A bag made of a flexible packing material

The present invention relates to film-forming compositions coated bag of flexible packaging material with a rupture zone.

It is known in food pouches, such as hose bag to fill and seal the pouch by sealing. The removal of the bag contents can be done for example by tearing the tubular pouch. Depending on the type of packaging material, the tearing can be difficult. In particular, flexible packaging materials made of stretchable or resistant plastics can only be bad break open and remove the contents. Therefore Anreisshilfe is often stamped on a seal. This makes it possible if necessary to open the bag, the contents of which, however, can often not be found clean or it must be further torn about Anreisshilfe, the bag, which is very often designed troublesome for the consumer. It has also been proposed to provide, for example, tubular bag with a tear strip. This tear strip can be pulled over the circumference of the bag, which divides the packaging material and thus the bag is opened. However, this is a very complicated process since the tear strip in the Schichtaubau of the packaging material must be fitted.

Object of the present invention is to provide a bag available, including a at any point and advantageously in an edge region, attachable tearing aid and the bag can be easily opened, the contents of the bag will be released in such a way that the contents removed without opening manipulations can be.

According to the invention this is achieved in that the rupture zone is a weakening in the packaging material and the area of ​​the weakening is covered with a film-forming composition and after the packaging process, a content is protected by the bag and removing the contents of the bag, a drawing or bending movement, the covering film-forming mass breaks up and the bag releases the content.

As bag according to the present invention, for example, flat bags, sealed bags, travel bags or plastic bags to be understood. Preferably sealed bags and tubular bags are.

As a flexible packaging material, including packaging materials, packaging, called packaging films, etc., all known flexible packaging materials can be used substantially. The packaging materials are to be machinable, ie be suitable for packaging machines for use. The packaging materials include those made of paper, optionally lined with barrier layers and / or with plastics or cellophane or packaging materials containing aluminum foils, as provided with sealing layers and occasionally further plastic layers aluminum foils or packaging materials made of plastic films or plastic transparencies that on or coated on both sides with paper or metal foils or packaging materials from plastics that contain a barrier layer such as a plastic barrier layer ceramic barrier layer or a metallic barrier layer.

Suitable plastics for example, polyolefins, such as polyethylenes or polypropylenes, polyamides, polyvinyl chloride or polyester may be used as multi-layer film composites, etc., in each case as a single film or as a composite film or using various plastics in the composite. can between at least two layers barrier layers such as Ethylvinylalkoholsperrschichten, or ceramic, respectively. be arranged glassy or metallic barrier layers. The plastic films or film composites may have a thickness of for example 10 to 100 .mu.m, preferably 30 to 50 .mu.m.

The packaging material can have one or both sides, preferably on the bag produced therefrom inboard side with a sealing layer, for example a sealing lacquer or a sealing film of eg polyolefins such as polyethylenes, coated. For example for impermeable heat-sealed bag is a sealable layer containing from 6 to 7 g / m² Sealing wax sufficient.

The packaging material is advantageously applied as a continuous or rolls.

On packaging material weakening is provided in the area of ​​the budget for the bag tear zone. The weakening of the packaging material can be mechanically, for example by cutting blade, chemically, for example by solvents, heat, be made for example by laser beams in the form of severance, perforation, notching etc.. Preferably, the severing is. The weakening can be straight or bent and the attenuation can be designed such that it extends around the whole periphery or parts of the circumference of each bag at the bag which is prepared from the flexible packaging material.

The area of ​​weakness on the inventive bag is covered with a film-forming composition. With the region of the weakening not only the attenuation is itself Segregate the adjacent parts of the packaging material, for example, the range between 2 and 20 mm, preferably 5 and 10 mm, adjacent to the weakening understood.

The erfindungsgemäse bag may be coated only in the region of the weakening of the film-forming composition, advantageously, however, such a bag is completely coated with the film-forming composition. The film-forming composition is in particular the printing of the bag.

Advantageously embodiment, the film-forming composition is in the region of the weakening thicker than in the remaining region of the bag. In the film-forming composition may be a layer or a plurality, for example two, three, four, five, six, etc. layers of film-forming compositions. The film-forming composition covers and closes the vorgänig Inappropriate weakening and gives the packaging material in the region of the weakening again a tensile strength.

The film-forming composition, or in the use of several superimposed layers of film-forming compositions of the total amount, may be advantageous in the area of ​​weakness in amounts of 2 to 8 g / m² , Advantageously from 3 to 6 g / m² and advantageously 3.5 to 5 g / m² be applied. Outside the area of ​​weakening, the film-forming composition, for example in quantities of 1 to 7 g / m², Advantageously from 1 to 5 g / m² and advantageously 1 to 4 g / m² be applied.

To produce a film-forming composition, for example, paint colors from volatile components such solvents, and non-volatile components, such as film formers, resins, plasticizers, additives, dyes, pigments, fillers, etc. can be applied. Preferred inks as film-forming compositions containing dyes or pigments, solvents, fillers, other additives and binders. Advantageous binders are resins, varnishes, nitrocellulose, polyamides, vinyl resins, rosin resins, maleate resins, shellac, etc. The paint colors provide particular printing inks represent and can be printed as a print on the pre-weakened flexible packaging material by means of a printing machine. The printing is not only the film-forming composition, but also our most decorative, and occasionally also informative, printing for the bags. The printing on the packaging material may be on the outside or on the inwardly facing side or on both sides, attached to a bag.

