Container liners are basically a layer which helps in the lining of the container so that the product inside the container does not touch the container itself. These containers are usually made up of polypropylene fabric. This helps to create an additional inner wall inside the container which plays a crucial role in safeguarding the product itself which in turn is crucial for the prevention of any kinds of contamination.
Few Benefits of Using the Container Liners
The container liner provides a number of benefits thereby making them quite a popular choice for the containers that are being shipped.
- Productivity is readily enhanced
- Wastage of product is minimised
- Lot of savings in the packaging costs
- Product contamination is readily minimised
- The inventory control is much simpler
- They are approved by FDA for handling food
Materials Used for Container Liners
The materials used for the manufacture of container liners are propylene and polyethene. Now, to choose between the two for the manufacturing of container liners is difficult. It is actually not about one being better. It is about the application on which the suitability of the material depends upon. Thus, it would be a very good idea to compare their different properties which provides a detailed knowledge about each of the materials along with their suitability for being used as container liners.
Mechanical Properties
Propylene’s density ranges between 0.895 and 0.92 g/cm3 whereas polyethylene’s density varies from a low of 0.857 g/cm3 and to a maximum of 0.0975 gm/cm3. So, polyethene has the lowest density and can be further broken down into densities or weights as per the requirements which necessarily serves a much more specific function. This is done in the manufacturing of container liners.
The toughness and resistance to chemicals depends upon the density of polythene. Polyethene is available in high density, medium density and low density which are used as per the requirements. Propylene on the other hand is usually tough and flexible whose density can be altered as per the requirements with the help of addition of fillers.
Chemical Properties
Propylene is resistant to fats and almost all of the organic solvents at the time when it is room temperature. It has the ability to withstand non-oxidizing acids as well as bases in containers made from polypropylene. In comparison to propylene, polyethylene is much more chemically resistant. Hence the manufacturing of the container liners is done as per the exact needs.
Polyethylene consists of non polar, saturated, high molecular weight hydrocarbons which is exactly the reason as to why its chemical behaviour is similar to wax or paraffin. Each of the macro molecules are not covalently linked. Polyethene is partially crystalline in nature and its higher crystallinity increases the density as well as mechanical and chemical stability.
Optical Properties
Propylene can be made translucent by keeping them uncoloured but it is not as transparent as acrylic or other plastic. The addition of coloured pigments provides the colour. Polyethene on the other hand varies between almost clear, milky-opaque or opaque. The colour in this regard depends on the thermal history and as well as the thickness. The low density polyethene is optically most clear with high density polyethene being the least opaque.
Read more: www.fluidflexitanks.com/container-liners-the-perfect-transport-solution-for-bulk-items
Thus, now it can be clearly understood as to how each of the materials function in case of manufacturing of the container liners. The choice between the two materials that is propylene and polyethene should necessarily depend on what exactly would be the use of the container liners. In this regard, when you are in need of propylene container liners or polyethene container liners, Rishi FIBC would be the ultimate solution.