CN114132613B

CN114132613B - Container comprising a polyethylene laminate

Info

Publication number: CN114132613B
Application number: CN202111026124.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 程展; 周磊; 荣嘉绍; 延冬
Original assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Current assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Priority date: 2020-09-03
Filing date: 2021-09-02
Publication date: 2024-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2041-09-02
Also published as: CN114132613A; JP2023536181A

Abstract

The invention relates to a container comprising a polyethylene laminate. The present invention provides a container comprising a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises a first layer of longitudinally oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE), a second layer of biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE) and a third layer of Polyethylene (PE).

Description

Container comprising a polyethylene laminate

Technical Field

The present application relates to a container comprising a laminate of polyethylene.

Background

Plastic packages including rigid bottles and flexible bags (also referred to herein as pouches) are widely used in a variety of applications. One of the most important requirements for plastic packaging, especially for heavy duty plastic packaging for products such as detergent powders or liquids, is the mechanical strength of the thermoplastic material used to make the plastic packaging, as the plastic packaging needs to resist a degree of impact and maintain packaging integrity until the end of product use. To assess whether the plastic package is sufficiently robust to contain the contents therein, some tests were employed to measure mechanical properties. The most common tests include tensile strength, seal strength and drop tests. The tensile strength test is to measure the magnitude of tensile stress that breaks a plastic film. The seal strength test is to measure the amount of tensile stress that breaks a plastic package (such as a flexible bag) seal. The drop test aims at measuring the overall robustness of a plastic package, wherein the plastic package drops from a certain height, and then checks whether any leakage occurs.

In particular, stand-up pouches (SUP) with bottom gusset features are one of the most widely used flexible packages due to their support capability and improved use experience, and are commonly used to contain products such as powders or liquids in the fabric care field. Such pouches have very high mechanical properties to prevent leakage due to falling from high or being bumped by other objects. In this case, the choice of thermoplastic materials for preparing such plastic packages is very limited, since most thermoplastic materials do not provide sufficient mechanical strength as required. In addition, in order to meet the mechanical strength requirements, laminates comprising two or more layers of thermoplastic materials are often employed. Currently, commercially available laminates that can pass the drop test of detergent pouches include polyethylene terephthalate/polyethylene (PET/PE) laminates, polyamide/polyethylene (PA/PE) laminates, PET/PA/PE laminates, and PET/vacuum metallized PET/PE laminates. However, none of these laminate summaries are recyclable, as they all comprise at least two different thermoplastic polymers. Therefore, development of a laminate which has sufficient mechanical strength and is also recyclable is required.

Polyethylene (PE) is a common thermoplastic polymer used in plastic packaging. However, PE films generally have lower mechanical strength and heat resistance than other thermoplastic polymer films such as PET and PA. Recently, some new types of PE films such as oriented PE films have been developed to improve the mechanical properties of PE films. However, for the liquid products prior to the present invention, no known pouch made from a single polymer PE laminate can pass the drop test, especially under heavy loads of above 1 kg. Thus, plastic packages such as stand-up pouches (SUP) made from single polymer PE laminates remain technically challenging for heavy-duty applications of liquids, especially drop tests.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on the following surprising findings, the present disclosure meets one or more of the above needs: a single polymer PE laminate comprising a first machine direction oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE) layer, a second biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE) layer and a third Polyethylene (PE) layer may provide sufficient mechanical strength, especially to be able to pass the drop test. Furthermore, the laminate according to the present disclosure may be recyclable, as the laminate is a single polymer PE laminate, i.e. the main thermoplastic polymer in the laminate is PE.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a container comprising a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises a first MDO-PE layer, a second BO-PE layer, and a third PE layer.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a laundry detergent pouch containing 0.1kg to 3kg of laundry detergent, wherein the pouch is constructed from a laminate comprising a first MDO-PE layer, a second BO-PE layer, and a third PE layer.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a laminate comprising a first MDO-PE layer, a second BO-PE layer, and a third PE layer.

The laminate has the advantage of having sufficient mechanical strength to prevent leakage due to falling from high places, storing contents or being poked by sharp objects.

Another advantage of the laminate is that it is capable of passing the drop test of the detergent support pouch.

Another advantage of the laminate is the ability to make a recyclable container for detergent powder or liquid.

