Injection Moulding Asia Packaging Industry
Packaging evolving with consumer demand P a ckaging influences consumers’ vary i n g p r o duct pe r ce p tion, leading to sa les. R i sing up t o t he competition, converte r s a r e t apping t e c hno lo gies to respond b ette r to cons um e r dema n ds, says An gelica B u an i n t his r e por t . Milacron’s Klear Can is a patented co-injection moulded, PP/EVOH transparent plastic can
Klear Can is a patented co-injection moulded, PP/EVOH plastic can, which the company developed as an alternative to metal cans for fruits, vegetables, soups, meats, and other products. Milacron says that Klear Can is the first truly transformational innovation in the canned food preservation industry’s nearly 200-year history, adding that its unique feature is that its transparency allows brands to demonstrate their products to consumers. Milacron’s first major commercial sale, it says, is for a large brand owner in Asia, after what it says were “extremely successful qualitative testing with consumers in Asia conducted by Nielsen Market Research.” Though Milacron would not comment on the end customer, it is reportedly thought to be tropical fruits packer Del Monte, since Milacron mentions that “the first major commercial sale is for a large brand owner focusing on tropical fruits.” Milacron did say that the customer plans for the Klear Can to be in-market, on retail shelves and available for consumer purchase no later than Q1 2017 and that the license to mould the components is included within the purchase price of the entire system. Based on barrier layer percentage, Klear Can provides more than two years shelf life, and is also cost competitive to metal cans. It uses the same filling; seaming and retorting machinery as metal cans so minimal downstream investment is required. In addition, it allows manufacturers the flexibility to mould cans at the filling site, ie. via “through-the-wall” supply operations, which offers operational efficiencies. Other benefits are: its BPA-free for safe food contact; lightweight, stackable and dent-resistant, designed to withstand standard retort pressures and temperatures of up to 130°C; plus it use a single standard metal can end, and uses the industry standard can end double-seam process.
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ave you ever bought a product because of its packaging? Purchasing decisions based on packaging aesthetics and features are common among consumers. A consumer research by UK-headquartered Pelican Communications finds that four out of 10, or 38.5% of consumers, are persuaded by innovations in packaging, such as longer shelf-life, ease of opening, resealability, and interactive features. The role of packaging has branched out multidimensionally, and has now become a gateway to product perceptions. In fact, packaging now has become a tool for marketing a product, enabling sales and market shares to increase, according to a paper on the effect of packaging on consumer behaviour published by the European Journal of Scientific Research. Processors are following these trails to increase sales and product positioning. Advancements in technologies, including injection moulding, are enabling these soughtafter features in a wider range of plastics packaging. Allied Market Research in its recent injection moulded plastic market report, projects a global growth value of US$162 billion by 2020, posting a CAGR of 4.9% from 2015 to 2020. Packaging will continue to dominate the market, owing to the increasing adoption in consumer goods, healthcare and cosmetics products. Other enduser segments such as automotive, medical and electronics are levelling up the market.
See-through food packs ecause today’s consumers want to see products inside the packaging, a timely innovation is Klear Can by US machinery maker Milacron Holdings Corp.
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Injection Moulding Asia Packaging Industry Sustainability a big factor in today’s packaging t is important to note that current trends in packaging include sustainability, which is also becoming a significant factor in consumer purchase decisions. US/Netherlandsheadquartered Nielsen cites that 55% of its surveyed global online consumers across 60 countries are amenable to paying more for products and services from firms that commit to positive social and environmental impact. Thus, new packaging has to take this into account. According to Milacron, Klear Can is fully recyclable. “After consumer use, only a small amount of metal remains on the can’s upper rim, the residual ring on the flange will separate during the grinding phase.” It is similar to many PP plastic containers with double seam EZO can ends. The base is plastic and the rim is a very low percentage of the package, making it microwavable. The product is over 98% plastic after the can is opened, thus, it qualifies as a 5 for recyclability. Meanwhile, another Milacron co-injection technology seeing traction is Kortec embedded technology, now being used in the production of 100% recyclable single-use coffee pods. The single-use coffee pod market has grown rapidly over the past decade and Milacron says its technology ensures that the newly designed pods are able to enter the recycling stream rather than the landfill. Steve Morris, Milacron Vice-President/General Manager, explained, “Recyclability is driving major design changes within the coffee pod market, and will continue to create new capital equipment demand to support this growing
consumer product. A key benefit of an injectionmoulded cup is the ability to mould features into the cup that replace the addition of costly components such as filters. This benefit also eliminates a second moulding process, scrap, assembly costs and part weight.” Currently, most single-use pods are thermoformed polystyrene and not recyclable. Manufacturers are eager to move to recyclable injection moulded PP cups over the next three years. Globally, there are billions of single serve cups on the market. Injection moulded cups also have better mechanics allowing them to use more shapes, provide wall and barrier consistency and produce better clarity in clear parts. These cups also have a flange seal off area and no barrier breakthrough.
