Aluminium Barrier Foil Laminate is a high-performance composite material known for its exceptional barrier properties, versatility, and durability.
It effectively shields products from external factors such as moisture, oxygen, UV light, and chemicals by offering the lowest water vapour transmission rate and the lowest oxygen transmission rate of any known flexible material.
This ensures your products are protected from the most common corrosion factors and provides you with peace of mind about the safety of your products during transportation or storage.
Aluminium Barrier Foil Laminate:
- Eliminates the conditions in which corrosion can occur
- Protects atmospherically sensitive products from the outside environment
- Reduces desiccant usage and therefore overall shipping weight
- Reduces the need to invest in modified atmosphere storage
- Is suitable for anti-static applications
Key Benefits of Aluminium Barrier Foil Laminate:
Barrier Properties
- Moisture and Vapour Protection: Provides superior resistance to moisture and water vapour, keeping contents dry and preventing corrosion or degradation.
- Oxygen and Gas Shielding: Offers a robust barrier against oxygen and other gases, crucial for maintaining the integrity of sensitive products like food, pharmaceuticals, and electronics.
- Temperature Regulation: Helps in controlling internal temperatures by resisting heat and maintaining a stable environment within the packaging.
- UV Light Resistance: Effectively blocks ultraviolet (UV) light, which can cause deterioration in products over time, such as food items, medicines, or electronic components.
Mechanical Properties
- Tensile Strength: The laminate’s layered structure, which often includes aluminium, polyester, and polyurethane, provides excellent resistance to stress and strain.
- Puncture and Tear Resistance: Designed to withstand punctures, tears, and abrasions, ensuring durability and protection against physical damage.
- Flexibility: Despite its strength, the laminate remains flexible, allowing it to conform to various shapes and be used for wrapping or vacuum-packing challenging products.
- Seal Strength: The heat-sealable layers ensure that the material forms strong, leak-proof seals, maintaining the integrity of the package.
Laminate Composition
Aluminium Barrier Foil Laminates typically consist of three to four layers of different materials, bonded together through adhesive or extrusion polyethylene to create a robust protective barrier. The composition includes:
- Aluminium Foil Layer: Provides a strong shield against moisture, air, light, and gases. This layer is crucial for preventing oxygen ingress and water vapour escape, thus protecting the contents from contamination and damage.
- Plastic Film Layers: Add durability and flexibility to the laminate. These layers enhance the material’s strength and make it more resistant to punctures and tears while improving handling ease.
- Adhesive Layers: Securely bond the aluminium foil and plastic layers, ensuring a cohesive and effective barrier.
Laminate Certifications
Military
A number of our materials have been awarded stringent military classifications, MIL-PRF-131L Class 1, UK Def Stan 81-147 and French NFH 00310 Class 1, ensuring they protect sensitive items, such as electronics and mechanical components, from moisture, vapour, corrosion, and environmental factors during storage and transit in the Defence and Aerospace sectors.
- MIL-PRF-131L Class 1: A U.S. military specification for flexible, heat-sealable, waterproof, and vapour-proof packaging materials designed to safeguard sensitive items from moisture and corrosion. Compliance is achieved through rigorous testing and adherence to the U.S. Department of Defence guidelines, evaluated by the Defence Logistics Agency’s Packaging Division laboratory.
- UK Def Stan 81-147: A specification from the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) outlining requirements for barrier materials in protective packaging. Certification involves testing at an MOD-approved laboratory, followed by submission of documentation for MOD approval.
- French NFH 00310 Class 1: A French national standard defining requirements for flexible barrier materials in packaging. Certification follows a similar process to that of the UK and U.S. standards, with approval granted by the French MOD.
Food Contact
All our materials have been awarded both EU and U.S. regulatory classifications for plastics intended for food contact.
- Commission Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011: This EU regulation sets specific requirements and safety standards for plastic materials and articles intended for food contact within the European Union, established by the European Commission.
- FDA 21 CFR 177.1520: This U.S. regulation governs the use of polyethylene and its copolymers in food contact applications, ensuring compliance with the safety standards established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Anti-Static
We have developed an advanced anti-static barrier foil laminate that has been awarded the international JEDEC J-STD-033 classification for handling and protecting moisture-sensitive devices (MSDs) in electronics manufacturing.
- JEDEC J-STD-033: is a global industry standard that provides guidelines for handling, packaging, shipping, and using moisture-sensitive surface-mount devices (SMDs) to prevent damage caused by moisture during manufacturing and assembly.
Performance
The performance of Aluminium Barrier Foil Laminates is often indicated by their Water Vapour Transmission Rate (W.V.T.R.). For instance, a laminate with a 125 µm polyethylene thickness can allow water vapour and aggressive gases to diffuse at a rate of up to 4 grams/m²/24 hours, which is 80 times faster than some other materials.
Additionally, incorporating desiccants within a heat-sealed Aluminium Barrier Foil Bag or Liner can maintain relative humidity (RH) well below 40%, effectively reducing the risk of corrosion and preserving the product’s quality.
Summary
Aluminium Barrier Foil Laminates provide an exceptional combination of barrier protection, mechanical strength, and versatility, making them the ideal solution for applications requiring superior durability and safeguarding.
We offer an extensive range of high-quality Aluminium Barrier Foil Laminates, which can be customised into various forms to meet specific needs.
If you require protection from moisture, gases, chemicals, UV light, or temperature fluctuations to safeguard your valuable products, our team of expert consultants is here to collaborate with you and develop a tailored solution.
Do you have a need you would like to discuss?
Talk to our team of experts who will be happy to work with you to develop a solution.