Bobst’s Centre of Excellence for High Barrier in Manchester, UK, which enables research to be carried out on new barrier solutions for the packaging industry, has added an AlOx-optimized CO 750 coating line to its Competence Center. This enables Bobst to leverage its knowledge of vacuum and wet coatings to continue to develop solutions that respond to the industry’s requirements for sustainable packaging by incorporating a combination of coatings. Having the CO 750, the most compact AlOx coater in the market and K5 EXPERT, a high productivity metallizer under one roof speeds this process by offering a rapid prototyping capability.

A major development which utilizes the Bobst ability to offer end-to-end process solutions is the AlOx Integrated Conversion Solution which allows production of high-barrier clear recyclable films that are protected during conversion to preserve the film barrier properties. First, the AlOx coated film is produced on the vacuum metallizer and then top coat is applied on the coating line. The film can then be converted as normal without any damage to the AlOx layer.

The process of both dry and wet coatings and top-coat formulation from a single supplier results in a faster rate of production. The two-step process is cost-effective and provides a wider window of operation with the vacuum metallization process followed by a topcoat applied in atmosphere. Unlike other in-vacuum topcoat solutions, the Bobst solution works at maximum operating speeds and results in maximum productivity without compromising performance. The C0 750 installation enables customers who visit Bobst Manchester for a metallizing trial to also conduct coating trials on the metallized material. FP

Bobst

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