Flexible Packaging Testing Services

flexible packaging testing services

Flexible Packaging Testing Services That Offer A Competitive Advantage | ASTM, ISO, OTR, MVTR and Much More

The Need For Comprehensive, Unbiased 3rd Party Flexible Packaging Testing

For nearly 30 years, Flex-Pack Engineering has been providing unbiased, 3rd party ASTM and ISO flexible packaging testing. We identified a need with our customers to analyze and validate the effectiveness and usefulness of their products in the marketplace, or to help them understand the requirements for entering a new market. For example, a customer may only sell into the potato chip industry but would like to start selling into the frozen chicken or meatball industry. Flex-Pack helps our customers understand the requirements for this new market and provide the testing services to meet the fitness for use and chain of use requirements.

Perhaps the most important element that Flex-Pack offers our customers is the ability to interpret test results and help them solve their flexible packaging problems. A normal testing lab will deliver testing results but not provide any insights into what the results mean in the context of your problem. In short, it is not the testing that is so important, it is the answers and recommendations to solve the problem and improve your flexible packaging products.

Additionally, many manufacturing facilities such as film producers, converters, printers, laminators, bag, and packaging converters may not have a packaging engineer and/or full laboratory, or the time for flexible packaging testing. Also, they may need to do testing that is outside the scope of their in-house capabilities.

Furthermore, some customers may have a good flexible packaging product that they want to make even better to help them compete in the marketplace. Flex-Pack Engineering can offer reverse engineering services including competitive analysis as well as defect analysis and production troubleshooting to help our customers understand why their competitors packaging products outperform their own and make recommendations on how to improve their flexible packaging product.

Flex-Pack Engineering is able to provide these comprehensive services and help customers gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Analytical and Physical Flexible Packaging Testing Services We Provide

At Flex-Pack Engineering we offer a wide array of flexible packaging testing services to meet our customer’s needs. Whether it is one test or one hundred we have the capabilities to handle your requirements. We can also design and perform custom flexible packaging tests as needed.

Analytical Services:

Ash, DSC Testing (Differential Scanning Calorimeter), TGA (Thermo Gravimetric Analysis), TMA (Thermo Mechanical Analysis), DMA (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis), FTIR Transmission and  ATR, Microscope (Fourier Transform Infrared), Solvent Extraction, GCMS (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry), HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography), XRF (X-Ray Florescence), ICPMS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Inductive Coupled Plasma), AA (Atomic Absorption), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), OIT (Oxidative Induction Time), UV-VIS Spectrophotometry, Karl Fisher Titration, Moisture Analysis, and more.

Physical Testing Services:

OTR (Oxygen Transmission Rate) , MVTR (Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate) , Tensile, Elongation, Secant Modulus, COF (Coefficient of Friction), Block Re-Block, Elmendorf Tear, Dart Drop, Slow Rate Puncture, Puncture Protrusion (puncture resistance), Thickness Profile, Burst Testing, Melt Index, Density, Optical Microscopy, X-Section Analysis, Surface Analysis, Heat Seal, Heat Seal Profile, Hot Tack, Hot Tack Profile, Ink Draw Down, Ink Rub, Sheffield Smoothness, Gurley Stiffness, Gelbo Flex, Surface Tension Testing (Dyne Testing), Haze,  45 degree Gloss, 60 degree Gloss, Opacity, Lab Color Testing,  Capillary Rheometry (Rheology) and more.

Flex-Pack Engineering: Your Best Choice For Flexible Packaging Testing Services

What separates Flex-Pack Engineering is our extensive know-how in testing flexible packaging based on our nearly 30 year education in developing packaging products. We know how to do the tests correctly and correlate the results to the customer’s problem or what the rules are in making a specific package.

We have experience in all facets of flexible packaging including:

  • Blown film
  • Cast film
  • Extrusion lamination
  • Adhesive lamination
  • Printing
  • Metalizing
  • Bag making
  • Secondary processes
  • Compounding of additives
  • Resin chemistries
  • Additive chemistries
  • Combining additive chemistries and resin chemistries to achieve something special

We have done all of the above services for many years professionally which allows us to review a package and know what we are looking at immediately and when a customer describes the problem, we have a good idea of the cause of the problem and direction of the solution. We cannot say it often enough to our customers: it is not the testing that is so important, it is the answers and recommendations to solve the problem and improve your flexible packaging products.

