Mono-material packaging efficiently produced
The world of flexible packaging is evolving quickly. Increasing awareness at all levels of our society about the use of materials and their impact on the environment and climate change has become the driver for innovations such as mono-material packaging in combination with coatings that provide excellent barrier properties and easy de-inking. This shift towards different and new materials demands versatile production systems.
We are proud to announce that our Mono-PE Coffee Pouch was recognized as a Top 10 finalist in the prestigious NVC Gouden Noot Award 2024, one of the most renowned competitions in the packaging industry, further highlighting its innovative approach to sustainable packaging solutions.
DG press recognises and subscribes this need for change. Our hybrid printing technology allows customers to go new pathways that lead to better recyclable packaging.
The end of multi-material, single-use packaging
Concerns about the use and end-of-life scenarios of flexible packaging, especially single-use options, have led to the development of promising solutions focused on savings, reuse, and recycling of flexible packaging materials. Recyclability, up to a circular level, is the ultimate goal for almost all forms of single-use packaging. Wherever possible, multi-material barrier films will be replaced by mono-materials supplemented with barrier coatings or barrier layers.
Printing and functional barrier coatings applied in one pass
The many newly developed functional barrier coatings on the market widen the range of applications for mono-material packaging solutions. One example of a high-performance functional coating is CIRKIT OxyBar BC 1582 from Siegwerk. CIRKIT OxyBar BC 1582 has been developed to enhance the oxygen barrier performance of various flexible packaging substrates, including PE. These new flexible packaging structures require versatile multi-functional print production platforms, like the DG-AUXO, capable of dealing with all the different packaging scenarios like front and back side printing, equipped with up- and downstream units, turner-bars, etc.
Mono-material coffee bag, designed for recycling
As a leading and innovative manufacturer of hybrid web offset presses for flexible packaging, DG press offers state-of-the-art and future-proof web-offset presses with sleeve cylinder technology. These presses can be combined with various other printing technologies, such as rotogravure and flexo up- and down-stream units for functional coatings, primers, and specialty inks. To demonstrate the versatility and efficiency of our hybrid web offset presses, DG press and its partners, produced functional PE mono-material coffee packaging with CIRKIT OxyBar BC 1582 from Siegwerk. This coating enhances oxygen barrier performance, preserves the smell and taste of the packed coffee ensures a sufficiently long shelf life, and is designed for recycling.
A food packaging-grade MDO-PE//PE mono-material film was coated, printed, and varnished in one pass through the press, offering fast turnaround and the highest productivity.
After unwinding and a corona refreshment, the MDO-PE mono-material film received the CIRKIT OxyBar BC 1582 oxygen barrier coating from Siegwerk using a rotogravure unit and was dried with hot air. Hereafter the MDO-PE film passed through the offset print units where the graphics were printed, built with 4 colours, using electron beam curable inks. In the last stage, a downstream flexo unit applied a matt CIRKIT Heatguard OPV for a matt appearance and enhanced performance in the heat seal bars.
Besides the advantages in efficiency and versatility, the DG-AUXO has a lower energy consumption compared to printing technologies that require hot-air drying, and thus a lower carbon footprint.
For more information about DG press solutions for flexible packaging production, contact our team at sales@dgpress.nl
