Sun Chemical and acpo develop new products for narrow web flexible packaging converting

Sun Chemical, a manufacturer of printing inks, and acpo, a coater of flexible films, partnered in 2016 to meet the growing demand from brand owners and flexible packaging converters for high barrier transparent packaging and ultra-high barrier metalized (foil replacement) films.

The new products combine acpo’s self-wound films and Sun Chemical’s SunBar Aerobloc oxygen barrier coatings, with Aerobloc directly coated onto acpo film. The companies said this allows any label printer with a lamination unit to print and convert these films into pouches, bags or roll stock, for packaging oxygen-sensitive products, such as nuts, snacks, nutrition bars, meat, cheese, spices and pet food.

Currently, one acpo coated film for narrow web flexible packaging converting is available with SunBar Aerobloc, with plans to expand the coated barrier films product line in the near future.

SunBar Aerobloc oxygen barrier coatings are chlorine-free, can be recycled and are said to be resistant to flex cracking. Michel Vanhems, functional coatings product manager at Sun Chemical, explained: ‘We’ve been working with acpo for almost a year now supplying them with our SunBar Aerobloc oxygen barrier coatings. Following the success we’ve had coating and supplying various films for flexible packaging converters during this time, we are now delighted to offer coated films for the narrow web market.

‘Flexible packaging in narrow web is an important and growing trend. However, for traditional label printers looking to reap the benefits of this market area, as a completely different field of application, it can bring with it its own set of complexities in managing laminate structures. Through our collaboration with acpo, we can simplify this by introducing a turnkey solution for a number of narrow web packaging applications.’

This range is shown at Labelexpo Europe 2017, as will new UV flexo and UV LED technology, a smartphone authentication system developed in partnership with Document Security Systems, SunColorBox color management toolkit and SunInspire special effect inks

Read L&L’s Labelexpo Europe 2017 new product showcase in issue 4, 2017