Another advantage of the laminate is that it allows for adequate heat sealing between two laminates according to the present disclosure.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of particular embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the present disclosure.

Drawings

The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and are not intended to limit the invention defined by the claims. The following detailed description of exemplary embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, and wherein:

fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a laminate according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a laminate according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The following text sets forth a broad description of a number of different embodiments of the present disclosure. The description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. It should be understood that any feature, characteristic, component, composition, ingredient, product, step or method described herein may be combined with or substituted for, in whole or in part, any other feature, characteristic, component, composition, ingredient, product, step or method described herein. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. All publications and patents cited herein are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a container comprising a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises a first MDO-PE layer, a second BO-PE layer, and a third PE layer. The total thickness of the laminate according to the present disclosure may be 70 to 400 microns, preferably 100 to 350 microns, more preferably 120 to 300 microns, most preferably 140 to 250 microns in diameter. In particular, the first layer may have a thickness of 5 to 50 microns, preferably 10 to 45 microns, more preferably 15 to 40 microns, most preferably 20 to 30 microns; and/or the second layer may have a thickness of 5 to 50 microns, preferably 8 to 45 microns, more preferably 12 to 40 microns, most preferably 15 to 25 microns; and/or the third layer may have a thickness of 10 microns to 250 microns, preferably 30 microns to 230 microns, more preferably 100 microns to 200 microns, most preferably 120 microns to 160 microns.

Preferably, the container may be recyclable. More preferably, the laminate according to the present disclosure may comprise not more than 10 wt%, preferably not more than 7 wt%, more preferably not more than 5 wt%, most preferably not more than 3 wt% of a thermoplastic polymer other than PE.

Preferably, the laminate according to the present disclosure may have a tensile strength in the machine direction of more than 39N/cm (100N/in), preferably more than 47N/cm (120N/in), more preferably more than 51N/cm (130N/in), most preferably more than 55N/cm (140N/in), as measured by the method according to test 2.

Preferably, the laminate according to the present disclosure may have a tensile strength in the cross direction of more than 39N/cm (100N/inch), preferably more than 47N/cm (120N/inch), more preferably more than 51N/cm (130N/inch), most preferably more than 55N/cm (140N/inch), as measured by the method according to test 2; and/or

Preferably, the laminate according to the present disclosure may have a seal strength at the side seal of more than 28N/cm (70N/inch), preferably more than 31N/cm (80N/inch), more preferably more than 35N/cm (90N/inch), most preferably more than 39N/cm (100N/inch), as measured by the method according to test 3; and/or

Preferably, the laminate according to the present disclosure may have a seal strength at the bottom seal of more than 28N/cm (70N/inch), preferably more than 31N/cm (80N/inch), more preferably more than 35N/cm (90N/inch), most preferably more than 39N/cm (100N/inch), as measured by the method according to test 3.

Preferably, the container according to the present disclosure may be a flexible pouch (also referred to as a "pouch"), preferably a flexible stand-up pouch. The term "stand-up pouch," "stand-up pouch," or "stand-up pouch" as used herein refers to a pouch having a bottom gusset feature that is capable of allowing the pouch to stand up without being supported by any external article. In particular, the container according to the present disclosure may be a flexible bag with a spout, preferably a flexible stand-up bag with a spout.

As used herein, the term "spout" encompasses spout assemblies with or without a cap, and in particular, a spout includes a spout body and a cap that is preferably separable from the spout body. The nozzle may have any suitable size, for example having a diameter of 0.5cm to 10 cm. The spout may be located at any suitable location, and in particular, the spout may be located on the top edge, for example near a midpoint of the top edge (i.e., a top spout pouch), or near a connection point between the top edge and the first side edge (i.e., a corner spout pouch). The nozzle may have a centroid. The spout may have one or more features. As used herein, the term "feature" refers to any structural characteristic. The nozzle may be manufactured via suitable methods such as injection molding, compression molding, blow molding, and the like. And the nozzle may be made of a polyolefin, such as PE or PP, preferably HDPE, and more preferably a blend of HDPE and LLDPE.

Preferably, the container may contain 0.05kg to 10kg, preferably 0.1kg to 5kg, more preferably 0.2kg to 3kg of product, e.g. 0.1kg, 0.2kg, 0.3kg, 0.4kg, 0.5kg, 1kg, 2kg, 3kg, 4kg, 5kg or any range thereof. More preferably, the product may be selected from the group consisting of: fabric care products, home care products, hair care products, beauty care products and personal care products, preferably laundry detergent products, more preferably granular laundry detergents or liquid laundry detergents.

