PET Design Guidance
PET Design Guidance
Label selection should be considered carefully to find the solution most compatible with the recycling process that also provides the necessary performance characteristics. To be categorized as Preferred, a finished label must meet both of the following criteria:
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PREFERRED
Automated sorting performance criteria:
- For containers with a brimful volume of 550 ml or less, the surface area coverage of the label is no more than 55%, and no metal decoration is employed on the label.
- For containers with a brimful volume of over 550 ml, the surface area coverage is no more than 75%, and no metal decoration is employed on the label.
Surface area is defined as the area of the label divided by the area of the side wall and shoulder of the container. The area of the neck ring, threaded finish and base are not included in the area calculation. Metal decoration includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.
Containers with no more than 55% surface area coverage by a label are expected to sort accurately in both NIR and color optical sorters. Labels with metal decoration can be tested for any impact on sorting performance using APR Test Methods.
Since labels for PET packaging most often become a waste stream, APR encourages labels that are as small in surface area and weight as possible.
Surface area is defined as the area of the label divided by the area of the side wall and shoulder of the container. The area of the neck ring, threaded finish and base are not included in the area calculation. Metal decoration includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.
Containers with no more than 75% surface area coverage by a label are expected to sort accurately in both NIR and color optical sorters. Labels with metal decoration can be tested for any impact on sorting performance using APR Test Methods.
Since labels for PET packaging most often become a waste stream, APR encourages labels that are as small in surface area and weight as possible.
Labels will employ hot caustic resistant inks designed to be compatible with PET recycling, and float in water.
Labels containing metalized material that are below the preferred surface area per APR-RES-SORT-4.Metalized material includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.
Polystyrene Labels that float in water per PET-S-05.While standard polystyrene has a density of > 1.0 g/cm3 and sinks, expanded polystyrene may float and be separable from the PET.
Click below for commercially available Labels that have achieved APR Design for Recyclability Recognition
APR Design® for Recyclability Recognitions
DETRIMENTAL
Paper labels
The PET reclamation process involves a hot caustic wash that removes adhesives and other label components. This process renders paper into a pulp which is very difficult to filter from the liquid, adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment systems. Some of the small individual paper fibers will remain with the PET and carbonize when the material is extruded, causing unacceptable quality degradation. Non-pulping paper labels that resist the caustic wash process sink in the float-sink tank, thereby causing RPET contamination.
RENDERS NON-RECYCLABLE
PVC and PLA
Both materials are extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to their similarity in density to PET, which causes them to sink in the float/sink tank along with the PET. Both cause severe quality degradation in the final recycled PET stream even in very small amounts.
REQUIRES TEST RESULTS
Laminated label substrate
Labels that break into small, very thin pieces of material are more difficult to manage in the recycling process because they behave erratically in a float-sink tank. Therefore, labels that stay intact are preferred. Carry-over of delaminated labels into the RPET can result in contamination.
In order for any of these label materials to be considered Preferred Design, the specific items must have been tested and found Preferred based on the test results. If these items have not been tested, they are considered Detrimental to Recycling. Testing will determine the appropriate category.
Companies that are considering such materials and are unsure of their compatibility with recycling should ask their suppliers to provide APR test results.
DEFINITIVE TEST
Labels that exceed the surface area coverage as described in Preferred Guidance section.
Labels with high surface area coverage may interfere with detection of the PET container. The label substrate (film or paper), inks, and metal decoration can interfere with NIR detection when the label covers a high surface area of the container. Also, high label surface area coverage may cause a clear PET bottle to be sorted as a colored bottle in a color sorter.
If one&#;s design is outside of the best practice guidance above, the labeled bottle must be evaluated using the APR test methods below.
DEFINITIVE TEST - NIR
DEFINITIVE TEST - Color
Film Labels that sink in water per PET-S-05.
Crystallizing co-polyester label films should be tested to show crystallizing behavior and show they do not cause &#;clumping&#; similar to that of amorphous PETG films.
SCREENING TEST
DEFINITIVE TEST
Olefin films that sink in water due heavy inks but float after exposure to hot caustic wash solution should be tested
SCREENING TEST
DEFINITIVE TEST
Labels containing metalized materials that are above the preferred surface area per APR-RES-SORT-4.
Labels that have surface areas above the preferred surface areas specified in the Screening Test below would need to be tested using the Benchmark Test below to verify they are under the spherical equivalent thresholds.
Metalized material includes vapor deposited metal films, metal foils, or inks with metallic pigments.
Without further testing, labels with metalized material with surface areas above the starting points in the table are categorized as detrimental due to a higher probability of being removed by the metal detector during sortation.
Solid foils will continue to render the package non-recyclable per APR&#;s definition.
SCREENING TEST
BENCHMARK TEST
Polystyrene labels that sink
The density of PET is 1.38 g/cm3 and so it sinks in water. Polystyrene has a density of > 1.0 g/cm3, so it sinks and remains with the PET in float/sink separation systems. It is not compatible with PET and may cause serious processing and end-use problems.
