You are looking for a new flexible packaging film. Perhaps you are looking for a more affordable alternative to cellophane.
Are you interested in learning more about bioriented polypropylene? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Or, maybe, you require a film that has increased strength and superior barrier properties to resist water vapor and oxygen gas.
You may have many reasons for searching for biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film (also known as BOPP). But, the main thing you have had trouble finding concerning this material is information.
You have likely discovered that BOPP is a bit obscure when compared to other types of flexible packaging films. And, this has made finding the information you are looking for even more difficult.
Well, today, we are going to solve that problem for you.
As a multi-generational packaging company, Industrial Packaging has over 65 years of experience with packaging films. And, we have a library of information on the different types of packaging films currently available.
With the information in this article, you will better understand biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film, its applications, and its uses.
What Is Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene Overwrap Film?
Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film is a type of flexible packaging film. Biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film is stretched in machine and transverse directions. This results in a molecular chain orientation in both directions.
This type of flexible packaging film is created via a tubular production process. A tube-shaped film bubble is inflated and heated to its softening point (this is different from the melting point) and is stretched with machinery. The film stretches between 300% - 400%.
Alternatively, the film can also be stretched by a process known as tenter-frame film manufacturing. With this technique, the polymers are extruded onto a cooled cast roll (also known as a base sheet) and drawn along the machine direction. Tenter-frame film manufacturing uses several sets of rolls to create this film.
The tenter-frame process generally stretches the film 4.5:1 in the machine direction and 8.0:1 in the transverse direction. That being said, the ratios are fully adjustable.
The tenter-frame process is more common than the tubular variant. It produces a highly glossy, clear film. Biaxial orientation increases strength and results in superior stiffness, enhanced transparency, and high resistance to oil and grease.
BOPP film also boasts increased barrier properties to vapor and oxygen. Impact resistance and flexcrack resistance are substantially better with BOPP versus polypropylene shrink film.
Want to learn more about shrink film?
What Are The Applications For BOPP Overwrap Film?
Biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap films are most commonly used for food packaging. They are fast replacing cellophane for applications including snack food and tobacco packaging. This is primarily due to their superior properties and lower cost.
Many companies choose to use BOPP in place of traditional shrink films as they feature enhanced properties and capabilities that are superior to those of standard flexible packaging films.
It should be noted that heat sealing is difficult for BOPP films. However, this can be made easier by coating the film after processing with a heat-sealable material or co-extruding with a co-polymer before processing. This will result in a multi-layer film.
Who Uses Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene Overwrap Film?
Businesses that commonly use BOPP film include food manufacturing and distribution companies, tobacco companies, supermarkets, and consumer goods manufacturing companies.
You can see BOPP at your local supermarkets, retail food stores, and gas stations.
Many companies that use cellophane for their product packaging also use BOPP films. In some cases, these companies have replaced cellophane altogether with BOPP film.
Is B
iaxially Oriented Polypropylene Overwrap Film Right For You?
To figure out if BOPP films are the correct packaging solution for your company's packaging requirements, you will need to answer a few questions.
Are you looking for a food-grade flexible packaging film with better vapor and oxygen resistance than regular shrink film?
- If you answered yes, BOPP film is a good choice.
For more bopp packaging materialinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
Is BOPP Or Shrink Film Right For Your Packaging Needs?
With the answers to the questions above, you should have everything you need to figure out if biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film is proper for your packaging or not.
With that being said, BOPP may or may not be the best type of flexible packaging film for your packaging requirements.
Depending on your application, shrink film may be a better choice. Would you like to learn about the different kinds of shrink films currently available and which one would be most appropriate for your business?
If you would like to learn more about the different types of shrink films, you will want to consider reading our complete guide to shrink film.
This free resource is packed to the brim with everything you need to help you choose the correct shrink film for your packaging line.
Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene, also known as BOPP film, is a thin, plastic film that has been stretched both mechanically, and also manually using a cross direction technique.
Due to its advantages, this film has become very popular and is a highly regarded film used across the globe. This film can be found in many day-to-day products such as a six-pack of soft drink, labels for soft drink bottles, and even plastic bags.
What is This Film Used for?
This film can be used for all sorts of things from tobacco film, electrical film to pearl film. It’s also used in all types of packaging because of its numerous amounts of benefits.
What are the Advantages of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene?
There are many advantages to Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene, which is why it is so favoured!
It is environmentally friendly, which is really important in today’s climate. It’s light in weight, which is perfect for packaging. It also limits the damage products may receive in transit to a great extent, and can also protect from wet weather, as it has a high tendency to keep products dry, which is ideal. Not only that, in comparison to other polyester films, Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene protects against air pollution and toxic chemicals. It is also resistant to oils and grease, and it is difficult to puncture!
The Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene also has a few benefits that you might not think of when choosing a plastic. It needs little messing with with which is great for efficiency and cost. It doesn’t need de-lamination as other plastics do and it is resistant to ultraviolet rays. This plastic is also readily accepted all across the world, which makes shipping a lot easier for companies and the like.
The benefits don’t just stop there for this universal film. From an aesthetic point of view, this film has an excellent gloss and high transparency that gives it a stunning finish. Though, if gloss isn’t what you’re looking for, Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene film can also come in several different ranges and finishes, such as matt and silk. It also remains wrinkle and shrink free amongst changes in the environment, keeping your packaging immaculate. And just for good measure, this film is also recyclable.
What are the disadvantages of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene?
You might be surprised to learn that there are in fact downsides to Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene.
A few of the disadvantages that this film propose is that the sealing is poor. There is a high range of crystalline nature in Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene film which means when the plastic crystals, it alters the aesthetics making it hazy, and also can alter the structure of it. This plastic film has low surface energy, which means even though it is used for printing on, it doesn’t hold ink very well, making the print result poor quality.
If you don’t heat seal Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene, then it becomes much more static, which isn’t ideal. The reason for this is because when plastic components become charged, pieces of dirt including hair, dust and debris will be drawn to the charge. Since plastics are insulators, they are poor conductors of electricity. These particles that are drawn to the charge can cause problems in certain situations such as medical applications and electronics. These particles are not easily removed because of the static charge, and no washing or blowing on the parts will dislodge them, which is why it is important to have preventative measures in place.
At Kempner, it is important for us to use the best plastics available and shrink wrap is high on the list of recycling-friendly, effective, and cost friendly packaging. Contact us to find out more on our polyolefin shrink film and what we can do for you!
Want more information on bopp film machine manufacturers? Feel free to contact us.