The layers in the laminate according to the present disclosure may be arranged in any order. Preferably, the layers in the laminate according to the present disclosure may be arranged as i), ii) and iii) or ii), i) and iii) in sequence from the outside to the inside. In the context of the present disclosure, the term "inner" refers to the side of the laminate (e.g. flexible bag) in the package facing the content (e.g. detergent liquid) contained in the package, and the term "outer" refers to the side of the laminate opposite to the inner.

The entire laminate and the layers in the laminate according to the present disclosure may have different initial sealing temperatures as measured by the method according to test 4. In particular, the entire laminate according to the invention may have an initial sealing temperature of not more than 125 ℃, preferably not more than 120 ℃, more preferably not more than 118 ℃, most preferably not more than 115 ℃, and the first layer may have an initial sealing temperature of at least 130 ℃, preferably at least 135 ℃, more preferably at least 140 ℃, most preferably at least 145 ℃, as measured by the method according to test 4.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a pouch containing from 0.05kg to 10kg, preferably from 0.1kg to 5kg, more preferably from 0.2kg to 3kg of laundry detergent, wherein the pouch is constructed from a laminate comprising a first MDO-PE layer, a second BO-PE layer, and a third PE layer.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a laminate comprising a first MDO-PE layer, a second BO-PE layer, and a third PE layer. Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a laminate according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 shows a laminate 1 comprising a first MDO-PE layer 11, a second BO-PE layer 12 and a third PE layer 13, wherein the adhesive between the layers is not shown.

Fig. 2 shows a laminate 2 comprising a first BO-PE layer 21, a second MDO-PE layer 22 and a third PE layer 23, wherein the adhesive between the layers is not shown.

Polyethylene ("PE")

The laminates of the present disclosure comprise Polyethylene (PE) as the primary thermoplastic polymer (i.e., PE-based laminates). In turn, the PE component may comprise one or more partitions (or even sub-partitions) of PE polymer. PE is generally classified into high density (HDPE, density 0.941g/cc or greater), medium density (MDPE, density 0.926g/cc to 0.940 g/cc), low density (LDPE, density 0.910g/cc to 0.925 g/cc) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE, density 0.910g/cc to 0.925 g/cc). See, for example, ASTM D4976-98: standard specifications for polyethylene plastic molded and extruded materials. These PE partitions may then be further divided into single-mode or multi-mode (e.g., dual-mode) sub-partitions.

One of the main uses of polyethylene (HDPE, LLDPE and LDPE) is in film applications such as grocery bags, institutional and consumer can liners, commodity bags, shipping bags, food packaging films, multi-wall bags, liners, production bags, stretch wrap, shrink wrap, and the like. Key physical properties of PE-based film layers may include tear strength, impact strength, tensile strength, stiffness, and transparency. Different combinations of PE partitions and sub-partitions are used herein depending on the application and/or desired film characteristics. In some embodiments, the PE component in the laminates of the present disclosure will comprise a level of Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) polymer.

At least one layer of the film comprises 70% to 99% of the PE component by weight of the at least one layer of the film. Preferably, at least one layer of the film comprises 75% to 98%, more preferably 80% to 95%, still more preferably 82% to 93% of the PE component by weight of at least one layer. The PE component has at least one PE polymer, optionally two or more PE polymers. At least one layer of the film comprises 70% to 99% by weight of the at least one layer of PE polymer of at least one PE component. Preferably, at least one layer of the film comprises 75% to 98%, more preferably 80% to 95%, still more preferably 82% to 93% by weight of the at least one layer of PE polymer of the at least one PE component.

In some embodiments, at least one film layer comprises from 1% to 100% of the LLDPE polymer by weight of the PE component. More preferably, the LLDPE is from 25% to 100%, alternatively from 25% to 90%, still more preferably from 30% to 100%, still more preferably the LLDPE is greater than 50%, preferably greater than at least 60%, more preferably greater than at least 70% by weight of the PE component (in at least one film layer).

In some embodiments, at least one film layer comprises from 1% to 100% HDPE or MDPE polymer by weight of the PE component. More preferably the HDPE or MDPE is from 10% to 80%, alternatively from 20% to 60%, still more preferably from 30% to 50% by weight of the PE component (in at least one film layer).

