Totally Rockin' Metal

Published: December 01, 2003, By Nsenga Byrd Thompson, Associate Editor

This year's EMA Awards prove the glitz of metallizing truly rocks.

Move over KISS, there's a new kind of metal in town! The European Metallizers Association, The Hague, Netherlands, presents its biennial Metallized Product Awards in an effort to publicize the development of the applications of metallized products in the business community and everyday life in Europe and abroad. Here's a look at the winners.

Packaging Category A
Judges chose a packaging system developed for biscuit manufacturer Maputo Industria in Mozambique, Africa, as winner in the Packaging category. The challenge facing Metalvuoto Pack, South Africa, and Nampack Flexible, South Africa, was to manufacture packaging to replace a composite package of aluminum foil, paper, and polyethylene (PE) film in terms of barrier properties and outer appearance. They succeeded in meeting the specifications first by reverse printing the outer iented polypropylene (OPP) film, then laminating against a metallized OPP film of Trespaphan S.A. The result is said to be a packaging system that has not been used previously for this product group. Not only is it attractive, but thanks to the package's high steam barrier, it's suitable for everyday use in subtropical regions, EMA reports.

Decoration Category B
The award in the Decoration category went to Bailey's tinplate promotional package, which is converted by Hueck Foilen, Baumgartenberg, Austria, using a special hologram film. The film, hologram, printing inks, and metal surface had to meet specifications that are contradictory. On one hand, the converted film was supposed to be resistant to high temperatures. However, it also was to be adorned with the hologram in the embossing process. For that reason, it had to be flexible enough not to tear in the cutting and subsequent shaping process and be resistant to abrasion and outer damage. Hueck Foilen is said to have mastered the challenge with a basic film from DuPont Teijin Films. In doing so, Hueck was able to rely on knowledge it gained in the production of security features for bank notes.

Functional Category C
The judges consider the Marks & Spencer peanuts packaging to be a particularly functional innovation and chose it as the winner of that category. The requirement was to manufacture flexible packaging with high-barrier properties without using any halogen-containing materials. Futhermore, the package design was to allow for high quality printing and, at the same time, a window displaying the product. The solution was furnished by Amcor Flexibles Camvac as metallizer, film supplier, and converter: It coated a 12-µm-thick PET film of DuPont Teijin Films with AIOx and laminated it against a 38-µm-thick linear low-density PE film. The latter is printed prior to lamination by six-color gravure printing. The transparent AIOx layer is said to ensure a clear view of the peanuts in the package. The novel laminate replaces packaging that consisted of a PET film coated with polyvinylidene chloride.

Metallized Product of the Year
Metallized Product of the Year is awarded to Lever Pond's OMO Progress carton. The carton's outer polyester (PET) film was seven-color reverse-printed on the inner side, then the printed side was metallized by Metalvuoto Pack, South Africa, in order to laminate the converted film to the carton at Rotoflex-Quix, South Africa. Compared to existing solutions, this process required a one less film layer.

The film affords moisture protection and serves at the same time as the substrate for the decorative glossy layer. A contributory feature to the success of this solution is said to be the inks developed by Eagle Ink systems, which in some selected areas have additional color effects depending on the angle of viewing.

For more information on the EMA visit eurometallizers.org.