Packaging material and method for producing the same

Abstract

A laminate packaging material (10) is provided that comprises a bulk layer (12) of paper or paperboard or other cellulosic material including a plurality of longitudinally distributed holes extending through the bulk layer (12), one or more outer layers (14) laminated to the bulk layer (12), and one or more inner layers (16, 18, 19) laminated to the bulk layer (12), said inner and outer layers (14, 16, 18, 19) covering said holes on said bulk layer to form a plurality of longitudinally distributed laminate holes (30) and a plurality of longitudinally distributed primary holes (31) extending through the entire thickness of an associated laminate hole, each primary hole (31) being surrounded by an edge of the laminate hole (30).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a laminated packaging material for producing individually packaged containers for liquid food. The present invention also relates to a method for producing such a laminated packaging material. [Background technology]

[0002] Disposable packaging containers for liquid foods are often manufactured from packaging laminates based on paperboard or carton, and today there is a wide variety of such packaging containers on the market. One commonly used packaging container is sold under the trademark Tetra Brik Aseptic® and is mainly used for the aseptic packaging of liquid foods such as milk, fruit juices, etc., which are sold for long-term ambient storage. The packaging material of this known packaging container is typically a laminate comprising a bulk or core layer of paper, paperboard or other cellulosic material and an outer liquid-tight layer of thermoplastic plastic. To make the packaging container gas-tight, in particular oxygen gas-tight, for example for the purposes of aseptic packaging and packaging of milk or fruit juice, the laminates of these packaging containers usually comprise at least one additional barrier layer, most commonly aluminum foil.

[0003] On the inside of the laminate, i.e. the side intended to face the food contents filled in a container made from the laminate, there is an innermost layer applied onto the aluminum foil, which may comprise one or more partial layers comprising adhesive polymers and / or heat-sealable thermoplastic polymers such as polyolefins, and, outside the bulk layer, there is an outermost heat-sealable polymer layer.

[0004] Packaging containers are generally produced by modern high-speed packaging machines of the type that form, fill and seal packages from webs or from prefabricated blanks of packaging material. Thus, packaging containers can be produced by converting a web of laminate packaging material into a tube by bonding both longitudinal edges of the web together with an overlapping joint by welding together the innermost and outermost heat-sealable thermoplastic polymer layers. The tube is filled with the desired liquid food product and then divided into individual packages by repeated transverse sealing of the tube at a predetermined distance from each other below the level of the contents in the tube. The packaging material is separated from the tube by scoring along the transverse seals and given the desired geometric shape, usually a parallelepiped, by folding along creases made in the packaging material.

[0005] The main advantage of this continuous tube forming, filling and sealing packaging concept is that the web can be continuously sterilized just before tube forming, thus offering the possibility of an aseptic packaging process, i.e. a process in which the liquid contents to be filled and the packaging material itself are reduced from bacteria, the filled packaging containers are produced under clean conditions, there is no risk of microbial growth in the filled product and they can be stored for long periods even at ambient temperature. Another important advantage of the Tetra Brik® type packaging process is, as mentioned above, the possibility of continuous high speed packaging, which has a considerable impact on cost efficiency.

[0006] Packaging containers for sensitive liquid foods, such as milk and juice, can be produced from sheet blanks or prefabricated blanks of the laminate packaging material of the invention. Packaging containers are produced from flat-folded tubular blanks of the packaging laminate by first assembling the blanks to form an open tubular container capsule, one of whose open ends is closed by folding and heat sealing an integral end panel. The container capsule thus closed is filled through its open end with a food product, such as juice, and is then closed by further folding and heat sealing a corresponding integral end panel. Examples of packaging containers produced from sheet and tubular blanks are conventional so-called gable-top packages. Some of these packages have a molded top made of plastic.

[0007] To improve packaging, technologies have been developed to provide opening devices to packaging containers. This not only makes the package easier for the consumer to manipulate and reduces the risk of spills when pouring liquid foods, but also improves the overall integrity of the package when the opening device is properly manufactured and attached to the package. Opening devices can be resealable, non-resealable, or resealable, such as a screw cap.

[0008] Existing packaging containers with opening devices are manufactured by attaching a prefabricated opening device to a laminate packaging material. The laminate packaging material is provided with a prefabricated hole where the opening device is to be attached. This hole is provided by drilling a hole in the bulk or core layer before lamination and covering the hole on the inside and outside with additional laminate layers containing a barrier material (these layers form a membrane). Thus, the packaging material remains intact at the opening device, and when a user operates the opening device for the first time to open the packaging container, the membrane is pierced, thereby allowing access to the contents inside the packaging container.