Suitable suppliers/products of PE may include Dowlex from Dow Chemical ^TM And Borstar from Borealis and boruge ^TM Enable from Exxon Mobile ^TM 。

Longitudinally oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE)

The laminate of the present disclosure includes a layer of machine direction oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE). The Machine Direction (MD) is also referred to as the longitudinal direction (substantially perpendicular to the Transverse Direction (TD)). MD orientation is the preferred initial step after formation of the unconverted film. During MD orientation, the unconverted film is heated from the blow molding or casting line to an orientation temperature via one or more heated rolls. The heated film was fed into a slow stretching roll with a nip roll having the same rolling speed as the heated roll. The film then enters a fast stretching roll. The fast stretching roll has a speed that is 2 to 10 times faster than the slow stretching roll, which is effective to continuously stretch the film. There may also be another fast stretching roll that is even faster than the first fast stretching roll so that the film is subjected to two-step stretching. Between the two stretching steps, there is another set of heated rolls that set the temperature of the film after the first stretching and before the second stretching. The temperatures in the two stretching steps may be the same or different. The orientation may also be a single stretch rather than a two-step stretch.

The overall MD stretch ratio is from 2:1 to 10:1, more preferably from 3:1 to 9:1, and even more preferably from 5:1 to 8:1. The overall MD stretch ratio includes all orientation steps. For example, if a two-step orientation is used with a first stretch ratio of 2:1 and a second stretch ratio of 3:1, the overall stretch ratio is thus 6:1.

The orientation temperature in MD orientation is about 50 ℃ to 140 ℃ or less, preferably 130 ℃ or less, more preferably 120 ℃ or less, or 60 ℃ to 120 ℃, or 115 ℃ or less, or 70 ℃ to 115 ℃. The temperature also depends on the processing speed. Generally, higher processing speeds require relatively higher temperatures due to relatively shorter contact times between the film and the heated rolls; whereas a slower processing speed requires a relatively lower temperature due to the longer contact time.

Typical thicknesses of the MDO-PE layer are from 5 microns to 50 microns, preferably from 10 microns to 45 microns, more preferably from 15 microns to 40 microns, most preferably from 20 microns to 30 microns.

Biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE)

The laminates of the present disclosure include a biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE) layer. BO-PE films are films that stretch in both MD and TD, resulting in molecular chain orientation in both directions. One of the common methods for preparing BO-PE is a sequential method, wherein a thick extruded sheet is heated to its softening point (not heated to the melting point) and mechanically stretched in the machine direction using heated rolls, and then stretched in the cross-machine direction (i.e., orthogonal to the direction of travel) in a heated oven. It is also possible to stretch the film in both directions at the same time, although the equipment required for this is somewhat more complex. In particular, BO-PE can be prepared by a tubular process in which tubular air bubbles are inflated or a tenter frame process in which a thick extruded sheet is heated to its softening point (rather than the melting point) and mechanically stretched. Biaxially oriented polyethylene film processes have been disclosed in, for example, patents WO201270373A1, US10363700B2 and US6689857B 1.

The MD stretch ratio may be 4.5:1 to 6:1 and the TD stretch ratio may be 7:1 to 8:1, although these ratios are fully adjustable.

Typical thicknesses of the BO-PE layer are 5 microns to 50 microns, preferably 8 microns to 45 microns, more preferably 12 microns to 40 microns, most preferably 20 microns to 40 microns.

Test method

Test 1: drop test

The drop test performed in the present disclosure is based on the following Neyer drop test.

The 30pcs filled pouches were subjected to free fall experiments from a height ranging from 73.9cm to 182 cm. Specifically, each individual pouch was lowered 4-5 times from a height of 73.9cm (2 x base, 1x front, 1x rear, 1x spout (if it had to face down during lowering)) to see if it was passable (no leakage) or failed. If it can pass at a height of 73.9cm, the free fall experiment will repeat from the increased height until a height of 182cm or it fails at some height. The allowable height is calculated as the result by subtracting the average of 3 standard deviations of the total 30pcs from the maximum height. The success criterion is an allowable height >/=1.0 meters. The test conditions were room temperature (25 ℃).

