DuPont™ Surlyn® Solves Sticky Problem for Tong Yang Frito Lay

The Tong Yang Frito Lay Co. Ltd. in Seoul, South Korea, manufactures a popular candy called "Grape Juice Gummi" packed in individual serving pouches. This sweet, gummy product contains a high level of oil - about 50 percent - which offered a challenge to the converter, Shin Nong Co. Ltd., also based in Seoul.

The Tong Yang Frito Lay Co. Ltd. in Seoul, South Korea, manufactures a popular candy called "Grape Juice Gummi" packed in individual serving pouches. This sweet, gummy product contains a high level of oil - about 50 percent - which offered a challenge to the converter, Shin Nong Co. Ltd., also based in Seoul. Tong Yang Frito Lay originally tried structures of oriented polypropylene/polyethylene or adhesive lamination/vacuum metalization (VM) cast polypropylene (CPP) film. The heat seal area of the CPP film could not achieve a hermetic seal due to contamination by the oil in the product, thus air from the atmosphere could easily penetrate the package and cause the product to lose its fruity flavor. Additionally, the manufacturer was unable to increase packaging speeds to maximum levels, which caused productivity to drop. The traditional CPP film caused other problems as well. The packaging structure was delaminating due to the penetration of the oil from the products, since CPP film is not very oil resistant. The DuPont Packaging team worked with Shin Nong Co. to develop a cost-effective coextrusion coating of low density polyethylene and DuPont™ Surlyn® resin to replace the CPP film. They selected one of several extrusion coating grades of Surlyn® , which provided the right balance of processibility and seal performance for the application. The DuPont Surlyn® resin provided dependable seal integrity through the oily residue, enabling Tong Yang Frito Lay to deliver a flavorful, fresh product to its customers - and increase line speeds to maximum capacity to meet consumer demand.