Project partners:
- SN Maschinenbau GmbH, Wipperfürth
- Institute for Polymer Materials and Plastics Engineering at the TU Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld
- Profol Kunststoffe GmbH, Halfing
Project start: 01.08.2020 - Project duration: 3 years
The trend towards a more mobile lifestyle as well as demographic changes are having a massive impact on the development of packaging of all kinds. There is an increasing demand for ergonomically designed and flexible packaging that can be easily opened and closed on the move without the need for any other aids, allowing for intuitive handling.
With double-digit growth rates, so-called stand-up pouches are making a big splash in the packaging sector today. Manufacturers as well as retailers and especially online retailers and end consumers appreciate the advantages. Thanks to their low weight, minimum packaging material, easy handling and low costs, the bags have both economic and ecological advantages, and they are widely accepted in all sectors. Compared to packaging made of glass and PET, stand-up pouches have a particularly reduced CO2 footprint, e.g. 80% less than a 0.75-litre glass bottle.
Therefore, the aim of this research project is the development of pouch packaging made of bio-based plastics, if possible of mono-materials. Taken into account are the abovementioned necessary properties, equal processability and the consideration of a suitable material recycling strategy for closed material/recyclable cycles, also with regard to the fulfilment of the EU specifications. In this project the partners Profol GmbH, SN Maschinenbau GmbH and the Institute for Polymer Materials and Plastics Technology of the TU Clausthal (PuK) are working together.
In addition to the development of pouch packaging made of bio-based plastics, the focus is on the highly integrated process sequences of plastic, film and pouch production. The aim here is to ensure the traceability of all relevant influencing and quality parameters in order to create an essential prerequisite for the technologically safe and economically successful production of modern food packaging.
On the basis of the findings on the processing of biobased plastics, the synergies and derivations for alternative packaging materials, such as mono-materials or sealable functional papers, are also evaluated, which provide a sensible alternative and supplement to biobased plastics in terms of the recyclability of the packaging material.
- Dr.-Ing. Christian Kettler (Managing Director SN Maschinenbau GmbH and speaker of the project „TechBIOPouV“)
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Ziegmann (Senior professor at Institute for polymer materials and plastics technology at the Technical University of Clausthal)
- Dipl.-Ing. Konrad Maier (Head of development at Profol GmbH)