Test 2: tensile Strength test

Tensile strength was measured on an Instron tensile tester at room temperature in both the machine and transverse directions. The samples were obtained by cutting the body or bottom of the pouch into strips of film having a width of 25.4mm and a length of 250 mm. The movement speed of the tensile tester (crosshead) was 300mm/min. The breaking force of each film strip was recorded as a result, i.e., tensile strength in the machine direction and tensile strength in the transverse direction.

Test 3: seal Strength test

Seal strength was also measured on an Instron tensile tester at room temperature. Samples were obtained by cutting the sealing laminate at different locations of the pouch into strips of film having a width of 25.4 mm. For the side seals, samples were obtained at 6 different positions (3 on the left and 3 on the right) and for the bottom seal, samples were obtained at 6 different positions (3 on the front and 3 on the back). The movement speed of the tensile tester (crosshead) was 300mm/min. The average of the separation forces of the membrane strip from both the different locations of the side seal and the different locations of the bottom seal was recorded as a result, i.e. the seal strength of the side seal and the seal strength of the bottom seal.

Test 4: measurement of initial seal temperature

The initial sealing temperature was measured on a hot tack device (SL-10 from Testing Machines inc., new casting-delay, USA) which can precisely control the temperature, time and pressure of the heat seal by setting a control panel. The sample was heated on the apparatus at 4 bar, 0.72 seconds by using different temperatures (starting from a relatively low temperature) to determine if it could be sealed. If it cannot be sealed, the test is repeated at a higher temperature. The minimum temperature interval of the apparatus may be 1 ℃. If the sample can be sealed starting from a certain temperature, such temperature is recorded as the initial sealing temperature.

Examples

Example 1: drop test of stand-up pouch with single polymer PE laminate

The pouches were each made using a different single polymer PE laminate, with laminate 1 having a 3 layer structure (MDO-PE, BO-PE and PE) and comparative laminates 1 and 2 having a 2 layer structure (MDO-PE and PE for comparative laminate 1 and BO-PE and PE for comparative laminate 2). Each laminate was prepared by dry lamination, wherein an adhesive was applied to one film, dried, and then the other film was placed on the adhesive surface to form a bond. In the case of the 3-layer structure, the same process is applied again between the third layer film and the 2-layer laminate. The specific structures of laminate 1 and comparative laminates 1 and 2 are shown in table 1 below. The initial sealing temperatures measured by the method according to test 4 for MDO-PE, BO-PE and PE were >155 ℃, 125 ℃ and 125 ℃, respectively.

Stand-up pouches (SUP) were made by using laminate 1 and comparing laminates 1 and 2. The SUP comprises three panels, a front panel, a rear panel and a bottom panel. The pouch fabrication method includes film cutting, body panel (front and back panels) double-sided sealing, bottom panel double-sided sealing, gusset member four-sided sealing, and gusset die cutting. In particular, the bottom panel is rectangular in shape that can be folded horizontally at the center line. The two edges of the bottom panel along the longer sides are sealed with a front panel and a rear panel, respectively. At the gusset member, a body panel double-sided seal and a gusset member four-sided seal are formed simultaneously. SUP were produced by using a Tiemin pouch maker (sealing temperature: 125 ℃ to 130 ℃ and sealing pressure: 3 bar to 4 bar) from Tiemin, wuxi, china.

The pouch made from laminate 1 and comparative laminates 1 and 2 had the same design, namely the pouch design of Ariel Japan, 1.35kg heavy detergent liquid (pouch size of width 198mm, height 272mm, gusset depth 55 mm). The MDO-PE and BO-PE films used in all of these laminates were identical. The blown PE used in all of these laminates had the same PE composite and only varied in thickness. Pouches for all three laminates were formed on the same pouch making machine. The pouch was successfully prepared by using laminate 1 and comparative laminate 1, but the pouch could not be prepared by using comparative laminate 2 because the pouch could not be heat sealed without sealing problems. In particular, the pouch used for comparative laminate 2 was either not sealed well leaving a weak or open seal or was oversealed with a seal that was significantly wrinkled or burned. No operating window was found on the pouch maker. Water was filled with a target fill weight of 1.36 kg.

TABLE 1 Structure of the monopolymer PE laminate

MDO-PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

2 BO-PE from Guangdong Decro Film New Materials co., ltd., fossan, guangdong, china

3 Blown PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

4 Blown PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

The total thickness includes the thickness of all PE layers and the thickness of the adhesive between the PE layers.

