Converting

Every year, we invest between €25 million and €30 million in our converting technologies. These are extrusion, coating and laminating, metalizing, lacquering, printing, cutting and creasing and finishing.











Extrusion.  The primary manufacturing process used in the plastic flexible packaging businesses is extrusion. Extrusion involves melting polymer resins and forcing the molten polymer through a die to form plastic film. This film can be single layer (mono extrusion) or multi layer (co-extrusion) and can be in the form of a tube in the case of blown extrusion or in the form of a sheet in the case of cast extrusion. The film produced in the casting and blowing processes is rapidly cooled and wound onto reels ready for printing, converting and finishing. 




Coating and laminating.  Coating and laminating technologies are used to produce foil-based packaging products. The principal raw material used in the foil business is aluminium. We purchase aluminium ingots from commodity suppliers and contract with third party rolling mills to roll the aluminium. Many foil-based products require lamination or coating. In the lamination process, two or more materials, typically aluminium foil and either paper or plastic film, are bonded together to produce packaging of two or more layers, frequently incorporating heat sealing and other protective characteristics.




Metalizing.  The metalizing process is used primarily to manufacture tobacco box inner liners. This process involves vaporizing a metal, which is then condensed and applied as a thin veneer onto a cold surface, typically paper, using electrolysis. The product preservation performance capabilities of metalized materials are similar to aluminium foil materials. 





 
Lacquering.  Lacquering involves the application of a thin film of lacquer onto a finished product to give it protective properties and to provide a smooth surface for printing, a high gloss finish and/or sealing properties. We produce water-based and solvent-based lacquers. Most foil-based flexible packaging products are lacquered. 




 
Rotogravure printing.  This gravure printing process is used to manufacture high-quality printed flexible packaging. This process uses etched metal cylinders to apply ink directly to aluminium foil or plastic film to reproduce a high-quality printed image. Rotogravure printing, compared to flexographic printing, is better suited to long production runs and higher colour fidelity requirements. We also operate flexographic, offset and digital printing technologies.



Flexographic printing. This printing process is used primarily to print flexible packaging for confectionery, frozen food, beverage and household products. This technology uses a pliable printing plate that transfers ink directly onto the aluminium foil, plastic film or paper and entails lower costs and shorter preparation times than rotogravure printing. It is thus better suited to small and medium-size production runs.



Finishing. The finishing processes include cutting and creasing, and gluing. The sheet-fed lithographic offset printing process is used to provide high quality image reproduction. After printing, the paperboard sheets are often varnished for protection, then cut, creased and glued for ease of assembly on customers’ packing lines.