In the modern packaging industry, flexible packaging has occupied an important market share due to its lightness, flexibility, easy processing and printing. In the large family of flexible packaging materials, Soft Food Grade Aluminum Foil stands out with its unique properties and has become an ideal choice for many product packaging. In particular, food-grade ultra-soft Soft Food Grade Aluminum Foil used for lamination and flexible packaging plays a key role in ensuring product quality and safety, extending shelf life, and improving packaging aesthetics.
Specifications of Soft Food Grade Aluminum Foil for Flexible Packaging
◆ Thickness of Aluminum Foil for Flexible Packaging
The thickness of Soft Food Grade Aluminum Foil is one of its important specifications, and different flexible packaging application scenarios have different requirements for the thickness of Soft Food Grade Aluminum Foil . In the field of food and pharmaceutical packaging, the common thickness of Soft Food Grade Aluminum Foil ranges from 0.006mm to 0.02mm. For example, for some pharmaceutical packaging that has extremely high requirements for barrier properties, 0.02mm thick Soft Food Grade Aluminum Foil may be selected to ensure that the medicine is not affected by external oxygen, moisture and microorganisms, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the medicine; while in food soft packaging, such as chocolate, candy and other packaging, 0.007mm to 0.012mm thick aluminum foil is more commonly used, which can not only meet the needs of moisture resistance, oxidation resistance and light shielding, but also ensure the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the packaging.
◆ Alloy of Aluminum Foil for Flexible Packaging
The aluminum foil used for soft packaging mainly adopts industrial pure aluminum series, such as 1235, 1145, 1100, etc. These alloys have good processing performance, corrosion resistance and comprehensive performance, and can meet the requirements of soft packaging in the processing of molding, compounding, printing and so on. 1235 alloy aluminum foil has high strength and good surface quality. It shows excellent formability and wrinkle resistance in flexible packaging applications and is suitable for making packaging bags of various complex shapes. 1145 alloy aluminum foil has good ductility and flexibility. It can provide good sealing performance while ensuring packaging strength. It is often used for flexible packaging products that require heat sealing. 1100 alloy aluminum foil has high purity, high surface finish, and strong adhesion to coating and printing. Therefore, it is widely used in some flexible packaging occasions with high requirements for printing effects, such as high-end food and gift packaging.
◆ Width of Aluminum Foil for Flexible Packaging
The width and length specifications of aluminum foil are usually customized according to the specific needs of customers. In the flexible packaging production process, different packaging equipment and product sizes require aluminum foil coils of corresponding widths. Common aluminum foil coil widths range from hundreds of millimeters to several meters, such as 300mm, 500mm, 1000mm, 1850mm etc., to adapt to the production of packaging bags of different specifications. In terms of length, the length of aluminum foil coils is generally long, up to several thousand meters, which can reduce the number of joints in the production process, improve production efficiency, and also reduce the scrap rate caused by quality problems at the joints.
◆ Specific uses of Aluminum Foil for Flexible Packaging
Due to its excellent performance, aluminum foil has a wide range of important uses in the field of flexible packaging, covering multiple industries such as food, medicine, and cosmetics.
1.Moisture-proof and fresh-keeping: During storage and transportation, food is easily affected by moisture and deteriorates, molds, and other problems. Aluminum foil has almost perfect water vapor barrier properties, which can effectively prevent external moisture from entering the packaging and keep the food dry. For snack foods such as potato chips and biscuits, aluminum foil composite packaging can maintain its crispy taste for a long time; for perishable foods such as meat and seafood, aluminum foil packaging can prevent moisture loss, maintain the freshness and flavor of food, and extend its shelf life
2.Anti-oxidation: Oxygen is one of the main factors that cause food oxidation and deterioration. It will cause the fats in the food to become rancid and the vitamins to be oxidized and lost, thereby reducing the nutritional value and quality of the food. Aluminum foil has a very high barrier to oxygen, which can isolate food from external oxygen and slow down the oxidation process of food. In the packaging of nuts, tea and other foods, the application of aluminum foil can effectively prevent the food from producing odor, discoloration and other problems due to oxidation, and maintain the original quality of the food.
3.Light-shielding: Ultraviolet and visible light in the light will accelerate the chemical reaction of certain ingredients in the food, causing problems such as food fading and nutrient decomposition. Aluminum foil has zero light transmittance, which can perfectly shield light and protect food from the influence of light. In chocolate packaging, aluminum foil can not only prevent chocolate from melting due to temperature changes, but also prevent light exposure from causing chocolate discoloration and deterioration of taste.