Flex-Pack Engineering is here to help you find the answers you need to be more competitive and improve your products in the marketplace. Ready to start a conversation? Give us a call at 888-300-1492 or contact us today!

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    Custom Polymer Compounding That Can Help You Win Business

    flexible packaging testing services

    Solving Tough Compounding Challenges

    At Flex-Pack Engineering we love digging deep into the toughest toll, custom and specialty compounding challenges. Through careful analysis of the fitness for use (FFU) and chain of use (COU) and understanding of the performance expectations for your compounded product, we can select the best raw materials, engineer the best performing screw designs, and develop the process and manufacturing control plans to ensure a smooth running and high performing result.

    For example, consider a challenging application of compounding a very high viscosity, polyethylene – which is very difficult to compound on its own and you also have the need to include a difficult functional filler, such as clays, glass, or nanoparticles into the mix. It takes a tremendous amount of torque, requires a special screw design, and a great deal of expertise in process understanding to achieve a winning result. This type of technical challenge is at the center of our wheelhouse at Flex-Pack. We can analyze, design, and put in place a plan to produce the best results for these types of technically challenging applications.

    Once the best design and process are created and proven we then select the best compounding line on which to run on from our network of solid, reliable, and consistent   contract/toll compounding partners who share our philosophy of taking on the toughest compounding jobs and who can produce high quality compound quickly and cost effectively.

    Additionally, when working with Flex-Pack Engineering for your custom polymer compounding needs you have our entire team as your personal advocate throughout the process. Since we selected the materials and engineered the screw designs and processes, we understand what can go right and what can go wrong and are in the perfect position to troubleshoot any issues that may occur in the compounding process. We work synergistically between production and customer as a very well informed and educated bridge throughout the business relationship.  

    A Winning Approach To Custom Polymer Compounding

    In our experience we have worked with customers who have had a wide array of technical challenges, or who needed short runs for proof of concept. We can accept smaller jobs and are an ideal choice to get projects done quickly. By applying sound science and engineering principles to solve the toughest compounding challenges, we help our customers overcome those challenges and make a great product that can help win new business. And we can get it done quickly!

    Ready to have a conversation? Contact us today at 330-704-9436 or fill out our request information form and learn how Flex-Pack Engineering can help with your difficult custom compounding challenges!

    For more information, visit our Custom Polymer Compounding page. 

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      Blown and Cast Film Solutions That Can Save You Money

      flexible packaging testing services

      Blown and Cast Film Solutions That Can Save You Money

      Flex-Pack Engineering can help your company save money on your blown and cast film products by evaluating the fitness for use (FFU) as well as the chain of use (COU) criteria of your packaging product. After a thorough analysis of these criteria, Flex-Pack Engineering can recommend not only whether you should be using a cast or blown film solution for the most efficiently produced package, but also engineer the highest performing package that will help you realize cost savings throughout your production and distribution lines.

      High Performance Resins And Tailored Approach Offer Return On Investment         

      In our experience at Flex-Pack Engineering, we often see raw material suppliers offering their best and most popular resins available into each application. While they do a great job, suppliers can only offer what they make and sell. Moreover, they may not have the time to really dive in and take a rigorous scientific approach to determine the best performing resins for a specific application. We evaluate the package from the perspective of what is best for our customer and consider a wide variety of resin products that will meet our performance criteria.

      By analyzing fitness for use and chain of use of your packaging, we can select the best performing resins, from the entire market place for the production of your package. By tailoring the resin choices for your packaging, we can often achieve equal or better performance with lower gauge materials. The return on investment comes in buying less overall material over time and getting the most efficient and highest performing packaging.

      Production Efficiencies Also Contribute To Cost Savings

      By tailoring the approach of your packaging through careful analysis of fitness for use and chain of use criteria, and selecting higher performing resin materials, not only will you save money in the long term through buying less overall material, but you will also realize production efficiencies in your operations. The improved packaging materials will run through your equipment more efficiently translating into higher production rates, less downtime, and less scrap. You spend less money and increase efficiency.

      Reduced Shipping Costs Are An Additional Benefit

      When you use lighter packaging made from higher performing materials you not only realize all the benefits described above, but your shipping costs will also be positively affected. When you reduce the overall weight of your product, you can ship more product for the same price. By reducing the weight of your packaging, it ripples out through your operations. You will gain benefits of higher production runs, less downtime, less scrap, and the ability to ship more product. It creates efficiency throughout your system.

