Laminated Pouches: The Ultimate Guide

Laminated pouches are flexible packaging solutions made by the bonding of different material films using an adhesive.

They have excellent barrier property and are a versatile packaging solution.

This guide explores their different shapes, design, color, size, materials, and closure options.

Types of Laminated Pouches in the Market

Laminated pouch

· Flat Laminated Pouches

These laminated pouches are leveled on both sides and do not have a gusset or a fold on any part.

They are mostly available is in economical sizes and are either bottom or side sealed.

Besides, they commonly used in the food and non-food industries to package sweets, beauty products, medical products, etc.

· Gusset Laminated Pouches

A gusset is an extended material that is added to add reinforcement or volume capacity of pouches when filled.

When placed at the bottom, it provides extra strength to the pouches hence they are capable of standing on their own.

Side gussets give more room to the laminated pouches and increase their holding capacity compared to normally laminated pouches.

They are mostly used to package beverages such as tea and coffee.

· Stand up Laminated Pouches

These are laminated pouches that are capable of standing upright on their own on any flat surface.

This is because they have flat or gusseted bottoms that open to flatten mostly in the shape of “W”.

They are the most common type of laminated pouches in the market due to their versatility.

Stand up laminated pouches can be used with both food and non-food products such as snacks, pet foods, toys, medicine, etc.

· Spouted Laminated Pouches

These types of laminated pouches have a tube fixed at the top with a cap for closing and reclosing the pouches.

The spouts make it easy to dispense and refill the laminated pouches and also control spillage.

They are an alternative to plastic and glass bottles because of their flexible design and the presence of a spout.

As a result, they are commonly used to package liquid products such as sauces, edible oils, liquid soaps, juices, etc.

· Shaped Laminated Pouches

Shaped laminated pouches are a flexible design of pouches that are available in various sizes and shapes.

You can have your laminated pouches to be customized in shape and designs such as a doll, bottle, rectangular, round, etc.

This creative form of laminated pouches is popular in the food and beverage industries.

· Laminated Pouches with Zippers

Laminated pouches with zippers are incorporated with re-closable zippers as their closing options.

Zippers are a pair of plastic structures fixed on both sides of the pouches near the top and close by interlocking.

They help prevent unwanted content spillage when the pouches are closed and also promote resealing of the pouches.

Benefits of Reusable Laminated Pouches

Reusable laminated pouches can be washed, dried, and reused severally provided they remain in good condition.

Some of the benefits are:

• Reusable laminated pouches are cost-effective because they eliminate the recurring cost of buying laminated pouches every time.
• They are environment friendly since they reduce on amount of packaging materials that get disposed after single use.
• They are durable hence prolong the shelf life of your products.

Advantages of Reusable Laminated Pouches

 Reusable pouch

• Reusable laminated pouches have great tensile strength and therefore they are able to provide extra protection to your products.
• They are easy and convenient to use because they have resealable zippers or spouts as closing options.
• They are attractive to customers who value recycling and who support green packaging.

How to Close Laminated Pouches

Printed laminated pouch

· Zippers

Zippers make it possible to open, close, and reopen laminated pouches by moving the zipper from one end to the other.

They come in various designs depending on your choice and product type.

They make the laminated pouches reusable.

· Spouts

These are tubes protruding at the top of the laminated pouches and come with screw caps for opening and closing.

They make filling and dispensing of laminated pouches content easy.

· Heat Sealing

Heat sealing is common in single-use laminated pouches that are sealed using a heat-sealing machine.

They provide a tight seal to your products and are opened by pulling the seal apart.

Disadvantages of Laminated Pouches

• Laminated pouches cannot be microwaved since they can easily catch fire.
• They are mostly opaque hence making it impossible for clients to see the contents without opening.