[0009] Another option is injection molded opening devices. These opening devices can be formed over prefabricated holes covered with a membrane by injecting a polymeric material onto one or possibly both sides of the packaging material and molding the polymer into the shape of the opening device, as explained above. They can also be provided with a tear-away section that the consumer tears just before consumption. Another alternative to injection molded opening devices can be a cap that is tied to the spout of the opening device.

[0010] For consumer satisfaction, it is desirable for penetration and tear forces to be as low as possible, but the opening structure must provide some resistance to prevent unintentional penetration or tearing, so careful design is required to meet these requirements.

[0011] In view of the above, there is a need for improved laminate packaging materials that allow opening equipment to be used in a manner that ensures the required integrity of the package while at the same time ensuring that the required opening or tear forces are within clearly defined tolerance levels. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] It is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the above identified limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ready-to-use laminate packaging material that allows for an opening device to be injection molded directly into the laminate packaging material.

[0013] The term "ready to use" should be construed to mean a packaging material that can be fed into a packaging form-and-fill machine without the need for substantial modification.

[0014] According to a first aspect, there is provided a method for producing a laminated packaging material, comprising: i) providing a bulk layer of paper or paperboard or other cellulosic material, ii) providing a plurality of longitudinally distributed holes on the bulk layer, iii) laminating one or more outer layers on the bulk layer, the outer layers intended to face the outside of a packaging container formed by the packaging material, iv) laminating one or more inner layers on the bulk layer, the inner layers intended to face the inside of a packaging container formed by the packaging material, the inner and outer layers covering said holes on the bulk layer, thereby forming a plurality of longitudinally distributed laminate holes, v) determining desired positions of the plurality of longitudinally distributed holes corresponding to the actual positions of the plurality of longitudinally distributed laminate holes, and vi) providing a plurality of longitudinally distributed holes at desired positions, each hole extending through the entire thickness of an associated laminate hole and surrounded by an edge of an associated laminate hole. The laminate packaging material is preferably stored or transported and made ready for use by feeding the packaging material to a packaging form and fill machine. In this way, the laminate packaging material is ready for the addition of an opening device. The addition of this opening device may be achieved by injection molding, which may be easier compared to molding on a membrane of a laminate hole, which may avoid hardening or flow of the polymer between the two sides of the packaging material. Also, the opening force and / or tear force required to open the opening device is entirely determined by the design of the opening device, independent of the composition and strength of the layers of the packaging material. In this context, "edge of laminate hole" means the edge of the bulk layer that defines the hole on the bulk layer. In a likely embodiment, the laminate hole may be surrounded by the laminate edge of the bulk layer that defines the hole and laminated by the outermost layer. In another likely embodiment, the laminate hole may be surrounded by the laminate edge of the bulk layer that defines the hole, which is laminated by the innermost layer.

[0015] The longitudinally disposed holes are provided during the converting process, preferably with reference to crease lines and / or reference marks, which provides a significant advantage as undesired movement of the packaging material in the packaging form-and-fill machine does not affect the positioning of the longitudinally disposed holes.

[0016] The method may further comprise providing the laminate packaging material with preferably resealable opening devices, each opening device covering one of the holes. Each opening device may be provided by injection molding directly into the laminate packaging material. By integrating the injection molding into the filling machine, very high throughputs can be achieved and do not require modification of the equipment used to manufacture the laminate packaging material.

[0017] The method may further comprise providing a plurality of crease lines and / or fiducial marks on the bulk layer prior to laminating the one or more inner and / or outer layers to the bulk layer, and the desired positions of the plurality of longitudinally distributed holes may be determined based on the positions of the provided crease lines and / or the positions of the fiducial marks, thereby ensuring a correct positioning of the opening device on the final packaging container, since its shape is determined by the positions of the crease lines and / or based on the positions of the fiducial marks, preferably provided by printing the fiducial marks using known printing techniques.

[0018] The step of determining desired positions of the longitudinally distributed holes may further comprise determining shrinkage of the bulk layer during lamination of one or more of the inner and / or outer layers and correcting the desired positions based on the determined shrinkage, which further improves the positional accuracy of the opening device and the correct alignment between the opening device and the holes.

[0019] A number of longitudinally distributed lamination holes may be provided at predetermined positions, and the desired positions of the holes may differ from the predetermined positions of the lamination holes. In such a situation, the solution presented herein achieves correct positioning of the holes with respect to the lamination holes, since the shrinkage is compensated for.

[0020] The longitudinally distributed holes may be provided by a stamping process, which allows for a simple and robust manufacturing process that can be retrofitted to existing conversion equipment. By providing multiple longitudinally distributed holes by the conversion equipment, positioning control is significantly improved.

