Process Packaging Leader Invests In New Slitting & Laser Perforation Equipment

Phil Black - PII Editor 18/01/2017

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Constantia Flexibles, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of flexible packaging products and labels that supplies multinational corporations and local market leaders in the food, pet food, pharmaceuticals and beverage industries, is strengthening its position in the stick pack market by acquiring new state-of-the-art equipment. The machinery includes a narrow web and short-run slitter with an enhanced laser perforation unit.

The sophisticated laser technology is a key factor in the product’s popularity to date: Laser perforation allows for a wide range of opening features to be incorporated into primary packaging material – with no effect on a customer’s preferred packaging process.

The infrastructure investment will allow Constantia Flexibles to accommodate greater customer demand for its laser-perforated stick packs, as well as provide redundancy to insure against production delays or maintenance downtime with related equipment.

Constantia Flexibles’ laser-perforated stick packs are comprised of PET/AL/PE or even paper/AL/PE to protect the contents against moisture, oxygen and light. A laser perforation below the seal ensures easy opening of the stick. The PET or paper in the vicinity of the laser seam is partially removed while the aluminium layer remains intact, thereby ensuring the stick pack’s impermeability.

Benefits of these stick packs include:

•   Pre-determined breaking point for convenient, easy-to-open packaging
•   Integrated perforation of packaging with no necessary equipment modifications
•   Flexible perforation-layout to accommodate varying customer needs
•   Child-resistant options and capabilities
•   Both printed and unprinted offerings
•   Package remains impermeable to O2, moisture
•   Significantly lower use of material compared with sachets, equaling a cost savings of up to 40% on square sachets and associated costs such as reel storage, worn out parts, space reduction in storage, etc.