Containers and Packaging

Aluminum foil is used in all forms of flexible packaging which may be classified under:

•   Bags, pouches, and envelopes

•   Wraps and Labels

•   Liners

Bags, Pouches, and Envelopes

The aluminum foil pouch, sized for a single-serving unit, is one of the best-known applications in this category. By way of definition, a pouch has at least two sides sealed usually three and frequently four sides are sealed, however. The main distinction between pouch and an envelope is that an enevelope always has a tab which is meant to be folded over. Usually this tab often is actually folded on the scored fold line.

The following applications in this category are a few of the many in which aluminum foil offers unique advantages:

 

Foil Bags

•   Foods:

Cookies, crackers, nuts potato chips, other snacks, dried fruits, coffee, tea, candy, liquid pancake mix, popcorn, flour, cocoa, ice cream carry-home bag, cereal, pretzels, others.

•   Non Foods:

Bath Salts, soap, grass seed, chemicals, adhesive compounds, nursery plants, bulbs, others

Foil Pouches

•   Foods:

Powdered coffee, tea, fruit, beverage, powders, soups, dried yeasts, frosting, sugar, cheese, ketchup, mustard, cold meats, popcorn, candy, herbs, dried milk, dried prepared food, nuts, frozen foods, salad greens, salad dressings, and prepared foods of many types (retort able pouches).

•   Non Foods:

Film developer, adhesive, other chemicals, drugs, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, and cosmetic samples, cleaning compounds, detergents, gloves, moist cleaning pads, and others.

Foil Envelopes

•   Foods:

Food coloring tablets and powders, saffron and other exotic herbs

•   Non Foods:

Hosiery, re-use package for chemically treated cleaning clothes, gloves, hairnets, powder puffs, face powder samples, hairpins, gift ,envelopes and others

Wraps and Labels

Foil wraps and labels, unsupported or combined with other materials, find applications as such and also as integral components of semi rigid and rigid packaging. Aluminum's non-absorptive is widely used to obviate loosening or decomposition of bottle labels that must be immersed in water or exposed to high humidity. Foil labels, sometimes in the form of wraps or bands, are frequently affixed to flexible packages of various types, including foil packages. For example, a foil price or brand label may be used on a transparent plastic or a paper wrap; similarly, a foil ingredient label may be used on a foil envelope or setup box wrap, matching or contrasting. Apparently, there are no limits to the kinds of packages or products which use aluminum foil wraps and labels to advantage. However, the following, with typical end uses, are representatives:

INTIMATE WRAPS

•   Foods:

Candy bars and pierces, Butter, cheese, frozen meats, and sea foods, ice cream bars, fresh fruits and vegetables, crackers and cookies, tea, spaghetti, chewing gum and others

•   Non Foods:

Typewriter ribbons, erasers, bar soap, lozenges, suppositories and other drugs and pharmaceuticals, electrician¡¯s tape, camera film, hardware and spare parts, tobacco products, gift wrap, florist¡¯s foil, general purpose wrapping foil, and others

BOTTLE WRAPS AND LABELS

•   Foods:

Beer, soft drinks, syrup, liquor, sauces, and others.

•   Non Foods:

Cosmetics, chemicals, and others

JAR, CAN, AND DRUM LABELS

•   Foods:

Fruits, vegetables, nuts, pickles, olives, sauces, soups, desserts and other prepared foods, spices, tidbits, flour, cookie and raw bisquit dough, and others

•   Non Foods:

Cosmetics, drugs, and pharmaceuticals, tobacco products, caulking compound and others

PRODUCT LABELS

•   Foods:

Fruit, ham, fowl, and others

•   Non Foods:

Hosiery, shirts, jackets, sweaters, underwear, scarves, handkerchiefs, neckties, bed linen, towels and wash cloths, mirrors, pans, pottery, hardware, lamps, furniture, picture frames, window glass, and others

CARTON WRAPS

•   Foods:

Frozen foods, cookies and crackers, dried fruits, cake and other mixes, ice cream, candy, margarine, macaroni products, and others

•   Non Foods:

Cosmetics, tobacco products, pharmaceuticals, spare parts, and others

SETUP BOX WRAPS

•   Foods:

Candy, nuts, spices, and others

•   Non Foods:

Cosmetics, hosiery, small appliances, jewelry, hardware, soap, gifts, and novelties, cameras, and others

Foil Liners

By definition, all liners are flexible components of other package forms. Aluminum foil liners find application in all types of packaging - flexible, semi-rigid, and rigid. Their function may be decorative, protective, or both. After the package has been filled, the liner is heat sealed or glued, or merely crimped or folded at the overlap.

A foil liner may be inserted into, but remain unattached to, the package or it may be glued, heat sealed, sewed, or stapled to the package in one or more spots or over the entire surface of package and liner. Usually, the liner covers the entire interior of the package. However, for either functional or decorative reasons, a liner may cover only a portion of the interior. For example, sectional liners may be used to compartmentalize a cookie assortment package; also, a partial foil liner may be used for a spot of color in lining envelopes for personal stationery, jewelry, or novelties. Aluminum foil liner end uses include the following:

ENVELOPE AND BAG LINERS

•   Foods:

Prepared foods, coffee, tea, fruits, vegetables, and others

•   Non Foods:

Correspondence or other product envelopes, multi-wall bag liners for dry or wet products such as cements, and others

FOLDING AND SETUP BOX LINERS

•   Foods:

Cookies, crackers, candies, biscuits, fruits, nuts, tea, and others.

•   Non Foods:

Soap, sachet, and others

CASE LINERS

•   Foods:

Fresh vegetable or fruits, meats, and others

•   Non Foods:

Military items, hardware, printing paper, bulk dry or moist products, chemicals and fertilizers, insulation and fertilizers, insulation for shipping containers, and truck and box car interiors.

Foil liners for envelopes or bags are fabricated and inserted on standard envelope and bag machines which are adjustable or modified to perform such work.

Foil or foil-laminated liners for folding cartons are fed into carton forming machines as rectangular sheets, either from a magazine or cut from a roll. In one type of machine, the liner is spot or corner-glued to the blank before the carton is formed. Another type of carton forming and lining machine interfolds the liner into the carton blank and completes the setup of the liner carton. Still another type of carton lining machine forms and glues the carton blank around the liner while it is still on the mandrel. A similar approach may be used when separate foil liners are inserted as setup boxes are made.

Case liners often are fabricated of flexible barrier sheets, which are multiple laminations of aluminum foil and such materials as plastic films, paper, and/or cotton scrim. Barrier materials also are widely used for pouches and bags in other protective packaging applications.

Miscellaneous packaging and uses of flexible foil include bottle cap liners and bottle cap hoods. Foil/cap liners provide an effective barrier against gas or liquid transmission through cork liners. The foil may be plain or laminated and is usually also printed and/or embossed in the case of cap hoods.