How Laminated Pouches compare to Other Packaging Solutions

• Laminated pouches are flexible hence can fit in smaller spaces than other rigid packaging solutions such as plastics and glass.
• Laminated pouches are economical to produce compared to other packaging solutions due to less energy consumption and cheaper raw materials.
• Laminated pouches provide a better surface for printing thus making branding easier and convenient compared to other packaging solutions.
• Laminated pouches are durable thus increase the shelf life of products compared to other packaging solutions which may be fragile.
• Laminated pouches are easy to handle because they are not slippery and some have handles. Other packaging solutions may be a challenge to handle without handles due to slippery surface.
• Laminated pouches enhance product freshness due to their inner aluminum foil and valves for letting out unwanted gases. Other packaging solutions are airtight thus may lead to odor retention which affects product quality.
• Laminated pouches are light weighted hence are economical to transport compared to other packaging solutions which tend to be heavy.
• Laminated pouches can be naturally decomposed hence they do not end up pilled in landfills thus reducing environmental waste. Other packaging solutions such as glass or plastic containers cannot be broken down thus end up in landfills and water reserves.
• Laminated pouches are versatile and can be used to package solid, liquid and even frozen products. Other packaging solutions are product specific and cannot be used interchangeably.
• Both can be reused provided they are properly cleaned and dried after the initial use.
• Both have great barrier properties against oxygen, moisture, dust, bacteria, etc.

Features of Laminated Pouches

• Laminated pouches have excellent barrier properties against external factors such as oxygen, vapor, bacteria, etc.
• They are BPA free and FDA approved.
• They are light in weight thus are portable and also reduce transportation cost.
• They can be customized in different shapes, designs, colors and materials.
• They can be added extra features such as tear notches, zip lock, hang holes, handles, etc. to improve them.

How Laminated Pouches compare to Plastic Pouches

Some of the main features of laminated pouches and plastic pouches:

Plastic pouch

• Laminated pouches have excellent barrier properties due to the extra material film while plastic pouches do not have extra material layers.
• Laminated pouches can package solid, liquid, and even frozen products while plastic pouches are not ideal for liquids and frozen products.
• Laminated pouches are odor-free due to resistance towards bacterial attack while plastic pouches are prone to bacterial attack.
• Both are portable and light thus reduce on transportation costs.
• Both offer flexible packaging solutions to various products.

Best Materials for Laminated Pouches

We offer various superior materials for the manufacture of laminated pouches depending on the product you are packaging and your preferences.

Our materials are quality tested and are bisphenol A (BPA) free and United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliant.

Some of the best materials we have are:

• Cast polypropylene (CPP): this is majorly used as an alternative to the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film.

It is transparent, impact-resistant and has good temperature tolerance with a glossy finish.

It is versatile and mostly used in packaging food and non-food products.

• Aluminum foil: this material is widely used in the food industry due to its excellent barrier against oxygen, light, moisture, bacteria.

They are also inexpensive compared to other material types.

It is great at retaining food original flavors thus maintaining their freshness for a long time.

• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): is a thermoplastic polymer resin that is widely used in the manufacture of flexible pouches.

This material has excellent waterproofing barrier and is also clear in appearance.

It can be combined with biaxially oriented film to make (MPET) to make it opaque and reflective.

can be wrapped with other material films to make them less prone to puncture.

• Metallized PET: are plastic material films such as PET that have been coated with aluminum powder.

This makes the PET materials to be more resistant to tears, lighter, more flexible, prolong product freshness but not gas tight.

• Polypropylene (PP): like PET, this is also a thermoplastic polymer resin. It is superior to PET film in terms of heat resistance and mechanical strength.
• Kraft paper: are available in brown or white colors and have great tensile strength due to its wooden fibers.

They can be nicely coated with PE film material to achieve a great barrier property.

These materials possess different desirable characteristics that make them give high-quality pouches when combined together.

Available Color Options for Laminated Pouches

Laminated pouches come in single or multiple colors or even in clear form depending on your preference and product needs.

We can provide up to ten color options for your laminated pouches order provided you specify in your order form.

We use the four colors; cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) or the Pantone scheme methods to print the colors.