SCREENING TEST
DEFINITIVE TEST
PET Protective Film
PET Protective Film
PET Protective Film
PET protective film is also known as biaxially oriented polyester film (polyethylene terephthalate), density 1.4g/cm³. PET protective film is a plastic film made of PET as the base material, coated with acrylic (or silicone, etc.) adhesive on one side and laminated with release film.
The glue system of PET protective film production line from NB is acrylic glue and silicone, acrylic glue is the main, the glue performance is stable, good temperature and weather resistance. The viscosity of our regular products is usually below 60g, but we can also customize according to the viscosity of customers.We can also produce PET grid and plain PET protective film upon request.
The PET protective film is ideal for protection of target product in the middle of process, transportation, and it's also one of the main material of packing for finished product.
Features of PET Protective Film
PET has good abrasion resistance, tensile strength, solvent resistance and light transmittance. Good adhesion, easy to paste, peel off, and peeling off without residual glue.
Various adhesion are available. Widespread application, and able to apply on various materials. Variously applying to the component, the intermediary goods and the finished products.
Wikipedia
Polyester film
Metallized boPET film, 32 layers of ~14 µm thickness each
BoPET (biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties, and electrical insulation. A variety of companies manufacture boPET and other polyester films under different brand names. In the UK and US, the best-known trade names are Mylar, Melinex, Lumirror and Hostaphan.[1]
History
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BoPET film was developed in the mid-s,[2][3] originally by DuPont,[2] Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), and Hoechst.
In Buckminster Fuller used Mylar as a skin for a geodesic dome, which he built with students at the University of Oregon.[4]
In Eastman Kodak used Mylar as a support for photographic film and called it "ESTAR Base".[5] The very thin and tough film allowed 6,000-foot (1,800 m) reels to be exposed on long-range U-2 reconnaissance flights.[6]
In , NASA launched Echo II, a 40-metre (131 ft) diameter balloon constructed from a 9-micrometre (0. in) thick mylar film sandwiched between two layers of 4.5-micrometre (0. in) thick aluminium foil bonded together.[7]
Manufacture and properties
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Chemical structure of polyethylene terephthalate
The manufacturing process begins with a film of molten polyethylene terephthalate (PET) being extruded onto a chill roll, which quenches it into the amorphous state.[8] It is then biaxially oriented by drawing. The most common way of doing this is the sequential process, in which the film is first drawn in the machine direction using heated rollers and subsequently drawn in the transverse direction, i.e., orthogonally to the direction of travel, in a heated oven. It is also possible to draw the film in both directions simultaneously, although the equipment required for this is somewhat more elaborate. Draw ratios are typically around 3 to 4 in each direction.
Once the drawing is completed, the film is "heat set" or crystallized under tension in the oven at temperatures typically above 200 °C (392 °F). The heat setting step prevents the film from shrinking back to its original unstretched shape and locks in the molecular orientation in the film plane. The orientation of the polymer chains is responsible for the high strength and stiffness of biaxially oriented PET film, which has a typical Young's modulus of about 4 GPa (0.58×10^6 psi). Another important consequence of the molecular orientation is that it induces the formation of many crystal nuclei. The crystallites that grow rapidly reach the boundary of the neighboring crystallite and remain smaller than the wavelength of visible light. As a result, biaxially oriented PET film has excellent clarity, despite its semicrystalline structure.
If it were produced without any additives, the surface of the film would be so smooth that layers would adhere strongly to one another when the film is wound up, similar to the sticking of clean glass plates when stacked. To make handling possible, microscopic inert inorganic particles, such as silicon dioxide, are usually embedded in the PET to roughen the surface of the film.[9]
Biaxially oriented PET film can be metallized by vapor deposition of a thin film of evaporated aluminium, gold, or other metal onto it. The result is much less permeable to gases (important in food packaging) and reflects up to 99% of light[citation needed], including much of the infrared spectrum. For some applications like food packaging, the aluminized boPET film can be laminated with a layer of polyethylene, which provides sealability and improves puncture resistance. The polyethylene side of such a laminate appears dull and the boPET side shiny.
Other coatings, such as conductive indium tin oxide (ITO), can be applied to boPET film by sputter deposition.
Applications
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Uses for boPET polyester films include, but are not limited to:
Laminates containing metallized boPET foil (in technical language called printin[
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Pop-Tarts are sold in pairs wrapped in silver boPET. They were previously wrapped in foil.
White boPET web substrate is used as lidding for dairy goods such as yogurt.
Want more information on Metallized PET Sheet Manufacturer? Feel free to contact us.
Suggested reading:Universal laser protection
Clear boPET web substrate is used as lidding for fresh or frozen ready meals. Due to its excellent heat resistance, it can remain on the package during microwave or oven heating.