[0021] The holes may be distributed in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the laminate packaging material, and the method may further include cutting the laminate packaging material longitudinally to form separate webs of laminate packaging material, each separate web of laminate packaging material comprising holes distributed only in the longitudinal direction. In this manner, holes can be provided in a multi-layer web of packaging material making the manufacturing process more efficient.

[0022] According to a second aspect, a ready-to-use laminated packaging material is provided, comprising a bulk layer of paper or paperboard or other cellulosic material, and including a plurality of longitudinally distributed holes extending through the bulk layer. The laminated packaging material further comprises one or more outer layers laminated to the bulk layer, and one or more inner layers laminated to the bulk layer, the inner and outer layers covering the holes on the bulk layer, thus forming a plurality of longitudinally distributed laminate holes, and having a plurality of longitudinally distributed primary holes extending through the entire thickness of the associated laminate hole. Each primary hole is surrounded by the edge of the laminate hole. In this way, the laminated packaging material is ready to be fed to a packaging form and fill machine, and does not require additional equipment to prepare the holes for the opening device.

[0023] Each primary hole may be circular, elliptical, rectangular, square, drop-shaped, or have at least one slit, which allows the primary holes to be adapted to different types of opening devices. The lamination holes may also be circular, elliptical, rectangular, square, or drop-shaped. However, both holes do not have to have the same shape, as long as the primary holes are surrounded by the edges of the lamination holes. Each primary hole may have at least one slit, in particular a shape formed by multiple slits such as perforations, more particularly a single line (-) in different directions, multiple lines with a common center point (i.e. the shape of a star key on a telephone keypad), an arc shape, an X, Y, V, C or O shape, all of which are described by multiple slits such as perforations.

[0024] The laminate packaging material may further comprise secondary holes distributed along its length, each hole being adjacent to or in the extension of an associated primary hole, such that the secondary holes can add functionality to the final packaging, for example allowing the secondary holes to form a support for a cap holder for a tethered cap.

[0025] The laminate packaging material may further comprise a number of longitudinally distributed fiducial marks, preferably comprising readable information, which may function as registration marks for correctly locating the primary holes, but may also form fiducial or registration marks for correctly locating an opening device when added to the laminate packaging material.

[0026] One or more of the inner layers may comprise a gas barrier layer and / or a light barrier layer that is not an aluminum foil, meaning that the barrier layer is not entirely aluminum as in the prior art. Such a barrier layer may be very difficult for the user to penetrate when opening the final packaging container and / or when forming the opening device by injection molding, thus further improving the solution described herein. The gas that the barrier film prevents from penetrating may be oxygen or other gases that are known to have adverse effects on food, such as shortening the shelf life.

[0027] In a particular example, the barrier layer may be a fiber-based barrier layer (e.g., a paper-based barrier layer). The fiber-based barrier layer comprises a paper-based layer and a coating layer provided on the paper-based layer and having barrier properties. The paper-based layer may be coated by an aqueous dispersion coating method with a dispersion or solution of a composition capable of providing a barrier property against oxygen gas, water vapor, and / or other migrating substances. Examples of such compositions are aqueous compositions including vinyl alcohol polymers or starches or other polysaccharides, optionally further including fillers or layered mineral compounds such as talc or bentonite or other clay minerals. Alternatively, the paper-based layer may be coated by a vapor deposition method such as chemical vapor deposition and / or physical vapor deposition, and in a preferred embodiment, may be metallized, i.e., vapor-coated with a coating of only nanometers thick of a metal such as aluminum. Such fiber-based barrier layers may be difficult to punch, cut, or penetrate, depending on their thickness and mechanical properties, and therefore require specialized and powerful equipment. However, the conversion process allows such equipment to be installed, even if it requires a relatively large installation space and connections.

[0028] In another particular example, the barrier layer may be a polymer-based barrier layer. The polymer-based barrier layer may comprise a single polymer layer with inherent gas barrier properties, or a layer with a polymer-based layer and a coating layer with barrier properties coated on the polymer-based layer. The polymer-based layer may be a prefabricated film with a single layer or multi-layer structure, which is further coated by a deposition method such as chemical vapor deposition and / or physical vapor deposition in a similar manner as described above for the fiber-based barrier substrate, for example, such a polymer barrier substrate may be metallized and / or vapor-deposition coated with an inorganic oxide such as a metal oxide. Such polymer-based barrier layers are difficult to punch or penetrate, requiring specialized and powerful equipment.

[0029] Such fiber-based or polymer-based barrier layers are believed to be particularly beneficial in the recycling cycle of packages made from the claimed packaging materials.

