GT film widely used in the food industry

The ceramic film, also known as GT film, was first introduced into the market in 1996 by Japan's Daejeon Printing Corporation and Toyo Ink Corporation, and immediately attracted the attention of the packaging industry. The method of coating the ceramic film is similar to that of the conventional metal plating method and is basically performed according to a known processing method.

In recent years, people's requirements for food packaging have become higher and higher, and higher requirements have been put forward for food packaging films, such as heat resistance, high barrier property, good transparency, and excellent microwave permeability. In recent years, more and more eye-catching is the transparent ceramic coating with high functionality and environmental friendliness. Although the current price is high, the physical properties of the film still need to be further improved, but it is expected that it will occupy an important position in food packaging materials in the near future.

The ceramic coating consists of PET (12u) and ceramic (SiOx). Silicon oxide can be divided into four types of SiO, Si3O4, Si2O3, and SiO2. However, in nature they are usually present in the form of SiO2, so they vary greatly depending on the metal plating conditions. The main requirements for this type of film are good transparency, excellent barrier properties, excellent resistance to retort, better microwave penetration and good environmental protection, and good mechanical properties.

Problems in the Compounding Process Ceramic coated films can be made essentially from the same conditions used to make the aluminized films. It is extremely important to carefully treat the surface layer during the preparation process without damaging the coating. Since this film is treated with silicon oxide, the surface has excellent wettability, and therefore, it is widely used in the selection range of the ink or the adhesive, and it is almost compatible with any ink or adhesive. Polyurethane adhesives are the most desirable adhesives, and the inks can be arbitrarily selected according to the purpose of use, without the need for surface treatment.

However, the plated ceramic film is not easily compounded with polyethylene as the aluminized film, because the PET film is used as a base material, and when the silicon oxide surface is directly coated with the baked polyethylene at a high temperature, it easily tends to elongate and thus damages. Silicon oxide surface layer, resulting in reduced barrier properties. At the same time, under the current conditions, due to technical process problems, the PET film sometimes undergoes curling during the plating process, which affects the quality of the film. Of course, such problems are being solved.

The market is vast and it is worthwhile to develop a ceramic coating film firstly used as a condiment packaging material for thin noodles. Its excellent packaging performance has attracted people's attention.

Due to its excellent barrier properties, besides being used as a high-barrier packaging material for food packaging, it is also expected to be used as a cover material on microwaveable containers, condiments, precision machinery parts, electricity parts, medicines and medical instruments. And so on as a packaging material. With the further development of processing technology, if this kind of film is greatly reduced in cost, then it will be rapidly popularized and applied.