Drop tests were performed according to test 1. The 30pcs pouch prepared above was subjected to a drop test at room temperature. The allowable height is calculated by subtracting the average of 3 standard deviations of a total of 30pcs from the maximum height. The results of the drop test are shown in table 2 below, where laminate 1 shows significantly better drop resistance than comparative laminate 1, although laminate 1 has a thinner overall thickness than comparative laminate 1.

TABLE 2 results of drop test

	Height of tolerance	Note that
			Laminate 1	>182.0cm	21pcs pass 182.0cm
Comparative laminate 1	83.4cm	0pcs through 182.0cm

Example 2: tensile strength of the 3-layer single polymer PE laminate is improved compared to the 2-layer single polymer PE laminate

Laminate 1 and comparative laminate 1 were subjected to a tensile strength test according to test 2. The results of the tensile strength test are shown in table 3 below, wherein laminate 1 shows significantly improved tensile strength, especially in the cross direction, compared to comparative laminate 1, although laminate 1 has a thinner overall thickness than comparative laminate 1.

TABLE 3 results of tensile Strength test

	Longitudinal (N/cm)	Transverse (N/cm)
			Laminate 1	70.42	65.77
Comparative laminate 1	69.08	50.39

Example 3: seal strength improvement for 3-layer single polymer PE laminates compared to 2-layer single polymer PE laminates

Samples were taken from different locations including at least three locations at the bottom and at least three locations at the sides of the stand-up pouch prepared in example 1 and then subjected to a seal strength test according to test 3. The results of the seal strength test are shown in table 4 below, where laminate 1 shows a much higher seal strength of the bottom seal of the stand-up pouch than comparative laminate 1, although laminate 1 has a thinner overall thickness than comparative laminate 1.

TABLE 4 results of seal Strength test

	Side seal (N/cm)	Bottom seal (N/cm)
			Laminate 1	45.35	51.46
Comparative laminate 1	49.17	24.4

Example 4: successful fabrication of a sprayed on stand-up pouch with a single polymer PE laminateSimilar to example 1, stand-up pouches were made using different single polymer PE laminates (laminate 1 and comparative laminate 1), respectively, except that the stand-up pouch contained a spout at the junction between the top edge and side edge of the pouch. The nozzle is made of PE. During the manufacture of the pouches, the spout was inserted into a continuous spout insertion machine (otani ST-30 spout insertion machine). Specifically, the lance is preheated (e.g., 200-240 ℃,0.35MPa and 0.5 seconds). The spout is then heat sealed at heating station #1 (e.g., 165 ℃,0.2MPa and 0.2 seconds) and then heat sealed at heating station #2 (e.g., 190 ℃,0.1MPa and 0.1 seconds). Finally, it was cooled at a cooling station (0.35 MPa and 0.35 seconds).

As shown in table 5 below, laminate 1 had a 3-layer structure (MDO-PE, BO-PE, and PE) and comparative laminate 1 had a 2-layer structure (MDO-PE and PE for comparative laminate 1). Each laminate was prepared similarly as in example 1.

TABLE 5 Structure of the monopolymer PE laminate

MDO-PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

3 Blown PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

4 Blown PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

The spray stand-up pouch made from laminate 1 and comparative laminate 1 had the same design, i.e., the spray pouch design of Ariel Japan, 1.35kg of heavy duty liquid (pouch size of 198mm width, 272mm height, 55mm gusset depth). The MDO-PE film used in all of these laminates was the same. The blown PE used in all of these laminates had the same PE composite and only varied in thickness. Pouches for all three laminates were formed on the same pouch making machine. Pouches were successfully made using laminate 1, but pouches could not be made using comparative laminate 1 because the spout could not be heat sealed to the laminate without sealing problems. The results of pouch fabrication are shown below. In addition, some other sealing conditions of the comparative laminate 1 were tried, but all failed.

TABLE 6 results of pouch fabrication

Example 5: drop test of spray stand-up pouch with single polymer PE laminate

To determine whether a spray stand-up pouch made from a single polymer PE laminate could pass the drop test, laminate 2 and laminate 3 as shown in table 7 below were used to make spray pouches of Ariel Japan, 1.35kg of heavy duty liquid (pouch size of 198mm width, 272mm height, gusset depth of 55 mm) and spray pouches of Ariel Japan, 500g of heavy duty liquid (pouch size of 140mm width, 225mm height, gusset depth of 38 mm), similar to that in example 4.