      Flex-Pack Engineering: Your #1 Choice For Blown and Cast Film Solutions

      Our team at Flex-Pack Engineering look forward to collaborating with you in finding the best possible solutions for your packaging requirements. We are not a raw material supplier, and we do not manufacturer film products. We offer unbiased scientific testing and results. We work with our customers, in conjunction with raw material suppliers and other vendors, to provide the BEST packaging solutions that meet your fitness for use and chain of use criteria, and that can be manufactured consistently and to a high quality standard. It truly is a “WIN-WIN” scenario for all parties involved and can dramatically increase your bottom line results.

      Ready to have a conversation? Contact us today at 330-704-9436 or fill out our request information form and learn how Flex-Pack Engineering can help develop blown and cast film solutions that improve your bottom line.

      For more information, visit our Blown & Cast Film Products page. 

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        Engineered Flexible Packaging Solutions – Increase Sales & Profits!

        Flexible Packaging Engineering and Developmental Services in Akron, Ohio, Northeast Ohio, and Surrounding Areas

        Increase Sales And Profits With Engineered Flexible Packaging Solutions

        What Is Engineered Flexible Packaging?

        At Flex-Pack Engineering, our core business is designing the RIGHT flexible packaging products for your applications. BUT what do we mean by the term “engineered flexible packaging”? An engineered flexible package is a package that has been designed to a certain set of fitness for use (FFU) criteria through careful analysis of the product life cycle and chain of use (COU).  At the most basic level, we examine what you want the package to do, how must it perform, and what service (how the package will be used to fill or hold product) and environmental (where will the package live) conditions it must endure.

        For example, consider the packaging for frozen meatballs that can be purchased in any grocery store. The package must open easily on filling equipment and be filled at high speed, with frozen food particles that may have sharp edges and that create other loads on the packaging, usually in a refrigerated environment. The package has to be strong in cold weather and be able to close (seal) quickly and easily without leaking. That is a lot to consider!

        How Can Engineered Flexible Packaging Increase Your Sales and Profits

        So how can the right engineered flexible packaging help your bottom line? By taking a scientific approach and analyzing the fitness for use and chain of use requirements. By determining the exact package requirements, we can design a better package that meets those criteria and SAVES MONEY on the packaging materials.

        In our experience, it often seems as if customers are guessing at what their packaging requirements truly need to be.  Often times, they will employ a “let’s try this” approach. Many customers don’t truly understand the total property requirements of their packaging.  In addition, many don’t even have a written specification for their packaging! They don’t really know their fitness for use and chain of use requirements. They spend whatever amount of time and money is necessary until they find a solution and then continue to over-spend on packaging that may work BUT is NOT optimized for their requirements. We refer to this as a “non-engineered” solution. When a non-engineered solution is used, one is simply guessing until a solution that works is found. When one is guessing at packaging design, it usually leads to unhappy customers and lost accounts. If a scientific approach is not taken to understanding how the packaging needs to perform, it is not possible to be successful with that packaging long term.

        Here’s an example of how Flex-Pack can help! Consider a bag that is designed to hold 5 lbs. of product, and that bag is 5 mils thick. But WHAT IF a bag could be engineered that could hold 5 lbs. of product, but be only 3 mils thick, AND perform just as well?  Think about the material cost savings alone in your production! This is what we do here at Flex-Pack Engineering. By analyzing your fitness for use and chain of use requirements, we can engineer a package that will perform as well or better than what is currently being used.  How do we do this?  By employing the use of materials and systems that are better suited to the use criteria needed for the packaging.

        Flex-Pack Engineering, Your Partner In Engineered Flexible Packaging

        Our team at Flex-Pack Engineering are your partners in finding the best possible solution for your packaging requirements. We are not a raw material supplier, and we do not manufacture film products. We offer unbiased, scientific testing and results.  We work with our customers, in conjunction with raw material suppliers and other vendors, to provide the BEST packaging solutions that meet your fitness for use and chain of use criteria, and that can be manufactured  consistently and to a high quality standard.  It truly is a “WIN-WIN” scenario for all parties involved and can dramatically increase your bottom line results.

        Contact us today at 330-704-9436 or fill out our request information form and learn how Flex-Pack Engineering can help you to increase sales and profits with engineered flexible packaging solutions.

        For more information visit our Engineered Flexible Packaging page. 

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