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Technology spills over in bottling Cola wars” has been an effective marketing campaign by major soft drink producers, and is indicative that the soft drink market is huge. Mumbai-headquartered Mordor Intelligence forecasts the global soft drink concentrate market to reach US$ 35.1 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2014.
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Sidel says its Matrix Filler SF300 FM utilises modules that fill PET bottles at rates of up to 80,000 bottles/hour
According to UK research specialist Smithers Pira, the bottled water sector is one of those markets in which materials have gotten lighter and lighter over time. However, it says that “manufacturers have now reached the stage where PET bottles cannot be made much lighter.”
Kortec embedded technology is being used in the production of 100% recyclable single-use coffee pods
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Injection Moulding Asia Packaging Industry Sidel collaborated with Algar Agro to light weight its vegetable oil bottle
These criteria support the growth of the caps and closures market, expected to reach nearly US$52 billion by 2021, according to Transparency Market Research’s global caps and closures market study. To fill up the brisk demand, Husky Injection Molding Systems, Canada-headquartered machinery maker, has recently launched its next generation system for high output beverage closure moulding. The HyCAP 4, which will be demonstrated at this year’s upcoming K2016 show in Germany from 19-26 October, features engineering advancements, including several new capabilities and features. Combined, these enhancements allow HyCAP 4 to deliver industry-leading performance and productivity, as well as significantly more energy savings of up to 40%. The energy savings translates to lower production costs, Husky says.
But more recently, French PET bottle manufacturer Sidel collaborated with Brazilian producer Algar Agro to reduce the total weight of its 900 ml PET bottle for edible oil by 22%. Working together, the companies were able to reduce the total weight of the finished bottle from 18 to 14 g, said to be world’s lightest 900 ml bottle in PET for vegetable oil. Algar Agro installed two Sidel Matrix machinery, making it as the first oil producer in Brazil with integrated injection and blowing in its PET production process. Market taps sealing convenience ood and beverage closure technology continues to advance to make opening mechanisms more effective and convenient and simpler to use. An example of a closure that responds to the demand for ease of use is the new FOG 27 closure launched by Germany-based Sanner. FOG 27, which is used for nutritional supplements packaging, aims to make opening easier, especially for elderly users. Sanner claims that their closures only require a third of the effort in opening compared to the conventional closures. Caps and closures are important product differentiators, and companies see them as vital piece to enhance consumer experience of the product; as well as assure of packaging durability.
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Husky’s HyCAP 4 designed for high output beverage closure moulding delivers more energy savings of up to 40%
The system is also equipped with intelligent features that make it easier to use, with simplified controls for faster process set-up and improved repeatability. Enhancements include a new part eject assist feature to ensure a consistent freefall of closures at the fastest cycles, and sensor-driven mould alignment to reduce mould wear. Gerardo Chiaia, Husky’s President of Global Beverage Packaging says that “more productivity, increased ease-of-use, reduced energy consumption are all achieved by specifically designing the mould, machine, hot runner, auxiliary equipment and software to work in harmony, while adding more automation to make the system fully integrated and intelligent.” Thus, product improvement is challenging the injection moulded plastics industry to remain competitive. Continuous innovations in design, specificity, and customisation have led to the frequent launch of new and advanced products, resulting in the adoption of newer applications.
Sanner’s FOG 27 is an example of a closure that responds to the demand for ease of use
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