Critical Issues

APR recognizes that innovators are faced with a large number of possible issues that new packaging may impact. The links at the left provide specific questions to consider for specific categories of innovation.

Barrier Layers and Coatings

General issues

  • effect on reclaiming process
  • effect of bottle manufacture/appearance/performance
  • effect of staple fiber manufacture/appearance/ performance
  • effect of sheet, film & pipe (HDPE) manufacture/appearance/performance,
  • effect on engineering resins manufacture/performance,
  • effect of strapping manufacture (including solid stating) or appearance or performance
  • effect on depolymerization efficiency or quality.

Specific issues

  1. Where on the bottle will the layer/coating be?
  2. Do layers readily delaminate and then separate from HDPE or PET?
  3. Effect on grinding efficiency?
  4. Effect of barrier material on increased flake loss in elutriation?
  5. Effect of barrier material on “static cling” issue?
  6. Effect of residual barrier material (how much to cause an effect) on
    1. Color in melted resin
    2. Haze and black specks for PET, black specks in HDPE
    3. ESC for HDPE
    4. Melting point
    5. Crystallization temperature and rate for PET
    6. Fuming during extrusion
    7. Excessive filter blinding and screen pack life
    8. Bottle making for PET and HDPE (extrusion, viscosity, reheat, melt strength)
    9. Spinning, drafting, and dyeing for PET. Also tenacity, shrinkage, and fluorescence
    10. Sheet making for PET and HDPE (color, gels, impact strength changes, tear strength, tensile modulus, pin holes, black speck occurrence, surface defects)
    11. Solid stating rate for PET
    12. Tensile, flexural, and impact properties for HDPE and PET
  7. Food contact compliance
  8. Deposits and plate out on dies, pins, and molds

 

Scavengers

General issues

  • effect on reclaiming process
  • effect of bottle manufacture/appearance/performance
  • effect of staple fiber manufacture/appearance/ performance
  • effect of sheet, film & pipe (HDPE) manufacture/appearance/performance,
  • effect on engineering resins manufacture/performance,
  • effect of strapping manufacture (including solid stating) or appearance or performance
  • effect on depolymerization efficiency or quality

Specific issues

  1. Smoking during extrusion?
  2. Effect of residual barrier material (how much to cause an effect), both fresh and aged scavenger, on
    1. Color in melted resin
    2. Haze and black specks for PET, black specks in HDPE
    3. ESC for HDPE
    4. Crystallization temperature and rate for PET
    5. Bottle making for PET and HDPE (extrusion, viscosity, reheat, melt strength, tensile and impact properties)
    6. Spinning, drafting, and dyeing for PET. Also tenacity, shrinkage, and fluorescence
    7. Sheet making for PET and HDPE (color, gels, impact strength changes, tear strength, tensile modulus, pin holes, black speck occurrence, surface defects)
    8. Solid stating rate for PET
    9. Tensile, flexural, and impact properties for HDPE and PET
    10. Screen pack life
  3. Food contact compliance
  4. Deposits and plate out on dies, pins, and molds

 

Colored bottles, including non-standard colors and treatments

General issues

  • effect on reclaiming process, primarily the impact of yield, sorting efficiency, and sorting costs.
  • effect of bottle manufacture/appearance/performance
  • effect of staple fiber manufacture/appearance/ performance
  • effect of sheet, film & pipe (HDPE) manufacture/appearance/performance,
  • effect on engineering resins manufacture/performance,
  • effect of strapping manufacture (including solid stating) or appearance or performance
  • effect on depolymerization efficiency or quality

Specific issues

  1. Effects on
    1. Color of natural resin
    2. Smoking or bubbles during extrusion
    3. Haze and black specks for PET, black specks in HDPE
    4. ESC for HDPE
    5. Crystallization temperature and rate for PET
    6. Bottle making for PET and HDPE (extrusion, viscosity, reheat, melt strength, tensile and impact properties)
    7. Spinning, drafting, and dyeing for PET. Also tenacity, shrinkage, and fluorescence
    8. Sheet making for PET and HDPE (color, gels, impact strength changes, tear strength, tensile modulus, pin holes, black speck occurrence, surface defects)
    9. Solid stating rate for PET
    10. Tensile, flexural, and impact properties for HDPE and PET
    11. Screen pack life
    12. Deposits and plate out on dies, pins, and molds
  2. Food contact compliance

 