4.Convenient processing and packaging: Aluminum foil is soft and ductile, and it is easy to process into packaging bags of various shapes. It can be compounded with plastic film, paper and other materials to form a composite packaging material with multiple properties to meet the packaging needs of different foods. Aluminum foil composite bags can be sealed by heat sealing and other methods. The operation is simple and convenient, and the sealing performance is good, which can ensure the integrity and safety of food packaging.
Drug protection: The quality and safety of drugs are of vital importance, and strict packaging is required to protect them from the external environment. Aluminum foil is mainly used in blister packaging, aluminum-plastic composite film packaging, etc. in pharmaceutical packaging. In blister packaging, 0.02mm thick aluminum foil is used in combination with polyvinyl chloride sheet (PVC), which can provide good moisture-proof, anti-oxidation and anti-microbial invasion protection for drugs, ensuring the quality stability of drugs during the validity period. For some drugs that are extremely sensitive to humidity and oxygen, such as antibiotics and biological products, aluminum foil composite film packaging is even more indispensable. It can effectively extend the shelf life of drugs and ensure the efficacy of drugs.
Easy to tear performance: In pharmaceutical packaging, aluminum foil also needs to have certain easy to tear performance to facilitate patient use. By special treatment of aluminum foil and compounding with suitable materials, the packaging can have good easy to tear performance while ensuring barrier properties. The production of some aluminum-plastic easy to tear films (SP) meets the convenience needs of patients when taking drugs, and also ensures the integrity of drug packaging during storage.
5.Aseptic packaging: For some injections, sterile drugs, etc., aseptic packaging technology is required to ensure the sterility of the drugs. Aluminum foil plays an important role in aseptic packaging. It can form a multi-layer composite packaging structure with other materials. After strict sterilization, it provides a sterile packaging environment for drugs to prevent microbial contamination and ensure the safe use of drugs.
6.Protect product quality: Many ingredients in cosmetics are easily affected by external environmental factors, such as oxygen, moisture, light, etc., which can cause product deterioration, discoloration, and loss of efficacy. Aluminum foil packaging can provide good barrier properties for cosmetics to prevent these external factors from invading the products. In cosmetic packaging such as lotions and creams, aluminum foil composite hoses or aluminum foil packaging bags can effectively prevent product oxidation and water evaporation, and maintain the stability of the texture and efficacy of cosmetics.
7.Improve the aesthetics of packaging: Aluminum foil has a metallic luster and a high surface finish, which can add a high-end and exquisite appearance to cosmetic packaging. By printing, hot stamping and other processing on the surface of aluminum foil, exquisite patterns and texts can be produced to enhance the brand image and market competitiveness of cosmetics.
◆ High-quality product performance
Excellent barrier properties: The flexible packaging aluminum foil produced by Gnee has excellent oxygen and water vapor barrier properties. Taking 7μm thick aluminum foil as an example, its barrier properties to oxygen and water vapor are one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of general vacuum-coated polymer films, which can provide reliable protection for the products in the package and effectively extend the shelf life of the products. In food packaging applications, this excellent barrier property can prevent food from deteriorating due to oxidation and moisture, and maintain the freshness and taste of food; in pharmaceutical packaging, it can ensure the quality and safety of drugs and prevent drugs from being affected by external environmental factors and becoming ineffective.
Good mechanical properties: The mechanical properties of aluminum foil are directly related to the reliability of flexible packaging during processing and use. Gnee's aluminum foil has suitable strength and good ductility. During the processing of flexible packaging, such as lamination, bag making, heat sealing and other processes, aluminum foil can withstand various processing stresses and is not prone to cracking, deformation and other problems. During the bag making process, aluminum foil can be tightly compounded with other materials, and can form a firm seal during heat sealing to ensure the sealing and strength of the packaging bag; during the use of the product, the aluminum foil packaging can withstand certain extrusion and friction to protect the product from damage.
Excellent surface quality: The surface of the aluminum foil produced by the company is clean and uniform, without obvious scratches, pits, oil stains and other defects. This excellent surface quality provides a good foundation for subsequent processing procedures such as printing and coating. During the printing process, the aluminum foil can clearly present exquisite patterns and texts, with bright colors and strong adhesion, which enhances the beauty and brand image of the packaging; during the coating process, it can ensure that the coating is evenly covered on the surface of the aluminum foil, enhancing the protective performance and functionality of the aluminum foil.