Pursuit of excellence alive and well
Alufoil creates cutting edge products

Bachmann Aluminium's smoothwall container sealed with a transparent film and cartonboard wraparound sleeve containing a ready to bake bread mix - "Das Backschälchen from Küchenmeister - has created a product which ideal for time restricted people who like to cook but do not have the time.

The bread is both mixed and baked in the oval alufoil container which allows it not only to be baked at high temperatures but also gives the bread the appearance of coming straight from the baker.

A real understanding of ergonomics was demonstrated by Selig's winning Lift ‘n' PeelTM easy open tab. Manufactured from a twin PET/alufoil structure the induction heat seal provides tamper evidence and is both easy to grip and remove for consumers.

The latest version of Lift ‘n' Peel™ enhances branding and promotional opportunities through the introduction of 10-colour printing of both the seal's surface and the pull tab, while the underside of the seal can also be printed for special offers, competitions or prize draws. Added advantages include an assurance of freshness for the consumer, while both the product producer and retailer benefit through the elimination of failures. These features also won Selig an Alufoil Trophy 2011 in the Product Preservation category.

Amcor Flexibles Zupthen's Diamond faceted foil container for the premium wet pet food market has 96 shiny facets, which are formed by using a deep draw cold-forming process. The 130 micron thick aluminium base foil provides high rigidity and has an outside protective lacquer. Designed for Arovit, an innovative private label pet food producer, the pet food tray also features an Alufoil easy-peel lid. The high barrier aluminium tray enables long shelf-life and can be sterilized at high temperatures.

Technical expertise from Rotomac has created a micro-embossed aluminium foil for household use at a reduced cost, which should allow placement on the mass market. Micro-embossed alufoil has been considered a niche product due to its expense but thanks to Rotomac's ability to combine the rewinding and micro-embossing process both simple and complex embossed foils can be produced at a reduced cost. Its newly developed Model 145s G system comprises a mother reel unwinding unit, a rewinding unit and an embossing unit that allows integration and synchronisation with the main machine.

Diavy has developed a directly embossed holographic aluminium foil for anti-counterfeiting security. Now in production ‘Holo' Aluminium is suitable for anti-counterfeiting applications including blister packs for pharmaceuticals; healthcare; cosmetics; and high value food and drink products which require security of origin. Diavy's new production process, which is covered by an international patent, generates thousands of micro-incisions directly onto the surface of the foil to create the required image/s from a matrix supplied by the customer; the image can then be reflected by illuminating with a normal light source. It is produced without colours, inks or any printing system believed to be currently available.

The SealLite® lid from Ardagh Group impressed the judges with its preservation and easy open properties. Used for dried food products the novel lid is produced by cutting out a pre-shaped membrane from a coil of laminated alufoil, while at the same time the upper edge and the pin of the shaped can is being heated. The foil lid is then sealed directly onto the necked cans and sent to the customer where they are filled and closed upside down. When filled and stacked, pressure is applied only to the outside rounded seam; no force is exerted on the SealLite® membrane. The design of the lid and can also increases the fill volume for the product.

A real understanding of ergonomics was demonstrated by Selig's winning Lift ‘n' PeelTM easy open tab. Manufactured from a twin PET/alufoil structure the induction heat seal provides tamper evidence and is both easy to grip and remove for consumers.

The latest version of Lift ‘n' Peel™ enhances branding and promotional opportunities through the introduction of 10-colour printing of both the seal's surface and the pull tab, while the underside of the seal can also be printed for special offers, competitions or prize draws. Added advantages include an assurance of freshness for the consumer, while both the product producer and retailer benefit through the elimination of failures. These features also won Selig an Alufoil Trophy 2011 in the Product Preservation category.

In a climate of increasing awareness and concern about environmental issues from consumers and the supply chain alike, fresh ideas are always in demand. Designed for baby food producer Sprout, AMPAC Flexibles' development of a retortable alufoil-based stand-up pouch with a recloseable zipper proved a winner for the judges with its successful combination of resource efficiency savings and consumer convenience.The resulting pouch provides significant savings in shipping and storage weight while also minimising product breakage when compared with a glass jar. For example, 26 truckloads of unfilled glass jars or cans correspond to one truck load of unfilled flexible pouches.

An innovative and convenient two-compartmented all metal pack for the Nestlé Easy Scoop infant formula project won an Alufoil Trophy 2011 - Technical Innovation for Amcor Flexibles and Ardagh Group. Easy Scoop features a combination of a new Deep Drawn End from Ardagh Group utilising an Alufix® Dry Pro peel-off alufoil membrane from Amcor Flexibles Singen. The pack creates a cavity for a spoon by sealing the bottom of the steel deep drawn end with the alufoil membrane to the inner part of the ring. The end is sealed to the can in the normal way, and the pack is topped by a plastic lid.

PPPeel die cut lid technology for dairy drinking products came up trumps for Constantia Teich. The die-cut lid features a proprietary co-extrusion coating for sealing on to the cups. The new coating provides significant improvements in the technical performance for liquid drinking yoghurts and other dairy drinks. Designed and converted by Constantia Teich and J Bauer, PPPeel offers excellent seal, soft and easy peelability to protect the consumer from spillages, a wide sealing temperature range from a low of 200oC to 280oC, and high corrosion resistance. It is printed with roto-gravure in up to 8-colours and is available in embossed and unembossed versions.

Illustrating the many different markets in which alufoil plays a major role, Novelis Packaging & Converting Products won with its OHLER® Heat Protection Mat designed to protect temperature sensitive components in the automotive industry. The high reflective properties of the aluminium and its flexible structure make it particularly suitable for difficult installations.The shaped Mat protects components against radiant heat in car and truck engines. The flexibility of the Mat, which can be formed into different shapes through the use of push buttons, seams and touch fasteners, provides ease of assembly.

An alufoil bladder from Protective Packaging used for Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems' Zero 360 range of fire suppression systems provided another interesting and unusual application for aluminium foil.

Used for applications in the Motor Sport and Defence industries, the alufoil-based bladder features a welded stem which contains fire suppressant. It is housed in an aluminium cylinder which is super pressurised with Nitrogen as the propellant and when there is a sudden rise in temperature Nitrogen compresses the bladder and the fire suppressant is discharged through the valve and two discharge outlets.

Plaudits from the judges were won for the second time by Constantia Teich, this time for its alufoil container with embedded recycling logo. The process used to embed the logo or series of logos into the alufoil makes it part of the material; it is not embossed or printed.Produced at the final rolling stage a picture is created on the surface of the alufoil by creating deliberate variations in the surface roughness of the foil in defined areas. Unlike conventional embossing, in this technically adept process the material is not deformed on both sides. The graphic can be visible on one or both surfaces of the container. The process does not affect the physical properties of the alufoil, nor its machine performance or processing requirements.

SCA Cool Logistics' temperature controlled system ZeoCool predominantly for the pharmaceutical, clinical trial and Biotech industries caught the judges' eyes with its innovative use of alufoil to help create a packaging solution for sensitive drugs which are reliant on correct temperatures being maintained during transit.Unlike traditional methods which often feature a number of coolant components and are prone to temperature deviations, ZeoCool does not use cool packs to freeze or cool the contents. It is a self-contained unit which uses patented technology held within an aluminium casing to enable the six side interior payload area to produce evaporative cooling or heating. No external energy sources are needed and it is the only system to utilise a phase change of liquid to gas.