[0030] Each primary aperture may be covered by a preferably resealable opening device that is injection molded directly into the laminate packaging material.

[0031] The laminate packaging material may be provided as a continuous web roll comprising a continuous series of continuous segments, each segment designed, sized and having one of the primary holes to form a single packaging container, so that the packaging material may be easily fed into a food filling machine as a continuous web to be formed into the packaging container.

[0032] According to a third aspect, there is provided a packaging container formed from the laminate packaging material according to the second aspect.

[0033] Further objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0034] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a filling machine for producing packages from a web of laminated packaging material. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing process of a laminate packaging material according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3a] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a semi-finished laminate packaging material according to an embodiment. [Figure 3b] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a laminate packaging material according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1A-1D are top views of laminate packaging materials according to various embodiments. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a laminate packaging material according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a packaging container according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a top view of a web of laminate packaging material according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for producing a laminate packaging material according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] In FIG. 1, an example of a machine 1 for producing packaging containers 2 from a laminate packaging material 10 is shown. The laminate packaging material 10 comprises longitudinally distributed holes extending through the entire thickness of the laminate packaging material 10. The laminate holes 30 are part of the laminate packaging material 10, and therefore the longitudinally distributed holes as claimed can be defined as extending through the entire thickness of the laminate packaging material 10. Upon entering the machine 1, an injection molding station 3 is arranged to provide the laminate packaging material 10 with an injection molded resealable opening device 4. Downstream of the injection molding station 3, a sterilization station 5 is arranged to typically sterilize the laminate packaging material 10 that is fed to the machine 1 in rolls. Downstream of the sterilization station 5, there is a tube former 6 that seals both longitudinal ends of the laminate packaging material 10 together. The filling section 7 is configured to fill the longitudinal tube with the desired contents, and the transverse sealing section 8 provides the transverse sealing and cutting to separate the packaging container 2 from the upstream tube of laminate packaging material 10.

[0037] The laminate packaging material 10 can be manufactured according to a variety of processes and equipment, as illustrated in FIG.

[0038] The laminate packaging material 10 is made from layers of paper, paperboard or cellulosic material forming a bulk layer 12. Prior to entering the process shown in FIG.

[0039] In this embodiment, the bulk layer 12 is fed through a creasing nip 20, which forms a number of creases in the bulk layer 12. The creases are designed according to the desired shape of the final packaging container to be formed, and typically these creases are formed by a creasing roller pressing against the bulk layer 12. The bulk layer 12 is then provided with holes 30 by a punch roller 27, i.e. holes extending completely through the bulk layer 12. These holes 30 are preferably located at predetermined positions corresponding to the desired positions of the opening devices 4, which are later added to the laminate packaging material 10. On the other hand, the functions of the two rollers 20, 27 can also be combined and the creasing roller can be provided with a punch tool.

[0040] The bulk layer 12 is then provided with one or more outer layers 14. This can be accomplished by an extrusion apparatus 21 followed by a cooling nip 22 to provide a uniform film on the bulk layer 12. The outer layer 14 can in other embodiments be provided as multiple coextruded polymer layers disposed over one another, as well as by other techniques such as wet lamination, dispersion coating, etc. The outer layer 14 covers the holes 30.

[0041] The inner layer comprises a barrier layer 16, which may be disposed on a polymeric or paper-based substrate. The barrier layer 16 is one-sided coated with the innermost layer 18, for example by means of an extrusion device 23 and a cooling nip 24. The barrier film 16 is then laminated to the inside of the bulk layer 12 by means of an additional extrusion device 25 providing an adhesive layer 19, followed by a cooling nip 26. With regard to the outer layers, it should be noted that in other embodiments the inner layers 16, 18, 19 may be provided as multiple co-extruded polymer layers arranged on top of each other, and by other techniques such as wet lamination, dispersion coating, etc. The inner layers 16, 18, 19 also cover the holes 30.

[0042] The barrier layer may be an aluminum foil, but other materials are possible. Such useful materials include ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (PVOH), nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), etc.

[0043] Suitable materials for preventing the transmission of oxygen and / or water vapor may be applied by vapor deposition coatings such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), in particular plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Examples of such nanometer thick vapor deposition barrier coatings include metallized coatings such as aluminum metallized, metal oxide coatings such as AlOx or SiOx, or coatings of amorphous carbon, i.e. amorphous diamond-like carbon coatings (DLC).

[0044] Other suitable materials for preventing oxygen and / or water vapor transmission may be applied by aqueous dispersion or solution coating of barrier polymers, or barrier compositions of polymeric binders and inorganic particles or fillers.

