Stand up pouch refers to a flexible packaging able to stand upright on its bottom to allow display, storage, and use.
In this guide, you’ll learn numerous aspects surrounding stand up pouch manufacturing process and other related details.
Step 1: Determine The Intention Of Stand Up Pouch
Stand up pouch
The first step in the manufacturing process of a stand up pouch is establishing its actual use.
In essence, this involves figuring out the exact purpose, whether it is designed for preserving, protecting, or storing the specific product.
Once you determine the actual intention, it becomes easy to figure out other elements surrounding the design construction of the stand up pouch.
Ideally, figuring out the actual intention of this packaging component allows you to determine the right material suitable for the content.
Moreover, you’ll also determine the right design, size, and shape of the stand up pouch you are making.
Step 2: The Designing Process
Stand up pouch design
After establishing the specific purpose of your stand up pouch, the next undertaking is creating a conceptual design.
Essentially, this involves using a compatible software program to draw and virtual representation of this bag.
This process is usually involving since it requires a better understanding of using the design software to produce the desired design.
Nevertheless, during the design process, it is imperative to understand there is a limit to the contents the bag can take.
As such, it makes it easy to determine several factors during the designing process, such as quantity, quality, and shape among others.
It is also during the designing process that you’ll determine whether to incorporate a ziplock, spout, press-to-close seals, or tear notches.
Ordinarily, the choice, in this case, is dependent on the specific nature of the content you intend to have in the stand up pouch.
This is necessary because it determines the efficiency of accessing the content from the stand up pouch.
Furthermore, this makes it easy to figure out whether you need a flexible or rigid stand up pouch.
For instance, when designing this packaging bag for liquid content, it would be suitable to consider creating a stand up pouch with a spout rather than a ziplock.
Also, consider the target market in the designing process by ensuring you customize the bag to suit your customers’ requirements and expectations.
It also allows you to determine the general capital and return on investment of your product.
Step 3: Finding The Right Material For Stand Up Pouch
Technically, the exact material you use when making a stand up pouch plays an integral role in determining its practicality and efficiency.
In essence, a typical stand up pouch features different material structures.
These material structures are designed specifically to protect the contents from effect of several elements, including odor, moisture, oxidation, light, or a combination of all.
You can find a number of material alternatives for stand up pouch.
Some commonly used options include aluminum foil structure, metalized film structure, boilable structure, kraft paper film structure, microwavable structure, etc.
Ideally, the most suitable material for a stand up pouch is based on the property, product, and customer’s preference.
For instance, aluminum foil is often used for stand up pouches designed to provide moisture and oxygen barrier.
On the other hand, a polymer is preferable when an application requires mechanical strength, heat-seal, water vapor barrier, adhesion, and stiffness.
Ordinarily, a typical stand up pouch is made of three main layers; inner, middle, and outer layer.
All these layers utilize different materials often laminated together to create a single layer.
Layers of stand up pouch
Inner Layer Material
It forms an integral basis of a stand up pouch since it is the part, which comes in direct contact with the content.
Therefore, it is seen as a vital layer, especially if the pouch is used for packaging food and beverage products.
Often, the ideal material for an inner layer is linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).
Other than being FDA-approved material, it facilitates easy heat-sealing of the pouch and making the product hard to tamper with.
Ideally, this is fundamental since it enhances product’s shelf-life and customers’ confidence when buying the commodity.
Middle Layer Material
The type of material for middle layer of a stand up pouch often varies based on the specific content of the bag.
Essentially, you can use several materials to make this layer.
However, the commonly preferred options in most applications include the following; metalized film, aluminum foil, and polyethylene terephthalate (PTE/PETE).
These materials offer different structural capabilities as far as durability is concerned.
For instance, metalized film is quite ideal for relatively fast-moving products since it has a somewhat lower lifespan.
Aluminum foil, on the other hand, is pretty durable than metalized film since it can keep products for at least 20 months.
PTE/PETE is also a suitable middle layer material mostly ideal for stand up pouches designed for packaging personal care products.
Outer Layer Material
It is the layer consisting of the actual finish material and, in many instances, designed to attract the customer’s attention.
Moreover, this material also contains details regarding the product and other elements of brand messaging.
Often, kraft paper is commonly used as the most suitable outer layer material for a stand up pouch.
It is natural and environmentally friendly hence an ideal preference.
Moreover, it enhances the cosmetic of this packaging bag in addition to the durability, strength, and quality features it offers.