Common Defects During Laminated Pouches Sealing Process

Here are some of the common defects of laminated pouches:

• Compressed seal

Compressed seal occurs due to overheating in the seal areas thus crumbling the seal.

• Folded seal

Occurs when a layer of the film in the seal areas is not evenly spread out thus leading to a fold.

• Swollen seal

A swollen seal is the raised part of the seal brought about by material strings when they are cut off. This may trap gas or lead to build up of microorganisms in the seal.

• Contaminated seal

This is a seal that has unwanted materials embedded in it and may compromise the quality of the packed products.

• Cracked seal

This seal is not perfect and may have a puncture or a tear on one or different layers.

How to Test the Quality of Laminated Pouches

Laminated Pouch

· Seal Strength

We use a universal testing machine to check the integrity of the heat seals by applying a pull force on the seals.

Weak seals burst open with a gentle pull whereas strong and good quality seals withstand the pulling force for a while.

· Impact Test

We carry out drop test to check for the drop resistance of the laminated pouches when dropped after they are packaged.

· Bond Strength

This is crucial to check if the laminated layers have bonded well into a single unit.

The same seal testing machine is used to confirm this property.

· Barrier Property Test

Barrier against external factors such as oxygen and vapor transmission rates are done to ensure they remain within the allowed threshold.

This directly affects product quality and shelf life.

Available Size Options for Laminated Pouches

We offer different sizes of laminated pouches both ready-made and customized orders.

The size dimensions are in width, length, and thickness with a thickness measured in “inches”.

The thickness is determined by the type of product you intend to package and the barrier property you wish to achieve.

Our small laminated pouches measure 50 by 70 millimeters (mm) and the largest measuring 350 by 600mm.

This site is not rigid and we can customize your laminated pouches to your size specifications.

Common Applications of Laminated Pouches

Laminated pouches are very flexible and versatile packaging solutions that can be used in various areas such as:

1. Food products packaging such as snacks, candies, pet foods, cereals, frozen fish and meat, beverages, juices, baby foods, etc.
2. Fresh farm produce such as green peas, bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach and many others.
3. Farm product which include; seeds, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.
4. Medical products for instance; bandages, medicine, syringes, among others.
5. Pharmaceutical drugs such as antibiotics, analgesics, nutritional supplements, etc.
6. Beauty products like body lotion, hand cream, hair shampoo, hair treatment, etc.
7. Other industrial packaging includes; toys, electronics, chemicals, coal, etc.

Reasons why Laminated Pouches odor free

The inner lining of the laminated pouches is aluminum foil which has excellent barrier properties against bacteria, oxygen and moisture.

This makes it possible for the pouches to resist external factors attack that leads to product degradation leading to odor.

Security Features of Laminated Pouches

Security features are put in place to protect your products from unintended tampering when in transit or on the shelves.

Some of the security features include:

· Tear Notches

These act as a security feature in that you are able to tell when your packaged laminated pouches are tampered with.

It is impossible to reclose the pouches once you tear the notches open.

· Clear Windows

You can have your laminated pouches fixed with clear windows on one or both of its sides.

Besides, enhancing content visibility, they also enable you to notice if the content of the pouches has been scooped.

· Rounded Corners

Some laminated pouches have sharp corners when they are cut during the manufacturing process.

The sharp corners can easily inflict injury to anyone who handles the laminated pouches especially young consumers.

To prevent such injuries, we do recommend having rounded blunt corners that are harmless to the end-user of the pouches.

· Handles

Handles can be added to the laminated pouches to make it easy to manage the pouches.

They make carrying the pouches easy thus preventing accidental drops that may lead to product spillage.

· Valves

Also known as vents, are common in beverage packaging especially for roasted coffee beans.

They facilitate the release of the excess carbon dioxide gas (CO2) emitted by the roasted coffee beans.

Valves prevent pressure build-up that may lead to bursting of the laminated pouches.

