Powder milk, which contains high content of oil and protein, should be packed in the packages with high barrier property. Aluminum plastic package is one of the main packages used for milk powder, which will be elaborated in this article.
The aluminum foil layer of the aluminum plastic composite packaging plays a great role in protecting the milk powder from oxidization owing to its high oxygen barrier property. However, the aluminum foil layer may be folded and broken during the transportation process, which may cause the reduction of its performance in oxygen barrier property. Therefore, it is necessary to test the flex durability of the aluminum plastic composite packaging to guarantee the oxygen barrier property thus ensure the quality of the milk powder products during shelf life.
This article provides a simplified test method of flex durability of aluminum plastic composite film for your reference.
Figure 1. Aluminum Plastic Composite Film Packaging for Milk Powder
We do the flex durability test with Labthink’s C681M Flex Durability Tester. The test standard is ASTM F392. The flexible specimens are flexed at standard atmospheric conditions (23℃ and 50% relative humidity) unless otherwise specified. Flexing conditions and number and severity of flexing strokes vary with the type of structure being tested. The flexing action consists of a twisting motion followed, in most cases, by horizontal motion, thus, repeatedly twisting and crushing the film. The frequency is at a rate of 45cpm.
Figure 2. C681M Flex Durability Tester
The tests shall be performed according to the following procedures.
Cut three pieces of specimens from the sample material after conditioning the sample material at 23±2℃ and 50±5%RH for at least 24 hours. The length and width of the specimen should be 280mm and 200mm, respectively.
Paste the specimens on the instrument with adhesive tape. The width of the adhesive tape should be 10 ~ 12mm.
Set test parameters and select flex mode.
Close the glass door of the instrument and press TEST to start the tests.
When the preset test cycles are reached, the tests will be finished automatically.
Flex failure is determined by measuring the pinholes formed in the structure. These pinholes are determined by using colored turpentine and allowing it to stain through the holes onto a white backing. As well the barrier property of the specimen can be tested after the flex durability tests to judge whether the specimen has sufficient flex durability that can ensure its barrier property.
For more details about C681M Flex Durability Tester, please visit www.labthink.com
About Labthink Instruments Co., Ltd:
Labthink Instruments Co., Ltd is one leading supplier of packaging testing instruments, which is headquartered in Jinan, China and operated in Boston, U.S.A.