[0045] When the laminate packaging material 10 is formed using the bulk layer 12 and the outer and inner layers 14, 16, 18, 19, the web of laminate packaging material 10 is provided with a plurality of holes 31. These holes, which may be formed by the punch roller 28, are distributed at least in the longitudinal direction such that every package obtained from the web of laminate packaging material 10 has at least one hole. The holes 31 are provided at the locations of the laminate holes 30, but are configured such that the diameter, i.e., the size or area, of the holes 31 is smaller than the diameter, i.e., the area, of the laminate holes 30.

[0046] The web of laminate packaging material 10 may be manufactured as a multi-lane web, which may then be cut to form individual single lane webs. One lane is used to form a series of packaging containers, and most filling machines 1 today operate by receiving such a single lane web of laminate packaging material 10. In such a multi-lane web embodiment, holes are distributed laterally / transversely through the laminate packaging material 10 for the same purpose. Thus, every packaging container resulting from the web of laminate packaging material 10 will have at least one hole.

[0047] To ensure proper positioning of the holes, the inventors have realized the importance of determining the desired location of the holes before actually forming them. These holes are usually well defined on the bulk layer 12 and aligned with the fold lines in the proper direction. However, during lamination of the outer layer 14 and the inner layer 16, 18, 19, the bulk layer 12 may shrink, especially in the lateral direction. It is therefore important to monitor the characteristics of the laminate packaging material 10 and adjust the hole forming device accordingly. This monitoring may be done in-line, for example by a camera or other information reading device, while adjustments may be made by changing the settings of the hole forming means, for example by replacing the punch roller 28 with another slightly different punch roller, or by changing the dimensions of the punch roller 28, for example by shifting the lateral position of the punch features of the punch roller 28. Other parameters that may affect the positioning of the holes are, for example, humidity, temperature, changes in the materials of the bulk layer and / or the inner or outer layer, etc.

[0048] Referring now to Figure 3a, there is shown in cross-section one example of a semi-finished laminate packaging material 10. This configuration corresponds to the position marked "Figure 3a" in Figure 2, i.e. after lamination of the outer layer 14 and inner layers 16, 18, 19, but prior to drilling of holes 31. The laminate packaging material 10 comprises a bulk layer 10, one or more outer layers 14 arranged to form the outer surface of the final package 2, and one or more inner layers in the form of an innermost polymer layer 18, a gas and / or light barrier layer 16, and a tie layer 19.

[0049] 3a, the circular lamination hole 30 has a diameter D1, and the outer layer 14 and the inner layers 16, 18, 19 extend across the lamination hole 30. Thus, the ends of the bulk layer 12 at the lamination hole 30 are covered by the outer layer 14 and the inner layers 16, 18, 19.

[0050] The finished laminate packaging material 10 is shown in Figure 3b, where the laminate packaging material 10 comprises longitudinally distributed circular holes 31 (only one hole 31 is shown in the example) that extend completely through the thickness of the laminate packaging material 10 and have a substantially constant diameter D2 that is smaller than the diameter D1 of the laminate hole 30.

[0051] Hole 31 is formed by punching out outer layer 14 and inner layers 16, 18, 19, thereby leaving bulk layer 12 intact. Furthermore, because diameter D2 is smaller than diameter D1, outer layer 14 and inner layers 16, 18, 19 still protect the edge of bulk layer 12, preferably all around, in the area of ​​hole 31. It should be noted that none of Figures 3a-b are drawn to true scale, and that the thickness of laminate packaging material 10 is in fact much smaller than the diameter or size of hole 31.

[0052] In Fig. 4, different shapes of the hole 31 are shown. In the example at the top left, both the hole 31 and the lamination hole 30 have a circular shape. In the case of a circular shape, the diameter of the hole 31 can be 15-50 mm, for example about 30 mm. In the case of other shapes, the dimensions can be selected so that the area of ​​the hole 31 is similar to the area of ​​the circular hole 31 exemplified above, or depending on the type of opening device 4 to be implemented in the laminate packaging material.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, adjacent to the primary hole 31, a secondary hole 32 is provided which is significantly smaller than the primary hole 31. Typically, the diameter of the secondary hole is 1-5 mm, for example 3 mm. As will be explained with reference to FIG. 5, the secondary hole 32 may aid in the injection molding of the cap holder for the cap of the opening device 4. Similar to the primary hole 31, the secondary hole 32 may be formed in a similar manner, i.e. surrounded by a slightly larger laminate hole, such that the peripheral edge of the bulk layer 12 in the region of the secondary hole 32 is protected and covered by the outer layer 14 and the inner layers 16, 18, 19.