Laminated Pouches Printing Process

You can have your laminated pouches printed to add the company logo, brand your products, pass product information and instructions.

Some of the printing techniques we use are:

Printed laminated pouch

· Rotogravure

This technique uses rotating metal cylinders that are engraved with graphics on their surfaces.

The patterns have varying depths depending on the intensity of the color you need on your prints.

These patterns are produced on the metallic cylinder surfaces using acid corrosion.

The patterns collect the ink from the ink tray as the cylinders rotate and then drain excess ink before transferring the prints.

As the patterned cylinder rotates, a second cylinder” impression cylinder” moves the pouches to the patterned cylinder for direct printing.

It thereafter moves it forward to the next cylinder for a different color or out of the process.

Rotogravure is a high-quality professional printing process that is ideal for high volume printing and is costly.

It uses the CMYK colors or Pantone colors to print.

· Flexography

Flexography also referred as ‘flexo’ is a printing method that uses plates on a roller to transfer the prints on pouches.

The plates have raised areas on the surface that fill with ink as the roller rotates.

A rotating doctor blade drains the excess ink from the plates before they can be transferred to the pouches.

This is a high-speed technique and thus a great solution for large volume pouches printing.

It uses the CMYK or standard Pantone color scheme in its printing.

· Digital Printing

This method uses a digital printing machine and a computer to print the images, logo, or text on laminated pouches.

The four-color prints; CMYK is applied in this process to achieve the print you need.

The advantage of digital printing is that it is fast with a short turnaround time hence is ideal for small orders.

Besides, the prints dry instantly and also do not need the printers changed or adjusted for the next printing job.

· Hot /Cold Stamping

This printing solution uses hot or cold foil to stamp a metallic color of your choice mostly silver or gold.

Hot stamp uses heated foil to press the image to be printed while in cold stamping an adhesive foil is pressed.

The printed image left is clean without any traces thus giving your pouches a luxurious look.

Common Surface Treatment Options available for Laminated Pouches

We apply surface treatment to alter the surface of laminated pouches to achieve a certain property.

· Matte Finishing

This type of surface treatment is dull, rough, non-reflective and retains the laminated pouches original color.

It gives your laminated pouches a professional impression without being flashy.

One of the advantages of applying matte surface finish is that it will not blind you or your clients in sunlight.

It is also easy to read fonts on matte surface than glossy one and is also a cheaper treatment option.

The downside of matte surface finishing is that it makes the printed graphics a dull outlook.

It is also prone to damage by erosion without a protective cover and it is hard to read small fonts.

· Glossy Finishing

Unlike matte, this is surface treatment will give your laminated pouches a flashy, smooth, and eye-catching finishing.

It is ideal for high quality and colorfully printed laminated pouches as it makes the graphics to stand out.

The benefits of using glossy finishing is that it helps promote a new product in the market by its conspicuousness.

It also makes the laminated pouches waterproof thus enhancing their moisture barrier properties.

Additionally, glossy surface treatment is shiny, clean and uses high-quality materials that make colorful artwork pop nicely.

This naturally attracts consumers to your products thus pushing your sales up.

The disadvantage of using glossy finishing is that it is very reflective in sunlight thus have a blinding effect.

It is also prone to dirt because it leaves marks and fingerprints on the laminated pouches.

Factors to Consider when Importing Laminated Pouches

 Kraft laminated pouch

· Cost of Importation

The overall cost of buying and importing the laminated pouches should not be very high to paralyze your operations.

This includes tax, import duty and shipping charges.

· Product Reviews

It is important to check product feedback from previous clients to help you make informed decisions.

· Lead Time

This is important especially when importing a fast-moving product, you should place your pouches order on time.

Quality certificates Laminated Pouches come with

We comply to standard procedures of food and health safety, environmental safety, good manufacturing practices, labor laws, etc.

We are therefore issued with certificates such as FDA, ISO, SGS, CE/EC, ROHS, TUV QS, and many others.

For all your laminated pouches needs, you can contact TedPack now.