Plastic coatings

To guarantee outstanding quality of the final product, Holmen Iggesund is responsible for the whole product value chain, from the paperboard production to inhouse plastic lamination. Thanks to extensive product development and modern mill equipment, it is possible to minimize the amount of used plastic in the final laminates.

Plastic coatings have multiple benefits when producing packaging, it provides a barrier against moisture and makes the package sealable. It can also be used to protect sensitive products like food and confectionary.

Compared to fossil-based material, a thin plastic coating makes it possible to reduce the carbon footprint of the packaging.

Applications and benefits

Plastic coatings are used on paperboard to protect against liquids and to provide a barrier against moisture transmission. Polyethylene (PE) coated paperboard, is suitable for disposable cups or packaging for frozen foods, meat products  , and chocolate. The PE coating also provides a simple yet efficient way to heat seal packages.

Paperboard with Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) coating also provides good sealability, as well as acting as an excellent oxygen and fat barrier. It is extremely temperature resistant and highly suitable for applications such as PET coated microwave and conventional oven trays for the cooking or reheating of food in so called dual-ovenable trays. Black, white and transparent-pigmented versions of PET coatings are available upon request.

Sustainability advantages

Reducing the plastic content of your packaging to just a thin plastic coating, will bring down your carbon footprint substantially. By using paperboard as a carrier, with a plastic coating, you can reduce the amount of plastic used to about a fifth of what would have been required for an equivalent rigid plastic container. A thin plastic coating is really all you need to ensure that the contents of your paperboard packaging are protected.

Technical details

The extrusion coated surface can have different finishes. Depending on the surface structure of the cylinders cooling down the molten extruded plastic film it is possible to produce both a glossy finish or a matt (Non-set-off) surface. The choice of surface finish is dependent of application needs and converting process. The surfaces can also lessen the risk of blocking feeding sheets and blanks in the converting process.  Typical values for our most common plastic coatings are tested according to ASTM F-1249/ DIN 53122 (water vapour permeability) and ASTM D-3985/DIN 53380(oxygen permeability). 

Overview functional properties

Usage range and melting range of plastic coatings

Properties of plastic qualities

Access the online version of this spec sheet on:
iggesund.com/about-plastic-coatings