[0054] In the example at the top right of FIG. 4, the lamination hole 30 has an oval shape and the primary hole 31 has a rectangular shape. Other possible shapes are also shown in FIG. 4, such as a drop-shaped lamination hole 30 and a circular primary hole 31 (the example in the center of FIG. 4), a square-shaped lamination hole 30 and a circular primary hole 31 (the example at the bottom left of FIG. 4), a rectangular-shaped lamination hole 30 and a drop-shaped primary hole 31 (the example at the bottom right of FIG. 4), etc. It should be noted that other shapes and combinations are also possible, and any shape can be complemented by a secondary hole 32 located adjacent to the primary hole 31 or merged to some extent with the primary hole 31, such as the drop-shaped primary hole 31. Like the primary hole 31, the secondary hole 32 also extends entirely through the thickness of the laminate packaging material 10 and has a certain dimension.

[0055] 5, there is shown in cross-section a detailed view of the laminate packaging material 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the laminate packaging material 10 is provided with a resealable opening device 4 that is injection molded directly into the laminate packaging material 10.

[0056] The laminate packaging material 10 includes a primary hole 31 that extends entirely through the thickness of the laminate packaging material 10 and has a fixed dimension, and a secondary hole 32 that extends entirely through the thickness of the laminate packaging material 10 and has a fixed dimension, but the dimension of the secondary hole 32 is much smaller than that of the primary hole 31. Both the primary hole 31 and the secondary hole 32 are punched through the outer layer 14 and the inner layers 16, 18, 19 that cover the laminate hole 30.

[0057] The resealable opening device 4 is preferably injection molded in one operation and comprises a spout 4-1 extending upward from a planar edge 4-2. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the edge 4-2 surrounds the primary hole 31 and extends on both sides of the laminated packaging material 10 so that the edge of the hole 31 is completely covered by the edge 4-2 of the spout 4-1. The flexible part 4-3 connects the spout 4-1 and the cap 4-4. Thus, even when the cap 4-4 is opened, the cap 4-4 remains connected to the spout 4-1 and is not separated from the packaging container 2. Therefore, the packaging container 2 can be recycled together with the cap 4-4 without being thrown away. Although a membrane (not shown) may be provided on the spout 4-1 or the cap 4-4, here the cap 4-4 itself acts as a membrane that can only be separated from the spout by the consumer before consumption. The cap 4-4 may, for example, include a pull tab 4-5 to allow a user to easily hold and manipulate the cap 4-4.

[0058] The lip 4-2 also covers a secondary aperture 32 that is filled with injection molded material of the opening device 4. This material forms a support for a cap holder 4-6 that is aligned with the secondary aperture 32. The cap holder 4-6 is used to hold the cap 4-4 during opening to aid in pouring.

[0059] In Fig. 6 an example of a packaging container 2 with a resealable opening device 4 is shown. The packaging container 2 is entirely formed in this example by a laminate packaging material 10 which is folded and sealed to obtain the desired parallelepiped shape. The upper part of the packaging container 2 is provided with an opening device 4 which is injection moulded over a hole 31 and, optionally, over a secondary hole 32. The edge 4-2 of the opening device 4 completely covers the laminate packaging material 10 at the edge of the holes 31, 32, ensuring protection both from the product enclosed in the packaging container 2 and from the external environment.

[0060] Referring again to Figure 1, the laminate packaging material 10 may enter a filling machine 1 (i.e., a machine configured to form, fill, and seal individual packages) in the form of a continuous web loaded onto a reel. Such a web of laminate packaging material 10 is shown diagrammatically in Figure 7. The laminate packaging material 10 comprises a continuous series of segments 40, each segment 40 designed and dimensioned to form a single packaging container 2 after being folded, formed, and sealed into a package 2.

[0061] A particular transverse seal area TSA of the laminate packaging material 10 will be part of the transverse seal formed in producing the final package 2 and will extend across the entire width of the laminate packaging material 10. A longitudinal seal area LSA which will form a vertical seal when the package 2 is produced will extend to one side edge of the laminate packaging material 10. Each segment 40 is provided with crease lines 42 which indicate where the laminate packaging material 10 will be folded to form the package 2.

[0062] Each segment 40 is further provided with a hole 31 and, optionally, a secondary hole 32 (not shown). The primary / secondary holes 31, 32 are provided in accordance with the above description, i.e. within the boundaries of the respective lamination hole 30. In Fig. 7, the position of the hole 32 corresponds to the position of the opening device 4 shown in Fig. 6, although different positions are possible. For a correct positioning of the opening device 4, it is important to provide the hole 31 at the desired position, in particular the relationship between the position where the fold line 42 is located and the position of the lamination hole 30.