Roasting bags
Metallised films
Laminated sheet metal (aluminium or steel) used in the manufacture of cans (bisphenol A-free alternative to lacquers)
Covering over paper
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Insulating material
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An electrical insulating material
Insulation for houses and tents, reflecting thermal radiation
Five layers of metallized boPET film in NASA's spacesuits make them radiation resistant and help regulate temperature.
Metallized boPET film emergency blankets conserve a shock victim's body heat.
As a thin strip to form an airtight seal between the control surfaces and adjacent structure of aircraft, especially gliders.
Light insulation for indoor gardening.
Aluminized proximity suits used by fire fighters for protection from the high amount of heat release from fuel fires.
Used in sock and glove liners to lock in warmth
Solar, marine and aviation
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Metallized boPET is intended to be used for solar sails as an alternative means of propulsion for spacecraft such as Cosmos 1
Translucent Mylar film, as wide as 48" and in up to 12' in length, found widespread use as a non-dimensional engineering drawing media in the aerospace industry due to its dimensional stability (also see Printing Media section below). This allows production and engineering staff to lay manufactured parts directly over or under the drawing film in order to verify the fidelity of part profiles, hole locations and other part features.[14]
Metallized boPET solar curtains reflect sunlight and heat away from windows.
Aluminized, as an inexpensive solar eclipse viewer, although care must be taken, because invisible fissures can form in the metal film, reducing its effectiveness.
High performance sails for sailboats, hang gliders, paragliders and kites
Use boPET films as the back face of the PV modules in solar panels
Metallized boPET as a reflector material for solar cooking stoves
To bridge control surface gaps on sailplanes (gliders), reducing profile drag
Science
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Amateur and professional visual and telescopic solar filters. BoPET films are often annealed to a glass element to improve thermal conductivity, and guarantee the necessary flat surface needed for even telescopic solar observation. Manufacturers will typically use films with thicknesses of 280&#;500 micrometres (0.011&#;0.020 in), in order to give the films better resilience. 250-micrometre (0. in) thickness films with a heavy aluminium coating are generally preferred for naked-eye Solar observation during eclipses.
Films in annular ring mounts on gas-tight cells, will readily deform into spherical mirrors. Photomultiplier cosmic-ray observatories often make use of these mirrors for inexpensive large (1.0 m and above), lightweight mirror surfaces for sky-sector low and medium energy cosmic ray research.
As a light diaphragm material separating gases in hypersonic shock and expansion tube facilities.
As a beamsplitter in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, typically with laser applications. Film thicknesses are often in the 500 micrometre range.
Coating around hematocrit tubes.
Insulating material for a cryocooler radiation shield.
As a window material to confine gas in detectors and targets in nuclear physics.
In CT scanners it acts as a physical barrier between the X-ray tube, detector ring and the patient allowing negligible attenuation of the X-ray beam when active.
Spacecraft are insulated with a metallized BoPET film.
The descent stage of the Apollo Lunar Module was covered with BoPET to control the temperature of equipment for lunar exploration carried in the Modular Equipment Stowage Assembly.
Electronic and acoustic
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Printing media
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Other
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Balloons, metallic balloons
Route information signs, called rollsigns or destination blinds, displayed by public transport vehicles
For materials in kites
Covering glass to decrease probability of shattering
In theatre effects such as confetti
As the adhesive strip to attach the string to a teabag
One of the many materials used as windsavers or valves for valved harmonicas
On farmland and domestic gardens, highly reflective aluminized PET film ribbons are used to keep birds away from plants
Measuring tape
Protecting pinball machine playfields from wear
Used in dentistry when restoring teeth with composite
In nail polish, as a coloured and finely shredded additive to create a glitter effect
Numismatics &#; Storing coins for long periods of time. PVC was previously used for this, but over long periods of time PVC can release chlorine, which reacts with the silver and copper in coins. BoPET does not have this problem.
In fishing fly tying, metallized Mylar strips are sometimes wound around the hook shank for reflective striping or shimmer in certain patterns.
military uniform accoutrements are often accented by gold mylar...such as shoulder epaulets or shoulder knots. Example: US Army officers Mess Dress uniform and US Army officers summer white mess dress uniform has three regulation choices of material used in their shoulder knots for the mess dress uniform. From least expensive to most expensive choices...rayon, mylar, or gold bullion thread.
See also
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References
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PET Film - Laser Cutting, Engraving & Marking
PET film is thermoplastic polyester that can be laser cut, marked, and engraved. The chemical name for PET is polyethylene terephthalate. PET Film laser cutting can be done with either a 9.3 or 10.6 micron wavelength CO2 laser. However, PET Film laser marking requires a 9.3 micron CO2 laser. The 9.3 micron laser wavelength is absorbed at the surface of the PET film forming a white frosted surface mark. The surface mark does not interfere with the integrity of the PET film.
For more information, please visit Metallized PET Sheet Supplier.