DuPont Packaging Materials and Technology Behind Innovative Transport Packaging Concept
The Airliner® from Coldpack uses a number of DuPont packaging resins for its patented internal heat-barrier technology to provide high-level thermal performance at reduced shipping and handling costs, and with a reduced impact on the environment.
The new generation of Airliner®, an insulative, inflatable shipping-case liner, is the result of a joint development agreement between DuPont and Coldpack, headquartered in Paris, France. It provides an alternative to conventional insulation materials, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), for temperature-controlled shipping of perishable goods. Using a number of DuPont packaging resins, including DuPont™ Surlyn®, DuPont ™ Bynel® and DuPont™ Nucrel®, for its patented internal heat-barrier technology, Airliner® provides high-level thermal performance, at reduced shipping and handling costs and with a reduced impact on the environment.
Airliner® transforms a shipping case into a cooler or heat-containment device for transporting temperature-sensitive products. It prevents leaks, breakage and cracking of products shipped by expedited freight. Ahead of use, it can be shipped and stored flat, which can lower storage, handling and shipping costs. Once inflated with air or inert gas, it restricts heat from penetrating the container wall. Deflation of the airliner after use facilitates compact, convenient storage or disposal.
"Airliner® responds to today's environmental challenges for packaging: a reduction of weight, volume and cost," says Arnaud Adam, vice president sales and marketing at Coldpack. "Airliner® is more than six times lighter than a comparable EPS box of 24kg/m3, and takes up one thirtieth of the warehousing space when not inflated. Moreover, as far as insulation capabilities are concerned, Airliner® exceeds analogous foam insulation packaging."
Its concept is based on heat barrier technology developed and patented by Berkeley University, further enhanced over the last two years to a mass-production product by DuPont, and its materials, at its European Technical Center in Meyrin, Switzerland. Airliner® is made from a multilayer structure incorporating layers of reflective barrier film, made from specially-developed metallized Surlyn®, which are heat-sealed into a geometric structure that forms a honeycomb-shaped baffle structure. "Development work conducted by DuPont over the last two years has focused on enhancing productivity of the insulative and inflatable structure, as well as the incorporation of additional features to both seal and inflate different shapes of Airliner® at customer facilities," comments Arnaud.
When inflated the honeycomb baffles made of metallized Surlyn® block the three modes of heat transfer - radiation, convection and conduction - to achieve target temperatures of between +2 °C and +8 °C for chilled products, and -20 °C and below for frozen goods. Thanks to the cushioning effect of the airliner's baffled structure, productions are cushioned 400% more effectively compared to EPS, according to laboratory testing. Moreover, due to its innovative inflatable concept, Airliner® saves warehouse space - and therefore material and handling costs - by 96 percent versus foam boxes.
Note: Airliner® is a registered trademark of Coldpack