Pressure Sensitive Labels

General issues

  • effect on reclaiming process
  • effect of bottle manufacture/appearance/performance
  • effect of staple fiber manufacture/appearance/ performance
  • effect of sheet, film & pipe (HDPE) manufacture/appearance/performance,
  • effect on engineering resins manufacture/performance,
  • effect of strapping manufacture (including solid stating) or
    appearance or performance
  • effect on depolymerization efficiency or quality

Specific issues

  1. Do labels readily separate from HDPE or PET?
  2. Effect on grinding?
  3. Effect of label material on increased flake loss in elutriation?
  4. Effect of label material on “static cling” issue
  5. Effect on dryer operation, i.e., melting point
  6. Effect of PS adhesives in wash tank, forming sticky globs
  7. Effect of residual label material (how much) on
    1. Color (natural PET), from label or adhesives or inks
    2. Smoking or bubbles during extrusion
    3. Haze for PET, black specks for HDPE and PET
    4. ESC for HDPE
    5. Crystallization temperature and rate for PET
    6. Bottle making for PET and HDPE (extrusion, viscosity, reheat, melt strength, tensile and impact properties)
    7. Spinning, drafting, and dyeing for PET. Also tenacity, shrinkage, and fluorescence
    8. Sheet making for PET and HDPE (color, gels, impact strength changes, tear strength, tensile modulus, pin holes, black speck occurrence, surface defects)
    9. Solid stating rate for PET
    10. Tensile, flexural, and impact properties for HDPE and PET
    11. Screen pack life
    12. Deposits and plate out on dies, pins, and molds
    13. “Bleeding label” inks
  8. Food contact compliance

 

Shrink Sleeve Labels

General issues

  • effect on reclaiming process
  • effect of bottle manufacture/appearance/performance
  • effect of staple fiber manufacture/appearance/ performance
  • effect of sheet, film & pipe (HDPE) manufacture/appearance/performance,
  • effect on engineering resins manufacture/performance,
  • effect of strapping manufacture (including solid stating) or appearance or performance
  • effect on depolymerization efficiency or quality

Specific issues

  1. Do labels readily separate from HDPE or PET flakes? What impedes separation?
  2. Effect on grinding? Effect of grinding technique on separation?
  3. Effect of label material on increased flake loss in elutriation?
  4. Effect of label material on “static cling” issue
  5. Effect on dryer operation, i.e. melting point.
  6. Effect of residual label material (how much) on
    1. Color (natural PET), from label or inks
    2. Smoking or bubbles during extrusion
    3. Haze for PET, black specks for HDPE and PET
    4. ESC for HDPE
    5. Crystallization temperature and rate for PET
    6. Bottle making for PET and HDPE (extrusion, viscosity, reheat, melt strength, tensile and impact properties)
    7. Spinning, drafting, and dyeing for PET. Also tenacity, shrinkage, and fluorescence
    8. Sheet making for PET and HDPE (color, gels, impact strength changes, tear strength, tensile modulus, pin holes, black speck occurrence, surface defects)
    9. Solid stating rate for PET
    10. Tensile, flexural, and impact properties for HDPE and PET
    11. Screen pack life
    12. Deposits and plate out on dies, pins, and molds
    13. “Bleeding label” inks
  7. Food contact compliance

 

Variant Polymer Composition

General issues

  • effect on reclaiming process
  • effect of bottle manufacture/appearance/performance
  • effect of staple fiber manufacture/appearance/ performance
  • effect of sheet, film & pipe (HDPE) manufacture/appearance/performance,
  • effect on engineering resins manufacture/performance,
  • effect of strapping manufacture (including solid stating) or appearance or performance
  • effect on depolymerization efficiency or quality

Specific issues

  1. Does variant change sink/float behavior of PET or HDPE?
  2. Effect of variant material on dryer operation
  3. Effect of variant material on extrusion operation
  4. Effect of significant amounts of variant material (how much) on
    1. Color in melted resin
    2. Haze and black specks for PET, black specks in HDPE
    3. ESC for HDPE
    4. Melting point
    5. Crystallization temperature and rate for PET
    6. Bottle making for PET and HDPE (extrusion, viscosity, reheat, melt strength, tensile and impact properties)
    7. Spinning, drafting, and dyeing for PET. Also tenacity, shrinkage, and fluorescence
    8. Sheet making for PET and HDPE (color, gels, impact strength changes, tear strength, tensile modulus, pin holes, black speck occurrence, surface defects)
    9. Solid stating rate for PET
    10. Tensile, flexural, and impact properties for HDPE and PET
    11. Screen pack life
    12. Deposits and plate out on dies, pins, and molds
  5. Food contact compliance