Labthink Barrier Property Lab for Plastic Package OTR/WVTR Testing

Abstract: this article briefs on the necessity ofcountry. At the same time, there are not many
package barrier property (transmissiondomestic testing agencies that can be entrusted
permeation/permeability) test against water vaporfor permeability testing. All that hinders domestic
(moisture), gas (oxygen, nitrogen) and otherpackage material manufacturers from adopting
indexes. It also presents the functions andcomparative expensive barrier materials. To
services of Labthink Lab.better researches on barrier property test
Keywords: barrier property, lab, package, and testinstruments and to accumulate rich experiences
 on material testing, Labthink established Barrier
For more articles, please visit:Property Lab in 2000 to provide customers with
With the development of people's living standard,professional barrier property test service formally.
the demand on consumable packages areLabthink Barrier Property Lab mainly devotes to
constantly increasing. The earlier requirements onthe researches on the permeability mechanism
durability and later on beauty have now turned toand testing of high polymers. All the permeability
aspects of packaging functions and packagingproducts of Labthink can provide testing services
safety. At present, domestic testing of packagefor lab research subjects and samples from
materials cannot satisfy these test requirementscustomers. Permeability tests on oxygen,
yet. Moreover, the test capability of somenitrogen, carbon dioxide, air and other common
material manufacturers and corresponding users isinorganic gases as well as water vapors can be
very weak. Therefore, from this year on, toexecuted in the lab. Meanwhile, the diffusion
mitigate the irregular situation of test items andcoefficient and dissolution coefficient of gases to
test standard, relevant institutes have issuedmaterials can also be tested. Moreover, this lab
compulsory test items to the production and usecan perform gas and water vapor permeability
of food packaging materials.test under various temperatures. Among which,
1 Test Demandsequal-pressure oxygen permeability test
Since there are external packages outside flexibleinstrument and sensor method water vapor
package, many people are unwilling to attachpermeability testers have particular advantage in
much importance to the test of flexible package.temperature controlling. The lab can carry out
This is because some packaging practicants dointegral oxygen permeability test and water vapor
not have sufficient knowledge of the importancepermeability test of packages, such as containers
of flexible package testing. On the other hand,and flexible packaging bags. While researching on
some manufacturers mistakenly hold that theits own subjects, Labthink Barrier Property Lab
adoption of some packaging materials canalso carries out data comparison of various test
improve certain properties of the finishedmethods. Some of the research achievements
products. For example, for food package thathave been published on some academic journals.
requires high barrier property and lucifuge,Up to 2005, Labthink lab had provided
complex materials containing aluminum becomemultiple-level professional services to more than
the favor of some manufacturers, who takes it2000 customers in the world. She data
as the perfectly safe measure. Speaking in thecomparison and exchange with world known
perspective of microscopic permeation, the barrierpacking labs such as MECADI Lab,  Germany and
property of aluminum foil is much higher than thatThailand Packing Center
of organic barrier materials. But it is more easilyOne thing worthy mentioning here is the barrier
to have pinholes and creases. (The number ofproperty test of container. Container is the
pinholes relates with aluminum thickness. Generallycommon form used in liquid packing. Its special
pinholes can be avoided only when the thicknessshape makes the barrier property testing rather
exceeds 16?m. However, the increase ofdifficult. In the past, gas permeance of it is
thickness will greatly increase product cost).estimated by testing sheet o f container.
Bending or impacting of materials duringHowever, there is obvious disparity existing
production and application may result in flaw ofbetween the estimated and the actual gas
aluminum, which in turn results in obviouspermeance of the container. Among various test
decrease of barrier property of materials and istechnologies, oxygen permeability testing of
unable to meet package requirements. Flawcontainer enjoys the rapidest development. The
materials without barrier property test may resultintroduction of standard ASTM F 1307 for
in extremely high content of inner oxygen andpackage oxygen permeability test not only
water vapor, which will cause food deterioration.accelerates the research and popularization of
That is why even the selection of high barrierpackage oxygen permeability instruments; test
materials cannot lower the requirement forresults are also more scientific and accurate. In
property testing of finished products2004, Labthink developed the first domestic
2. Barrier Property Testingpackage/film oxygen permeability tester. Based
Functional packing materials possess specialon electrochemistry principle and possessing
protective functions, such as high barrier property,double function of film test and package/container
environmental degradation, antistatic, eatable andtest, this instrument meets the requirements of
other special functions. At present, in terms ofASTM F 1307 and ASTM D 3985. This year,
food package, barrier materials attract the mostbased on its successful R&D experience of
attention in functional materials. This is becausepackage/film oxygen permeability tester and
barrier materials can prolong quality guaranteecombining with its water vapor permeability
period of inner content more effectively byinstrument R&D experience, Labthink
controlling the internal-external content andintroduces the TSY-W3 for package water vapor
exchange rate of gases such as oxygen, nitrogenpermeability test. This instrument adopts
and water vapor, etc., and by adapting to specialelectrochemistry principle and is accurate in
packing forms such as controlled atmospherehumidity and temperature controlling, which can
package and vacuum package. Barrier propertyeffectively avoid the influences on test data
test is the most advanced test item in presentcaused by the difference of constant
physical property test of materials. Now as ourtemperature and humidity controlling in gravimetric
country is attaching more importance to foodmethod. This kind of instrument provides a
package safety, more and more quality inspectionfavorable test method for the comprehensive
and supervision bodies, scientific researchunderstanding of package barrier property. At
institutes, material manufacturers as well aspresent, barrier property lab has provided barrier
relevant departments are purchasing barrierproperty test service to customers at home and
property testers to intensify their tests.abroad with satisfactory test results.
3. Labthink Permeability Lab4. Prospects
Being the first domestic manufacturer of packagePackage safety is essential to food safety.
test instruments that sets foot on barrierUnpacked food is rare nowadays, while package
property test, Labthink not only has productsforms relying on the property of packing
relevant to physical property test of many kindsmaterials are obviously increasing. Adopting barrier
of materials, but also possesses barrier propertymaterials reasonably can efficiently prolong quality
testers manufactured according to many testguarantee period of the food. Barrier property
methods (her instruments cover the testingtest can provide great help to select packing
methods of 8 standards worldwide). Becausematerials and to the designing of packing
barrier property testers are of high price and thestructures.
concept of barrier property has just been 
acquainted by the package users in recent years,Labthink Instruments Co., Ltd.
these instruments are not well popularized in ourMark Won  Secretary@labthink.