[0063] As explained above, if the crease lines 42 are provided prior to lamination of the outer layer 14 and the inner layers 16, 18, 19, the bulk layer 12 may shrink during lamination, causing the crease lines 42 and lamination holes 30 to be positioned slightly differently than their initial positions prior to lamination.

[0064] To ensure the correct position of the hole 31, it is possible to use a reference position on the laminate packaging material 10. Such a reference position may be a specific reference feature of the fold line 42 as a reference mark 44, for example a corner where two or more fold lines intersect. Another option is to use a separate reference mark 46. Such a reference mark 46 may be printed or applied to the laminate packaging material before lamination, preferably to the bulk layer, and may comprise information data. For example, the reference marks 46 may be provided as printed spots made by a magnetizable ink comprising magnetizable particles, a solvent and a binder. These are preferably magnetized while the packaging material is being folded. Such a technique is described in EP 2 435 321 by the same applicant and will not be described further here.

[0065] The use of fiducial marks 44, 46 is advantageous both when punching hole 31 and when injection molding opening device 4. Laminate packaging material 10 defines a coordinate system having vertical and horizontal axes. By knowing the desired location of hole 31 relative to fiducial marks 44, 46, the punching operation can be adjusted to provide hole 31 in the desired location.

[0066] Additionally, reference marks 44, 46 may be utilized when injection molding opening device 4 into the laminate packaging material. If it is determined that the actual location of holes 31 deviates slightly from the machine preset location, adjustments can be made to correct the location of subsequent holes 31. Similarly for the location of opening device 4.

[0067] 8, a method 100 for manufacturing a laminated packaging material 10 is shown in schematic form. The method 100 comprises a step 102 of providing a bulk layer 12 of paper or paperboard or other cellulosic material, and a step 104 of providing the bulk layer 12 with a plurality of fold lines 42. Then, a step 106 of providing the bulk layer 12 with a plurality of longitudinally distributed holes 30 is performed. Then, a step 106 of laminating the bulk layer 12 with one or more outer layers 14, the outer layers 14 intended to face the outside of the packaging container 2 formed by the packaging material 10, and a step 108 of laminating the bulk layer 12 with one or more inner layers 16, 18, 19, the inner layers 16, 18, 19 intended to face the inside of the packaging container 2 formed by the packaging material 10. From steps 106 and 108, the holes 30 are covered by the outer layer 14 and the inner layers 16, 18, 19.

[0068] The method further includes a step 110 of determining desired positions of a plurality of longitudinally distributed holes 31, 32 corresponding to the actual positions of the lamination holes 30, and a step 112 of providing a plurality of longitudinally distributed holes 31, 32 at the desired positions, each hole 31, 32 extending through the entire thickness of the laminate packaging material 10 and surrounded by the edges of the lamination holes 30.

[0069] Steps 104 and 106 may be performed simultaneously, preferably with the same tool. Thus, step 110 may be performed simultaneously with steps 104 and 106.

[0070] The method 100 may further include a step 114 of providing the laminate packaging material 10 with resealable opening devices 4, each opening device 4 covering one of the holes 31, 32. This step 114 may be performed by injection molding directly into the laminate packaging material 10.

[0071] The above described method and laminate packaging material are complementary to each other. Any product / feature of any step of the method can be envisaged as a feature of the laminate packaging material, even if not explicitly mentioned as a feature of the laminate packaging material. Any method step that is explicitly or implicitly mentioned as a method for producing any feature of the laminate packaging material can be envisaged as a method step, even if not explicitly mentioned as a method step.

[0072] From the foregoing description, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not limited thereto and may be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims.

[0073] Reference Number List 1. Machines for manufacturing packaging containers 2 Packaging container 3 Injection Molding Station 4 Resealable opening device 4-1 Spout 4-2 Edge of spout 4-3 Flexible part of spout 4-4 Cap 4-5 Pull tab 4-6 Cap holder 5 Sterilization Station 6 Tube forming section 7 Filling section 8 Horizontal seal part 10 Laminated packaging materials 12 Bulk layer 14 Outer layer 16 Barrier Layer 18 Innermost layer 19 Connecting layer 20 Creasing nip 21 Extrusion equipment 22 Cooling nip 23 Extrusion Equipment 24 Cooling nip 25 Extrusion Equipment 26 Cooling nip 27 Punch Roller 28 Punch Roller 30 Lamination Hole 31 holes 32 Secondary hole 40 Laminated Packaging Materials Segment 42 Crease Line 44 Characteristics of the standard fold lines 46 Reference Mark 100 ways 102 Method Steps 104 Method Steps 106 Method Steps 108 Method Steps 110 Method Steps 112 Method Steps 114 Method Steps D1 Lamination hole diameter D2 Hole diameter LSA Longitudinal Seal Area TSA Transverse Seal Area

