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Material guide

Material selection for packaging

October 3, 2022
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A wide variety of materials are used for packaging, which have different suitabilities and strengths/weaknesses. Here is an excerpt of the advantages/disadvantages and properties of various packaging materials:

Plastics

LD-PE: Low density polyethylene

  • Very flexible for foils and bottles
  • Well formable with low hardness
  • Good chemical resistance
  • Poor resistance to organic solvents
  • Recyclable

HD-PE: Polyethylene with higher density

  • Better resistance to chemicals than LD-PE
  • Well malleable
  • Use up to approx. 100 degrees -large areas of application for food, cosmetics, chemicals and technical blow-moulded parts
  • Recyclable

PET and rPETPolyethylene terephthalate (without/with recycled content)

  • Transparent
  • Dimensionally stable, good strength
  • Used mainly for food, but also cosmetics etc.
  • Good resistance to aqueous and acidic fillers
  • At high temperatures "HOTFILL" options
  • Recyclable

PP: Polypropylene

  • High chemical resistance
  • High strength and rigidity with low weight
  • Well formable, ideal for injection moulding processes
  • Heat resistant and therefore well suited for packaging to be used in microwaves
  • Resistant to UV radiation and therefore often used in outdoor applications
  • Often used for food packaging, medical devices, textile fibres and automotive components
  • Recyclable, but recycling rate often lower than other plastics due to the variety of additives used in different PP products.

Natural substance based materials

Aluminium:

  • 100% recyclable
  • Solid and unbreakable
  • Stainless
  • Diffusion-proof
  • Good conductivity for cold and heat
  • Good availability
  • 3x lighter than steel
  • 4x lighter than glass
  • Well malleable

Glass:

  • Transparency
  • Natural raw materials
  • Tasteless and gas-tight
  • Tolerates high temperatures
  • Can be combined with many other materials without interactions
  • Dimensionally stable
  • High recycling rate

Stoneware:

  • Starting material high purity alumina with high aluminium oxide content
  • Waterproof even without glaze
  • High temperature resistance
  • Resistance to acids, aqueous alkalis and salt
  • Use also as a building material


Which packaging is best suited to your product and your needs? Ask our packaging specialists.

About the author

Portrait photo of Thomas
Thomas Stutz has 20 years of experience in packaging development and sales. His qualifications include a federal certificate as a marketing specialist and federal diplomas as a sales manager and packaging manager. With in-depth expertise and a passion for innovative solutions, he is an experienced expert in the packaging industry.

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