(Business Wire) MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dow and Menshen, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of caps, closures and single-serve capsules, announce the new transformative Reverse Spout Sealing Technology that enables the production of spouted pouches made of mono-material films. This exciting technology allows converters to address the recycling criteria for flexible packaging and can help brands meet their sustainability packaging goals.
“We basically reversed the idea of where and when the heat needs to be applied during the spout sealing process”, explained Dr. Peter Sandkuehler, Global Application Technology Leader at Dow’s Packaging & Specialty Plastics business. “By transferring the heat from the pre-melted spout base directly to the sealant layer of the film, we’ve solved two challenges at the same time: how to easily seal spouts to mono-material films, and how to prevent the hard spout ribs from cutting into the film.”
The new process is designed to easily seal spouts in more heat sensitive, mono-material structures made from all polypropylene or all polyethylene packaging layers. Rather than traditionally applying the heat from outside the pouch forming film to melt the seal layer and the spout, the latter is pre-melted at its base before insertion into the pouch and sealing.
“The beauty of the process is its simplicity,” said Sarah De La Mare, Business Development Officer at Menshen. “It is actually more logical to apply the heat from the inside rather than from the outside, whether you use mono-materials or not. We are currently working with several machine manufacturers to ensure that this technology can be integrated into new and existing spouted pouch making lines.”
Reversing the traditional sealing process helps reduce the excess heat needed to be applied from the outside of the film to seal the inner, lower density film layers to a high-density spout base. At the same time, the packaging structure is less dependent on a film’s thermal resistance and film cut-in is avoided, resulting in good quality spout sealing and a pouch that looks great on the shelf.
“At Dow, we have been working on expanding our portfolio of polyethylene-based mono-material solutions for several years. When looking at spouted pouch applications, we knew that changing this would not be an easy task and would require out-of-the-box thinking,” said Jaroslaw Jelinek, Marketing Manager for EMEA, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “What Dow and Menshen bring to the market today is a transformative technology that contributes to the plastic circularity goals that Dow and the entire industry have committed to.”
The introduction of the reverse spout sealing technology is the result of a remarkable three year joint development between Dow and Menshen to work who are working with a number of partners on technology integration and assist brand owners and converters to put the new sealing approach into practice. Both companies are working with leading manufacturers of pouch-packaging machines worldwide in order to commercialize of the technology.
The reverse spout sealing technology was successfully tested at Dow’s Pack Studios in Horgen, Switzerland, with Menshen spouts sealed in mono or laminate film structures containing Dow solutions such as DOWLEX™ 2750ST, ELITE™ 5960G in outer layers coated with OPULUX™ HGT and AFFINITY™ sealants.
The technology is suitable for most pouch sizes and applications and for a wide range of applications – from baby food, condiments, and detergents, to personal care applications such as shampoos, shower gels, or body lotions. For packaging applications that cannot compromise on content preservation, Dow combines this technology with barrier solutions in structures that are designed for recyclability.
Explore this solutions at K 2019
Dow will be attending K 2019, the world's premier conference for the plastics and rubber industry. Running from 16-23 October in Düsseldorf, Germany, this event will gather the most influential and creative suppliers of machinery, parts and products under one roof. It’s the ideal place for you to ask challenging questions, forge new relationships and start collaborations that will help transform businesses and society. We’ll be there to listen, learn, discuss and be inspired: www.dow.com/k2019
About Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP), a business unit of Dow (NYSE: DOW), combines core strengths of R&D, worldwide reach, broad product lines and industry expertise to deliver high performing technologies for end use markets in food packaging, personal hygiene, infrastructure, consumer goods and transportation. P&SP is one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene resins, functional polymers, and adhesives, and is a leading innovator and collaborator across the value chain on sustainable application development and circular economy life-cycle design for plastics. www.dow.com/packaging
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines one of the broadest technology sets in the industry with asset integration, focused innovation and global scale to achieve profitable growth and become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of performance materials, industrial intermediates and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for our customers in high-growth segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow operates 113 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 37,000 people. Dow delivered pro forma sales of approximately $50 billion in 2018. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
About Menshen
Menshen is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plastic caps, closures and single serve capsules as well as sponge applicators for tubes, pouches, and bottles. For almost 50 years, Menshen has been offering individual and innovative products for a wide range of industries and are a reliable partner for the packaging industry worldwide. As an owner-operated company, approximately 1,300 employees at 14 Menshen locations across 11 countries do their utmost every day to provide customers with the best products and extraordinary services. More information: www.Menshen.com/en