Shining the Spotlight on Sarah Ross, Glassflake Quality Manager
Sarah Ross, is our Quality Manager, and has been with the company for 12 years. Starting as an administrator in August 2011, Sarah has worked her way to her current role as...
Flexible films are often found in food packaging applications and are required to increase the shelf life of products, by reducing moisture vapour transmission (MVT) and oxygen transmission rates (OTR). Incorporating glassflakes into packaging plastics, the natural leafing behaviour of glassflakes creates a ‘tortuous path’ to slow transmission rates and thus reduce spoilage.
Glassflake’s stacking and overlapping of high aspect ratio flakes creates an incomplete barrier of impermeable glass in the coating, creating a ‘tortuous’ path around each of the flakes of any permeating vapour to travel to the substrate.
Incorporating glassflakes into packaging films can also gain enhancements of strength while retaining flexibility, and still produce a visibly transparent film for product display purposes.
The MVT and OTR performance enhancements of glassflakes are so pronounced, they have also received considerable attention in biodegradable resins that have typically struggled to compete with current technologies.
Glassflakes are chemically inert so are environmentally benign. Reduced food waste, decreased plastic usage, and contributing to the development of green packaging alternatives are all key steps in tackling the environmental challenges impacting all of us.
It is exciting that as Glassflake technology continues to evolve, it opens endless possibilities for innovative and functional packaging design. From food and beverages, to personal care and healthcare products. Glassflake is transforming the way we think about packaging.
We welcome any readers with interest in these applications to contact a member of the team for further discussion.
Morgan joined the Glassflake Team in 2021, combining his interest in chemistry and sales, as Sales Coordinator. Morgan’s is extremely well versed in our glassflake technology and passionate about communicating relevant information and supporting new and existing clients.
