Rollprint Packaging Products Inc. is introducing a peelable structure within its Exponent product family. Dwane Hahn, vice president of sales and marketing for Rollprint Packaging Products, says that the product line offers potential replacements for Barex. INEOS announced in 2014 that its Barex plant in Lima, OH, would close in 2015.

“This extension of our Exponent product line came about after asking more questions of our customers,” explains Hahn. “For those who didn’t need child resistance, many wanted a peelable feature.”

Rollprint’s technical team set out to determine how to combine the chemistries needed for a Barex replacement with that needed for peelability. Its R&D laboratory analyzed sealant chemistry to find the optimal balance of chemical inertness, hermetic seals, and peelability, Rollprint explained in a statement. “We looked at what else we can do to improve the performance,” Hahn tells PMP News. The team also had to address common customer concerns, such as what peel strength could be achieved, whether the chemistry would effect peel strength over time, and whether there would be a loss of barrier, says Hahn. The answer “is that it all depends upon the product and the package design,” he says.

A peelable option would be unique, since Hahn says there wasn’t a peelable version of Barex—it has only been available with a weld seal, he says. “Some customers didn’t know you could have a peelable opening,” he says. However, the importance of easy-to-open packaging has come to the forefront of customer requirements, Rollprint stated.

Rollprint’s Exponent family now consists of four products that can hold a variety of chemicals, depending on the chemistry requirements and customer needs. These are Exponent 2, 3, 4, and Peelable Exponent available in three versions.

Rollprint is also able to draw from its full range of options for chemically sensitive products, which include foil, high-barrier, and Clearfoil structures. “Previous options were laminated to Barex, such as a polyester/foil/Barex structure,” says Hahn. “Now we can extrusion coat Exponent to Clearfoil, reducing a layer, which is the most cost-effective way to offer high barrier with a peelable choice.”

At Pack Expo Las Vegas Booth #S-6631, Rollprint will be emphasizing that “there are high-barrier, chemical-resistant flexible options as Barex replacements,” says Hahn.

Rollprint Packaging Products offers a complete range of flexible, heat-sealable materials incorporating film, ClearFoil, foil, Tyvek, and paper; they are available in rollstock, pouches, and die-cut lids. Additional information can be obtained at www.rollprint.com.