Thin candy wraps offer tasty results for Austrian candy company

24 Jun 2011

Moneta S in Ruzomberok, Slovak Republic, focuses on producing thin, economic flexible packaging materials and various boxes for the confectionery and dairy markets, and printing those structures on gravure and flexo presses. Its work with confectionery firm Walter Heindl GmbH, Vienna, Austria, earned the company a Gold award from DuPont's Packaging & Industrial Polymers' 23rd Awards for Packaging Innovation.

Converter’s unique machine adjustments allow it to laminate materials starting from 4-micron aluminum foil and 3-micron BOPP film.

Heindl uses Moneta S's Yango high-density polypropylene twist material and Yango AL aluminum foil material for its main product lines that are wrapped in aluminum foil, according to Katarina Magyarova, Moneta S's marketing director. Heindl could not be reached for comment as this issue went to press.

Moneta S uses the term Yango to describe its packaging materials as a tribute to the late Yan Sramko, whom the company describes as "a brilliant and talented designer and painter [who] was inventive, eclectic, and passionate about creating perfect packaging designs for our clients."

In the confectionery market, Magyarova notes, aluminum foil packaging is used for chocolate figurines and other chocolate products that are sold individually wrapped, without secondary packaging.

In May 2009, Moneta S developed the technology to gravure-print on 3-micron biaxially oriented polypropylene film in eight colors. Its Yango AL is reverse-printed and laminated with 7-micron foil that allows for the printed side of the aluminum foil to be in direct contact with the food.

Magyarova explains, "The 3-micron is designed so that the foil won't loose the deadfold properties since it is the very thin material of only 2.7 grams-per-meter square, which aluminum foil takes as a lacquer. It is very important for the aluminum foil material to have strong deadfold properties. The unsupported aluminum foil has the perfect deadfold, but once it is laminated with oriented polypropylene or paper, it significantly loses those properties. In developing the material we had to find the balance to avoid the BOPP impact on the foil.

"We started with 10-micron film, which was the lowest possible thickness that was allowed in our printing line by the manufacturer, but it was not workable since the packaging did not wrap the product tightly enough due to the deadfold impact of the BOPP layer on the foil. Therefore, we decided to adjust our printing machine to be able to print the lightest possible material that is available on the market, which is the 3-micron BOPP film."

The BOPP layer also delivers strength and tearing protection, and prevents scratching of the foil. That provides waste reduction and extra protection to the product. That tearing strength also allows for higher-speed packaging machinability.

Magyarova says that laminating machinery permits the use of a minimum thickness of 10 microns for BOPP film and 7 microns for aluminum foil. "But with our unique machine adjustments, we can laminate materials starting from 4-micron aluminum foil and 3-micron BOPP film." The film is printed prior to lamination.

By going to thinner films, does that reduce costs for both Moneta S and its customers? Magyarova notes, "During price calculations for the packaging material, the unit of measurement that is usually used is per one square meter. With Yango AL, the reduction in thickness in per-meter-square cost is 40-percent cheaper than to produce the 14-micron printed aluminum foil."

Beyond economic savings, the thinner films also produce environmental benefits. "The reduction in weight of the packaging brings significant and immediate reduction in waste to the environment," says Magyarova. "It is very important to all of our customers to protect the environment."

Source: Moneta S