By Olivia Cahoon
Part 2 of 2
Flexible packaging goes beyond the customary label and takes advantages of an item’s entire branding space. When producing flexible packaging, it’s important that manufacturers are aware of factors like durability. This is primarily an issue when it comes to assembling a flexible package.
Laminating two films using an adhesive is the most common method for assembling flexible packaging. This type of lamination uses two layers of film, foil, or paper. Adhesives options include solvent-based, solventless, solvent-free, and water-based.
Better Printing, Building Brands
Established in 1989, Prairie State Group (PSG) is a specialist in flexible packaging and pressure-sensitive labels. The company is headquartered in Franklin Park, IL with eight locations across the U.S.
PSG started in a 6,000 square foot workspace with eight employees producing pressure-sensitive labels for a variety of industries in Canada and the U.S. In 1999 it expanded its services to narrow web flexible packaging.
Today, the business operates in a 52,000 square foot facility with 90 employees. The company offers a variety of flexible packaging solutions and custom printed labels, with flexible packaging accounting for 75 percent of its total sales.
PSG uses both flexographic and digital printing technologies. In 2016 it started using digital for pressure-sensitive labels and then in 2017 for film. With short-run, no-minimum, digitally printed labels, clients can test market products without the inventory. Variable data technology offers the ability for multi-SKU or geo-specific graphics. Custom printed labels include food labels, stickers, and roll labels.
A variety of flexible packaging solutions are offered such as packaging for cannabis, meat and cheese, pet food, protein bars, and nutraceuticals such as stand up pouches and stick pack. For digitally printed flexible packaging, the shop utilizes the HP Inc. Indigo 20000 digital press.
The HP Indigo 20000 is a digital press for labels and packaging with a 30-inch web width. The device prints on substrates from 0.4- to ten-point thicknesses and produces up to 135 linear feet per minute in full color. According to John B. Reinhardt, marketing director, PSG, the HP Indigo 20000 digital press offers the most features and most traction in the industry.
Other presses include the 26-inch PCMC variable repeat gearless flexographic film press, 20.5-inch OMET Americas, Inc. Multiflex press, and ten-inch width Mark Andy Inc. 2200 press. PSG also employs a digital label press from Colordyne Technologies, LLC.
The print provider primarily uses digital as an entry point for nurturing brands in the packaging space. “Flexography will always be a more scalable solution,” explains Reinhardt. “We’re very selective on who we print digitally for, as we’re always looking for larger flexographic opportunities.” The shop also uses digital for current customers that require speed to market solutions and in-store test marketing. According to Reinhardt, the digital materials are pretty comparable to flexographic, which allows expectations to be managed throughout the process.
In flexible packaging, PSG primarily manufactures high barrier films for the food and nutraceutical markets, such as OPP films, EVOH, metallized PET, stick pack, and PEs. PSG produces HD flexographic plates in house using Esko technology.
The business’s lamination and binding process includes both inline and offline laminating and coating systems. According to Reinhardt, offline increases press efficiency and makes scheduling easier. The offline cold seal coating utilizes a gravure cylinder, which increases performance and bonding and is approved for water submergent testing.
Henkel Corporation is preferred for its cold seal coatings and H.B. Fuller Company for solventless lamination adhesives. It also uses UV and varnishes.
Several of PSG’s flexible packaging products require finishing after printing, particularly pouch forming applications. Reinhardt offers, “we have strategic partners for pouch forming.”
Its finishing devices include a 36-inch Comexi offline laminator/gravure coater; slitter/rewinders from Dusenbery, Rotoflex, and Stanford; KTI high-speed turret rewinder, and a 26-inch JM Heaford plate mounter.
Cold Seal Laminating
Cold seal packaging is a complex process that often involves two films—one reverse printed for the brand’s graphics and a second that acts as a barrier for the product. The films are laminated together and the cold seal is applied on the inside in a pattern aligned with the graphics on the outside.
Cold seal packaging is a popular option for heat-sensitive bar products for its reduced setup times, lesser energy costs, improved packing speed, and reduced spoilage.
In 2018, an emerging chocolate brand approached PSG for cold seal packaging to be used for its upcoming rebrand. The client needed a cold seal solution that featured spot matte and spot gloss. It was also important that the spot coating feature release characteristics to ensure the adhesive would unwind smoothly without sticking.
For the chocolate bar wrappers, PSG selected OPP and metallized OPP film with spot release coatings. A cold seal adhesive was also used on the inside.
The job was printed with the shop’s PCMC flexographic press and the Comexi offline laminator/gravure coater applied the cold seal lamination.
According to Reinhardt, there were minimal challenges and after registering the coating plates and verifying the trial, the job ran smoothly.
In total, PSG produced 900,000 chocolate bar wrappers with over four SKUs and seven colors. It took four weeks to complete the job after proof approval. Reinhardt offers, “we’re leaders in cold seal, so this challenge was well received and executed by our production team.”
Flexible Packaging
PSG employs a variety of technology—both digital and flexography—to keep its clients satisfied. In the flexible packaging space, the business uses digital as an entry point for packaging brands while flexography is relied on for most projects.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Laminating Flexible Packaging.
Mar2020, Industrial Print Magazine