All these material structures are integrated and laminated using dedicated technology.
You can hardly notice whether the material is made from three different layers since the result is seamless.
Step 4: Selecting The Suitable Design Of Stand Up Pouch
Ordinarily, selection of the suitable stand up pouch design is mainly dependent on the particular content you intend to pack in it.
Additionally, determining the target market is also a vital element in choosing the actual design of this component.
For instance, whether you choose spouts, caps, zip locks, press-to-open seals, or tear notches is dependent on the product and, in some cases, customer preference.
A liquid and semi-liquid content would be ideal if packaged in a stand up pouch with either cap or spout.
Technically, this kind of pouch design makes it easy for the consumer to fully empty the contents from the bag.
An imperative aspect when designing a typical stand up pouch is ensuring you customize it to fit the specific requirements of the target customers.
Customization is also vital in ensuring your products stand out in the competitive market since customers will easily identify them on a crowded shelf.
Another significant aspect when designing a stand up pouch is determining the right shape and size.
Most customers will only notice a product quite easily if the packaging is unique.
You may also consider incorporating a euro slot at the top of the stand up pouch for easy hanging in a peg display.
Essentially, the built-in holes make it easy to please customers; thus, most retailers desire to have as many options as possible for merchandizing.
The bottom line is to make it easy for the customers to open the package and empty the contents easily.
Moreover, depending on the product, you need to design the stand up pouch in a manner, which allows the customer to retain the content for later use.
As such, the pouch should have a ziplock or press-to-close seals to enable safe closure of the content for later use.
Step 5: Making Stand Up Pouch
Stand up pouch manufacturing process
In essence, the manufacturing process of stand up pouch entails different aspects, and you can print any logo, color, and design on the material.
Nevertheless, life of a stand up pouch starts when sets of plows pass through raw material, where they are converted into W-shape gusset bottoms.
Ideally, a stand up pouch can hardly stand by itself without these gussets.
If the pouch is to have a zipper, it is sealed on the inner faces of the web closer to the top edge.
Other than zippers, you may also use perforations, spouts, press-to-release seals, or tear notches as access methods and reclosable openings.
After the gusset is formed, vertical seals are created along pouch’s sides, and ziplock pressed in the same area.
The essence is to seal its ends and reduce the material thickness.
Afterward, the bottom folds of the pouch are cut vertically through the side seals’ center to form container part of the bag.
As the bottom folds of the pouch seal, the seals holding the gusset together at the end are also sealed.
The stand up pouch is then cut apart vertically through the center of side seals to form the container part of the bag.
It is then conveyed to the station that will fill the pouch with the specific content.
Once the content is dispensed in the stand up pouch, it is conveyed to another processing station where the ziplock is closed and pouch resealed above the zipper.
Often, a notch is usually cut into the sides of the stand up pouch, particularly at the ziplock and top seal.
This enables the customers to easily open the pouch and empty the content.
Step 6: Quality Tests For Stand Up Pouch
Stand up pouch
The manufacturing process of stand up pouches is entirely industrialized and utilizes advanced equipment.
Since these pouches play a vital role in packaging different products, they are usually taken through several tests to determine suitability and quality.
Moreover, these tests also intend to examine the reliability of stand up pouch when subjected to various environmental and mechanical conditions.
Some of these quality tests include the following;
- Tensile test – This examination on stand up pouch is conducted to determine the level, which the material can stretch and amount of pressure needed to break the material.
- Drop test – The essence of this quality test is to determine the ideal height from which the stand up pouch can be dropped without failing.
- Burst test – It is designed to examine the maximum pressure at which the stand up pouch can burst.
- Co-efficient and friction test – It examines and authenticates the seamlessness of packaging of the film.
- Compression test – The aim of this test is to establish the amount of air pressure a stand up pouch can endure.
- Puncture resistance test – It intends to determine the amount of pressure needed to puncture the flexible packaging material use for manufacturing stand up pouch.
- Seal strength test – This test analyzes how properly the seal of stand up pouch performs and how efficiently it keeps this bag enclosed within a specified period.
- Vacuum test – The design of this quality test is to establish any leakage possibility of the stand up pouch under external vacuum pressure.
In essence, there are specific levels of these tests the stand up pouch needs to meet to be declared suitable, safe, and of required quality.
Reputable stand up pouch manufacturers have well-equipped laboratories and qualified personnel to handle all the relevant quality tests.
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