The right film does a whole lot more than just protect a product. It can also help it stand out on the store shelf, enable high-quality printing and include characteristics that permit consumers to observe or experience the product prior to purchase. Films can also serve a variety of other purposes and streamline efficiency on the production side. Being that new films are frequently released, we decided to compile some of the newest and most notable specialty films to hit the market lately. Have a look:

Achieving That Soft Velvet-Like Touch

Filmquest’s Questar CP-267 film is soft to the touch, which doesn’t just help enhance the perception of quality of the product on the shelf, but it’s a trait that also allows it to run at high temperatures during processing. This translates to increased line speeds and profitability. The film also provides up to 95 percent less gloss than regular matte PET films, meaning there’s less glare from store lighting.

Innovia’s New High-Speed BOPP Film

Innovia Films’ new high-speed BOPP film, Propafilm REF, is a co-extruded material that complements the company’s current range of high-speed materials. It was designed with speed in mind. Propafilm REF presents a wide sealing range when compared to standard co-extruded films. This film also provides enhanced hot tack performance over standard films. This means that the seals – when pulled still hot – resist opening over a wider range of temperatures. Combined, these two properties enable Propafilm REF to be ideally suited to horizontal-form-fill wrapping applications. The film also provides excellent clarity for visual impact and good moisture barrier for product protection. It’s suited for a variety of applications and markets, such as biscuits and bakery, confectionery, dried foods, tea and cosmetics.

Anti-Fog Film Gets an Upgrade

Cosmo Films has improvised its anti-fog film to include excellent cold and hot anti-fog properties as well as high hot tack and low coefficient of friction, which can deliver high-speed over-wrapping performance. This means that the film is now suitable for the packaging of unpolished fruits in trays on high-speed HFFS machines. The film complies with the EC and FDA food contact regulations.

Cosmo’s anti-fog film is co-extruded, with both sides heat sealable. It works in a single layer as well as a BOPP/AF BOPP laminate structure.

High-Altitude Film

Toray Plastics (America) has released its Torayfan Over-the-Mountain portfolio of BOPP films, which are designed to prevent packages from bursting when transported in high-altitude and low atmospheric pressure conditions. Toray manufactures the new Over-the-Mountain films using its proprietary, modified polypropylene core layer and a proprietary sealant, which work synergistically to provide superior seal performance. Seal strength and hermetic seals help to maintain the integrity of the package and protect the oxygen and moisture barrier that allow food to stay fresh. Studies have shown that these OTM films can survive altitudes of about 17,000 feet before exhibiting a leak and about 38,000 feet before rupturing completely. These new films are robust enough to allow a switch from a traditional 3-ply lamination to a 2-ply structure.

An Alternative to Metallized Films

Jindal Films’ Alox-Lyte allows metal detection at the end-of-filling operations to be fully utilized to ensure that no metallic particles (e.g., from conveyor belt systems or filling systems) contaminate the finished products. This provides cost and safety advantages versus X-ray detection systems. Additionally, this line of film is microwaveable, whereas metallized and foil films are not. Alox-Lyte also offers robustness by holding up to the stresses of the converting process, packaging and distribution, simulated through elongation and Gelbo flexing. These films are OPP-based with outstanding barrier. The films can be used as the middle ply of a lamination or as a cold-seal receptive surface.

Polyester Film Revamps Blister Packaging

Uflex Limited’s Flex Films division has developed a special polyester film designed to replace the top and bottom substrates of conventional cold-formed laminates in blister packaging. The special polyester is a para-crystalline material that possesses excellent barrier, clarity, printability and hardness properties. Film forming and orientation of polyester augurs work well for the creation of thin profile webs with excellent properties for use in flexible packaging. This specialty substrate can be laminated on both sides of the aluminum foil. What’s more is that engineers at Flex Films have been successfully able to incorporate metaphase morphology, which has made it possible to form the film in the Z direction, a prerequisite for blister packaging.

Toppan Expanding Film Range

Toppan’s GL Film is among the world’s leading transparent barrier films, currently used for over 15,000 products in 45 countries and regions. It is employed for various applications for numerous customers in wide-ranging sectors, from food and beverages to medical and pharmaceutical, industrial materials, electronics and more. Now, Toppan plans to broaden the range of GL Film grades with different barrier levels. The company is also readying a SiOx barrier film that enables longer shelf life and developing an OPP-based barrier film that meets U.S. market needs.