Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News
Magazine
PMPN Article Index
Originally Published January 2001
Films Offer Versatile Protection
Printable films act as barriers to contaminants while conveying information.
A film liner designed to hold tight registration on press is well suited for primary and secondary packaging labels. TRACrite 150 is a 1.5-mil film that offers the qualities traditionally associated with a polyester liner, that is, a good die-cut base for flexible substrates, good wet-out, and so on, as well as superior tracking. The combination of properties minimizes web breaks and waste, and enhances press efficiencies. FLEXcon Company, Inc., Spencer, MA.
A coextruded cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) film for pharmaceutical blister applications offers good barrier performance while being completely free of halogenated polymers. Integra Pharm COC consists of a COC resin with protective outer layers of polypropylene for flexibility and grease resistance. The material displays good stiffness and thermoformability. Its low specific gravity gives it a comparative advantage over traditional PVdC-coated PVC in terms of the ratio of thickness-to-barrier capability. The creation of the final barrier product by direct coextrusion from pellets provides cost efficiency in manufacturing. Rexam Medical Packaging, Mundelein, IL.
A metallized OPP film that serves as an oxygen- and moisture-barrier packaging material offers the added benefit of allowing postpackaging detection of metal contamination of the packaged product. Torayfan metallized OPP is as useful as foil packaging for achieving desired shelf-life results, but whereas product enclosed in foil cannot be scanned for possible metal contamination resulting from the packaging process, product enclosed in the metallized plastic film can be because of the lower metal content of the packaging. Through-package detection rates were determined—using independent testing performed by a manufacturer of metal-detection equipment—to be much better than with foil and accurate enough to justify confidence in inspection results for quality assurance. The film also exhibits good puncture resistance and an attractive shelf appearance. Toray Plastics (America) Inc., North Kingstown, RI.
A line of films for use in the packaging of medical devices and pharmaceuticals has been expanded by several recent additions. Pentapharm Aclar 130/02 is an economical medium-performance barrier film consisting of a two-layer extrusion of polyethylene and Honeywell's Aclar Cx film laminated to vinyl. It provides good optical clarity and is well suited for thermoforming. Also newly available are TDO sleeve-shrink films for thin-gauge printing applications and the full or partial body wrapping of bottles, cans, jars, cap seals, and multipacks. Klöckner Pentaplast of America Inc., Gordonsville, VA.
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