Q-BAR BARRIER COATING

INTRODUCTION​
The Q-Bar coating improves the oxygen transmission rate of standard 12μm PET film from 140cc/sqM to 1cc/sqM making it an extremely effective barrier material for moisture and oxygen. The coating can be applied to various substrates and can be sandwiched between layers in a film construction or left with the coated side on the outer. Either side is then printable with the use of suitable inks or alternatively it is ready for further lamination.

Q-BAR VS ALTERNATIVE BARRIER FILMS

Q-Bar coating technology disposes of the need for PVDC and the associated environmental concerns due to the presence of chlorine. Q-Bar coating is 100% recyclable with low environmental costs

Another widely used barrier technology is EVOH. The barrier properties of EVOH are however lower than Q-Bar coated film. The EVOH protection reduces dramatically when relative humidity is above 65%. The use of EVOH generally also limits the minimum film thickness to 50μm. Q-Bar coated PET can be as low as 12μm. In addition PET coated with Q-Bar is cheaper than both PVDC and EVOH coated films.

ALOX (aluminium oxide) coated films are available at competitive prices. However, these films are very brittle and they lose barrier when being converted as the ALOX tends to shatter as it is like a glass coating. In addition, ALOX coated films cannot be satisfactorily printed. In order to protect the ALOX coating, the ALOX film is over-coated with a protective layer. These over-coated films can be printed, however, it is costly. In addition, despite the over-coating, the ALOX remains brittle, although less so than in untreated format.
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SiO2 (SIOX) coated films are available but these are expensive, brittle (though less brittle than ALOX) and have difficulty in achieving good bond strengths when laminated. SiO2 films are used mainly for retorting (sterilising).

Flexible Packaging Barrier Film

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