the shelf life of products; 8079 alloy has better flexibility and composite properties while ensuring barrier properties, and plastic and paper can easily be composited with 8079 galvanized materials to produce a multi-layer packaging structure.
●Thickness specification
Flexible packaging aluminum foil is thinner than that of rigid packaging, usually in the range of 6μm-25μm. Ultra-thin thickness can reduce packaging costs as well as the weight of the product without affecting the barrier properties. In high demand packaging sectors like medicine and cigarettes, aluminum foil below 12μm is generally used; 12-25μm thicknesses are common in food soft packaging.
●Width setting
For flexible packaging aluminum foil, the slitting width depends on the packaging equipment and the specification of product, and common widths are:
100mm - 1000mm. Narrow aluminum foil is used to produce small-package snacks and aluminum-plastic blisters for medicines; while wide aluminum foil is used to produce bags for large packages, such as milk powder bags, rice bags, etc.
Specifications of industrial aluminum foil
●Thickness range
The thickness can range widely, normally 20μm - 600μm. For example, in the electronics industry, the thickness for aluminum foil used in capacitors, lithium batteries, etc. may normally be 20μm - 100μm to meet the requirements of lightness and electrical performance; while in other industries, such as construction, automobile manufacturing, etc., the thickness of aluminum foil for sound insulation, heat insulation, decoration, etc. can range from 200μm to 600μm to provide adequate strength and durability.
●Width size
The slitting width in the industrial aluminum foil can also be flexible and diverse, generally, in the millimeter to meter range . For example, narrow aluminum foil, so called, for cable sheathing with a width of tens of millimeters may be required; or for building waterproof materials with a width of 2000mm to 3000mm or wider when producing from film. Typically, wider slitting can improve production efficiency and more clearly, maximize material utilization.
The thickness, alloy grade and slitting width parameters of aluminum foil, all vary in the aluminum foil industry, in part due to different applications. Whether it is household aluminum foil in everyday life or special aluminum foil in industrial production, the ability to control any of these parameters directly influences the use and performance of aluminum foil products. Providing the "correct" understanding of these terms and specifications will further enable industry personnel and consumers to select and use aluminum foil products more effectively.