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing laminate packaging material, To provide a bulk layer of paper, cardboard, or other cellulose-based material. The bulk layer is provided with a plurality of holes distributed in the longitudinal direction. Laminating one or more outer layers onto the bulk layer, the outer layers are intended to face the outside of a packaging container formed by the packaging material, Laminating one or more inner layers onto the bulk layer, the inner layers being intended to face the interior of the packaging container formed by the packaging material, the inner and outer layers covering the holes in the bulk layer and forming a plurality of laminating holes distributed in the longitudinal direction, Determining the desired positions of the plurality of laminate holes distributed in the longitudinal direction, corresponding to the actual positions of the plurality of laminate holes distributed in the longitudinal direction. The plurality of holes distributed in the longitudinal direction are provided at desired positions, each hole extending through the entire thickness of the associated laminate hole and surrounded by the edge of the associated laminate hole. A method for manufacturing laminate packaging materials.

2. The laminate packaging material is further provided with an opening device, each opening device covering one hole. The method according to claim 1.

3. Each of the aforementioned opening devices is provided by directly injection molding the laminate packaging material. The method according to claim 2.

4. The method further includes providing a plurality of fold lines and / or reference marks to the bulk layer before laminating the one or more inner layers and / or the outer layers onto the bulk layer, The desired positions of the plurality of holes distributed in the longitudinal direction are determined based on the position of the fold line or based on the position of the provided reference mark. The method according to claim 1.

5. Determining the desired positions of the plurality of holes distributed in the longitudinal direction further includes determining the shrinkage of the bulk layer during the lamination of the one or more inner layers and / or the outer layers, and correcting the desired positions based on the determined shrinkage. The method according to claim 4.

6. The plurality of laminating holes distributed in the longitudinal direction are provided at predetermined positions, and the desired position of the holes is different from the predetermined position of the laminating holes. The method according to claim 1.

7. The holes are distributed in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the laminate packaging material, and the method further includes cutting the laminate packaging material longitudinally to form separate webs of the laminate packaging material, wherein each separate web of the laminate packaging material includes the plurality of holes distributed only in the longitudinal direction. The method according to claim 1.

8. A laminate packaging material (10) comprising a bulk layer (12) of paper, cardboard, or other cellulose-based material, the bulk layer (12) having a plurality of pores distributed in the longitudinal direction that extend through it, one or more outer layers (14) laminated on the bulk layer (12), and one or more inner layers (16, 18, 19) laminated on the bulk layer (12), The inner layers (16, 18, 19) and the outer layer (14) cover the holes on the bulk layer, thereby forming a plurality of longitudinally distributed laminate holes (30) and a plurality of longitudinally distributed primary holes (31) extending through the entire thickness of the associated laminate holes (30), with each primary hole (31) being surrounded by the edges of the associated laminate holes (30). Laminate packaging material.

9. Each primary hole (31) is circular, elliptical, rectangular, square, drop-shaped, or has at least one slit. The laminate packaging material according to claim 8.

10. The present invention further includes secondary holes (32) distributed in the longitudinal direction, each secondary hole (32) being adjacent to or on an extension of the associated primary hole (31), The laminate packaging material according to claim 8.

11. It further includes a plurality of reference marks (44, 46) distributed in the longitudinal direction, preferably the reference marks (46) include readable information. The laminate packaging material according to claim 8.

12. The one or more inner layers (16, 18, 19) include a non-aluminum foil gas barrier layer and / or a light barrier layer (16), The laminate packaging material according to claim 8.

13. Each of the primary holes (31) is covered by an opening device (4) that is directly injection molded into the laminate packaging material (10). The laminate packaging material according to claim 8.

14. Provided as a continuous web roll comprising a series of continuous segments (40), each segment (40) is designed and dimensional to form a single packaging container (2), and each segment (40) has one of the primary holes (31). The laminate packaging material according to claim 8.

15. A packaging container (2) formed from the laminate packaging material described in claim 8.

16. The laminate packaging material is ready to be supplied to a packaging molding and filling machine, and does not require any additional equipment to prepare holes in the laminate packaging material. The method according to claim 1.

17. The laminate packaging material is ready to be supplied to a packaging molding and filling machine, and does not require any additional equipment to prepare holes in the laminate packaging material. The laminate packaging material according to claim 8.

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