Stand-Up Pouches

The term stand-up pouch refers to a pouch that is able to support itself in an upright position when it is filled with product. Such pouches contain gussets that expand when the product is added, providing a relatively flat base to the pouch. Such pouches are increasingly replacing more rigid structures such as cans and bottles, for both dry products and liquids. 

While changing from a rigid to a flexible package often offers savings in material and hence often in cost, as well as resulting in less waste for disposal, some experts see the better display graphics offered by the pouches compared to competitive 

Technological innovations in production of high barrier materials have also been important in the ability to use pouches for sensitive products. Many such pouches fall into the dual category of stand-up retort pouches, and will be discussed in Section 9.4. 

A remaining drawback to the use of pouches is their slow line speeds, which for beverage packaging is often only about half the speed used with bottles of the same capacity. 

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Pouches can be made in a variety of styles. However, the majority can be categorized into one of four groups pillow pouches, three-side seal pouches, four-side seal pouches, and stand-up pouches. 

Butschli, Jim, Stand-up pouches to help U.S. pouch demand grow. Packaging World, Apr. 30 (2014), http //www.packworld.com/package-type/hagspouches/stand-pouches-help-us-pouch-demand-grow... 

PCI Films Consulting, Ltd., The US market for stand-up pouches to 2018, http //pcifilms.com/ report/the-us-market-for-stand-up-pouches-to-2018/, accessed 11/26/14... 

These polymers are selected for the specific performance that they provide, and are combined in the final package design to meet all the requirements for the specific application in which they are being used. Often there are many different combinations of materials or film constructions that will meet the minimum performance requirements of an application. In these cases selection of the final packaging structure may be based on considerations such as availability from multiple suppliers and ability to provide differentiation over competitive packaging. For example a combination of a box and an inner liner may be used or a stand-up pouch may be used, each combination providing the minimum requirements for product protection and safety. One manufacturer may select to use a box and inner liner and other manufacturers may elect to package their product in a stand-up pouch for the same product. Or one manufacturer may choose to use a stand-up pouch and another manufacturer may choose to use a pillow pouch for the same product. 

PP films are commercially available with different coatings (acrylic and PVEXT) to improve heat sealing, hanier, and optical characteristics, as well as to lower the coefficient of friction. Also, metallized PP films are available to provide extremely low values of permeability to gases and vapor." PP films are well suited for bag-in-box applications in cereals, crackers, soup mixes, and stand-up pouches. PP is also an excellent material to fabricate injection-molded closures for HDPE, PET, and glass bottles. 

Applications that benefit from these improved properties include gas barriers for bottles (beer bottles), food packaging (boil-in bags, stand-up pouches), fuel tanks, automotive applications, electronics and electrical applications (components, printed circuit boards), electrically conductive parts, wires, cables, and many others. Most major plastics companies and compounders are developing, manufacturing, and marketing such products. 

Stand-up pouches Fiquid food packaging Fabels... 

Low performance snack food laminates Medium performance laminates for stand up pouches for juices p- High performance laminates for retort pouches. 

Medium-performance applications laminates for stand up pouches for juices... 

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