“We are constantly working to further develop our portfolio. In particular, we focus on the benefits for our customers and the sustainability aspect. With the HYDRO-X GA Water Barrier Coating, as a team, we have achieved another milestone," said Dr. Christian Schirrmacher, Global Project manager Water-Based Inks from hubergroup Print Solutions. "The aim is to enable our customers to produce more environmentally friendly packaging solutions.”
By using the HYDRO-X GA Water Barrier Coating, it is possible to change from laminate structures to mono-material paper.
For this step, only one more available inking unit is needed to apply the coating. It has the following advantages:
- Significantly improved recyclability because a well-established recycling system for pure paper packaging already exists;
- The range of applications for pure paper packaging is increased to include sectors that were previously reliant on PE/paper packaging;
- Lower material costs thanks to savings on plastic films, which are now replaced by the coating;
- Reduced processing times because polyethene (PE) lamination or extrusion coating is no longer required, resulting in one less step in the process;
- In a full-cost analysis, the finished product results in lower costs for a sufficient technical barrier effect.
The coating provides a highly water-repellent surface, thereby increasing the shelf life of the product.
The barrier coating is particularly suitable for use in the packaging industry, specifically for packaging moisture-sensitive foodstuffs such as sugar, flour and dry animal food.
This protective coating prevents unnecessary food waste. It is also suitable for applications in the non-food sector, for example, cement packaging and secondary packaging for copy paper. The HYDRO-X GA Water Barrier Coating is suitable for both coated and uncoated paper.
Following successful results from laboratory tests, in spring 2020 hubergroup also began testing the coating in a real-world environment together with a customer.
This involved print testing on different machines.
"The results were so impressive that we immediately received an order from our customer. They were particularly impressed by the elimination of a step in the production process," Dr. Schirrmacher said.
“At present, we are working intensively to develop and manufacture additional protective coatings, such as an oxygen barrier coating. Due to the sustainability aspect, we see big potential in these product groups.” More products are expected to be launched throughout the year," said Dr. Lutz Frischmann, Global Product director Flexible Packaging.
