Clondalkin Flexible Packaging, Kirchberg, a subsidiary of The Clondalkin Group and specialist producer of shrink sleeves, die cut lids and lidding foils, has launched a new, ultra-thin shrink sleeve – a breakthrough development in down-gauging when it comes to shrink sleeves.

Specifically, the company has brought down its OPS sleeves to 40 microns and PET sleeves to 30 microns, the result of two years of heavy R&D in how to make thinner sleeves.

“We are very excited that we have completed this development and that we can now offer thin gauge sleeves to the market,” says Sander Kool, sales and marketing manager at Clondalkin Kirchberg. “The new sleeve helps customers to reduce both unit costs, as well as the environmental impact of their packaging. It is not only the reduction of the material that contributes to achieving this. The application of thinner sleeves also requires less energy to make the sleeve shrink around the container or bottle. In addition, the new OPS has an improved gloss that enhances the graphics on the sleeves.”

Shrink sleeves offer the brand owners the opportunity for high-end packaging aesthetics and superior design potential to make products stand out on the shelf. In a production environment, the shrink sleeve needs to have stability and constant shrink behavior. These two elements have proven difficult to combine when the gauge of the film is being reduced.

Tobias Hirschi, technical product manager at Clondalkin Kirchberg explains: “These new generation foils provide excellent stability on the sleeve lines, especially on conical yoghurt pots and bottle applications, where the first production runs show that the run ability is second to none. The 40-micron OPS, for instance, has the same stability as 50-micron alternatives. Also, the film has no static and the performance of the sleeve machine has improved despite the thinner gauge. Hence, this development brings major improvements in the application of the sleeves.”

Clondalkin Kirchberg
www.clondalkingroup.com/locations/clondalkin-kirchberg-bern