Merit is also looking at packaging materials in its quest for continuous improvement. Novak says the Tyvek™ lidding material, a spun-bonded polyolefin from DuPont (Wilmington, DE), performs just fine. But the forming web is about to be replaced by an 11-layer structure from Winpak (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) that, says packaging engineering manager Jeff Novak, is clearer and stronger than the multilayer structure it replaces. At 9 mils instead of 10, it’s also a little less expensive, he adds.
Winpak is guarded in describing its multilayer material, saying only that it’s a cast film while most such thermoformable structures are blown. It also incorporates three discrete layers of nylon rather than the single layer typically found in most blown-film structures used in similar thermoforming applications. Separating the nylon into multiple layers, says the converter, produces greater strength from less material.
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