TABLE 7 Structure of the monopolymer PE laminate

	Laminate 2	Laminate 3
			An outer layer	MDO-PE ¹ ，25μm	MDO-PE ¹ ，25μm
Intermediate layer	BO-PE ² ，25μm	BO-PE ² ，40μm
			Inner layer	Blow molding PE ³ ，140μm	Blow molding PE ³ ，140μm
Total thickness of	About 190 to 195 μm ⁴	About 205 to 210 μm

MDO-PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

3 Blown PE from Huangshan Novel Co., ltd., huangshan, anhui, china

Drop tests were performed according to test 1. The 30pcs pouch prepared above was subjected to a drop test at room temperature. The allowable height is calculated by subtracting the average of 3 standard deviations of a total of 30pcs from the maximum height. The results of the drop test are shown in table 8 below, wherein the ejected stand-up pouch made from laminate 1 and laminate 2 can pass the drop test at both room temperature and 5 ℃. This is entirely unexpected because there are no known spray stand-up pouches made from single PE laminates that can pass the drop test.

TABLE 8 results of drop test

	Height of tolerance
		Laminate 2 (1.35 kg pouch)	>182.0cm
Laminate 3 (1.35 kg pouch)	>182.0cm
		Laminate 2 (500 g pouch)	>182.0cm
Laminate 3 (500 g pouch)	>182.0cm

Each document cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patent or patent application, and any patent application or patent for which this application claims priority or benefit from, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention, or that it is not entitled to any disclosed or claimed herein, or that it is prior art with respect to itself or any combination of one or more of these references. Furthermore, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A container comprising a laminate, the laminate comprising:

i) A first layer, said first layer being a layer of longitudinally oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE),

ii) a second layer which is a biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE) layer, and

iii) A third layer, the third layer being a Polyethylene (PE) layer,

wherein the container is a stand-up pouch having a spout, the stand-up pouch being made from the laminate, wherein the stand-up pouch comprises a body panel comprised of a front panel and a rear panel, and a bottom panel, further comprising a bottom gusset member,

wherein the stand-up pouch comprises a body panel double-sided seal, a bottom panel double-sided seal, and a gusset member four-sided seal, and the body panel double-sided seal and the gusset member four-sided seal are formed simultaneously at the gusset member,

wherein the laminate has a seal strength at the side seals of more than 28N/cm, and

wherein the laminate has a seal strength at the bottom seal of more than 28N/cm.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the laminate has a total thickness of 70 microns to 400 microns; and/or

Wherein the first layer has a thickness of 5 microns to 50 microns; and/or

Wherein the second layer has a thickness of 5 microns to 50 microns; and/or

Wherein the third layer has a thickness of 10 microns to 250 microns.

3. The container of claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is recyclable.

4. The container of claim 1 or 2, wherein the laminate comprises no more than 10 wt.% of a thermoplastic polymer that is not PE.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the laminate has a tensile strength in the machine direction of more than 39N/cm; and/or

Wherein the laminate has a tensile strength in the cross direction of more than 39N/cm; and/or

Wherein the laminate has a seal strength at the side seals of more than 39N/cm; and/or

Wherein the laminate has a seal strength at the bottom seal of more than 39N/cm.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is a flexible bag.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein the container contains 0.05kg to 10kg of product.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of: fabric care products, home care products, hair care products, beauty care products, and personal care products.

9. The container of claim 8, wherein the product is selected from a laundry detergent product, the laundry detergent product being a granular laundry detergent or a liquid laundry detergent.

10. The container according to claim 1, wherein the layers in the laminate are arranged as a first layer, a second layer and a third layer or a second layer, a first layer and a third layer in this order from the outside to the inside.

11. The container of claim 1, wherein the first layer has an initial sealing temperature of at least 130 ℃; and wherein the laminate has an initial sealing temperature of no more than 125 ℃.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is a laundry detergent pouch containing 0.1kg to 5kg of laundry detergent.

13. The container of claim 1, wherein the spout is located on the top edge of the stand-up pouch or at the junction of the top edge and the side edge.

14. The container of claim 1, wherein the spout is made of Polyethylene (PE).