Barrier film is a special type of packaging film designed to prevent certain substances—such as oxygen, water vapor, light, aromas, or other gases—from entering or escaping the packaging. Barrier film is frequently used in the food and electronics industries to improve the shelf life and quality of packaged products. However, other sensitive products—such as medications, medical devices, printed materials and paper products, household goods, and small parts—also require packaging films with additional barrier functions.
What makes barrier film special is its ability, on the one hand, to reliably protect the products packaged in it from the ingress of oxygen, moisture, and other external influences. On the other hand, barrier film maintains the climate necessary for the product inside the packaging. This is particularly important for products that require a specific moisture content inside the packaging or are packaged in a protective gas atmosphere.
Here is an overview of the key features of barrier film
- Oxygen Barrier: Barrierfilms can prevent or reduce the penetration of oxygen into the packaging. This is particularly important for food products, as oxygen can accelerate spoilage.
- Water vapor barrier: The barrier film prevents water vapor from penetrating, thus protecting packaged products from water vapor and extending their shelf life.
- Light-blocking: Light-blockingfilms prevent lightfrom penetrating; this light-blocking property protects the product from damage or discoloration. This property is very important for light-sensitive products such as certain foods or pharmaceutical products.
- Barrier Against Odors: A barrier preserves the natural aroma of a product—for example, in the food or cosmetics industries—and prevents unwanted odors from entering the packaging. This keeps unwanted smells or tastes out of the packaging and preserves the product's natural aroma.
- Gas barrier: This barrier prevents certain gases, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, from entering or escaping. These gases can affect the ripening process of food and are therefore also crucial for ensuring the desired shelf life during transport and retail storage.
In addition to these properties, barrierfilms also offer high transparency for good product visibility and mechanical strength to protect against damage during handling. They also offer good printability for brand identification and informational labeling.
Types and Construction of Barrier Film
Barrier film is manufactured as a so-called composite film: The protective layer is applied to a carrier film, for example, through extrusion, coating, or vapor deposition. Depending on the requirements, the protective layer is applied as an intermediate layer or as a top or bottom layer. Based on the strength of the protective effect, a distinction is made between “ films ” with “ ” and “ .” Which barrier film is right for you depends on the requirements for the product, the film, and the processing on the packaging machines.
Stretched Film – Strength and Flexibility
Oriented film is stretched in one or both directions to specifically improve its mechanical properties. Typical materials include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and other thermoplastic polymers. Stretching improves strength, elasticity, and transparency—and, to a certain extent, also enhances the barrier properties against oxygen, moisture, and external influences. Stretched films s are therefore often referred to as PP film or polyolefin film and are used wherever robust yet flexible packaging solutions are required: in food packaging as well as in the medical, pharmaceutical, and technical industries—for example, to protect components, industrial goods, and sterile packaged items from dust, moisture, and damage.
Choosing the Right Barrier Film
Choosing the right barrier film depends on the requirements for the product, the film, and the processing on the packaging machines. The following factors should be taken into account:
- Type of products to be packaged
- Type of Packaging Application and Machine
- Required film thickness
- Printability of the film
- Desired Additional Characteristics
Barrier films from our product line
We offer barrier films for a wide variety of applications—here is a selection:
The Beauty Film® BF-PPEVOH is a highly efficient BOPP/OPP barrier film with a PVDC-free, early-sealing barrier layer based on EVOH. It offers high transparency, brilliant gloss, and excellent seal strength, as well as tear and impact resistance. The film can be printed in up to 8 colors, is available in both needled and non-needled versions, and is also available with micro- or macro-perforations upon request. It is available as flat or semi-tubular film, customized to fit your packaging machine.
The BF-AF Antifog is an extremely tear-resistant barrier film made of polyolefin and is particularly suitable for the food industry. It provides reliable protection against oxygen, gases, aromas, and moisture; it is 100% food-safe and 100% recyclable in the LDPE04 stream. The film is highly transparent, has a high gloss, and offers excellent sealing and shrinking properties. It is suitable for fully automatic and semi-automatic packaging machines such as flow-pack machines, angle sealers, side sealers, and shrink wrappers, and is also available as flat or half-tube film in custom lengths.
Save Costs Through Optimized Film Lengths and Thicknesses
Barrier film supplied in rolls is customized to the packaging machine with precisely matched run lengths. This prevents unnecessary film waste, which optimizes processing, protects the environment, and saves on film material and costs. With thickness-optimized films , you’ll use less material for your packaging—while still achieving the best packaging results.
Thanks to their combination of beneficial properties, barrier films help preserve the quality, freshness, and shelf life of packaged products.
Our extensive product line includes a wide variety of packaging films with barrier properties, whether as polyolefin fine-shrink film, OPP/BOPP film —for example, for flow-pack packaging—or as part of our eco-friendly and bio-films.