The film-forming composition also substances in a plastic form can be transferred as softened or melted and on the packaging material, on to a bag to the outside or on the inward-facing side or on both sides, be applied as a film.

The film-forming composition can be applied by extrusion coating. For extrusion coating, Example, polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or polyvinyl chloride are containing materials.

With film-forming compositions are also coatings by Heisschmelzmassen, also called hot melt coating compositions, comprising. These are, for example, solid at normal temperature, viscoelastic or viscoplastic materials, preferably tough-based resins, waxes, thermoplastics and elastomers, possibly with the addition of fillers, antioxidants, lubricants and the like., Which in the heat after passing through a thermoplastic region - or low-viscosity melt pass.

The film formation on the packaging material by means of the film-forming materials can be prepared by chemically drying paints. The chemically dried paints comprise crosslinked macromolecules which are obtained by chemical reaction and in particular case by polymerisation.

The film-forming compositions may also films, especially low tensile strength or high brittleness, be. The thicknesses of the films may be, for example 5 to 20 microns. Preferred films could polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyester or polyamides contain. The films may be to the packaging material, will be on the, attached to a bag to the outside or on the inwardly facing side or on both sides, the adhesion of the film or of the films to the packaging material by laminating adhesive and / or bonding agent, optionally with the additional application by corona, flame, plasma or ozone treatment, can take place. For example, the film, particularly when applied to the bag at the inwardly facing side, having sealing properties. The film is then simultaneously a sealing layer. The film can also be arranged as a further film-forming composition to the printing ink on the packaging material.

If desired, be mounted on the outside and the film-forming inwards facing side of the packaging material compositions, these can be identical or different.

The materials of the film-forming compositions are appropriately authorized physiologically harmless and food packaging.

Further examples of arrangements of film-forming materials on the packaging material are seal coatings, for example, from polyolefins such as polyethylenes, which are mounted on the printing ink. The film-forming composition is preferably on the bag outwardly directed side. The film-forming composition can also be attached to the bag at the inboard side. It may involve, for example to ink a counter pressure. In the ink of the counter-pressure may be arranged in the form of a sealing lacquer, a further film-forming composition. The packaging material may also on the bag outwardly directed side a layer of a film-forming composition, eg, a printing ink, and on the bag inboard side contain a sealing lacquer.

The present invention also relates to a method for producing a bag according to the present invention. The process can be advantageously carried out such that the flexible packaging material weakening is applied and then the attenuation means is at least covers a film-forming composition.

The film-forming compositions can be applied by way of example, the above mentioned coatings, printing inks, extrusion coatings, hot melt compositions and so on. In general, these are liquid resp. molten coating systems. The application of the film-forming compositions may for example be made by centrifugation etc., centrifuging, flooding, casting, rolling, spraying, brushing, printing, extruding. Usually it is in the flexible packaging materials to endless material, why offer to coating methods such as extruding, spraying, rolling, printing or molding particularly.

In a particularly preferred method the flexible packaging material is provided in a printing unit with the weakening and then printing with print varnishes is carried out as a film-forming composition. In this method, the flexible packaging material is fed into a printing press, for example, in a letterpress, gravure, offset and flexographic printing machine in particular. Examples of printing machines are intent printing, multi-cylinder, single-cylinder, in-line, flexo and Vario presses, or combinations thereof, such as flexographic and gravure printing presses. Suitably in the range of the printing cylinder, before printing begins, or in multi-cylinder machines in the area of ​​the first printing cylinder, the weakening is advantageously mounted by cutting the flexible packaging material. Then the flexible packaging material is provided with the correct pressure, wherein the Schwä.chung is overprinted and the overprint varnish seals the weakening. The pressure of paint application is performed for example in such a way that in the area of ​​weakening, the overall thickness of the printing lacquer is greater than in the remaining area of ​​the flexible packaging material. By means of the register control, the printing operations are carried out dimensionally accurate and besides a clean print image can in particular the weakening and the area around the weakened by the pressure of paint to be matched precisely.

Present bag of flexible packaging material may be used for packaging food in powder to solid consistency. A preferred use is in the packaging of bars of chocolate, starchy foods, fatty foods, or food preparation in the form of mixtures of chocolate with starch and / or fatty foods, all food preparations is advantageously in the form of bars.

The packaging of chocolate bars and the like is. Preferable since this case, the chocolate bars serving as abutment for buckling breaking the bag at tearing m.

If the bags are produced from tubular material, the bag terminal respectively, a cross seam seal on or if the bags are produced from sheet material, the bag having a long seam sealing and terminally a respective transverse seam seal on. The sealing of the seams can be carried out by cold sealing, heat sealing or by gluing.

In the packaging of, for example, chocolate bars, the attenuation is advantageously in one of the two end regions of the bag, ie about 10-30 mm from the end of the bag, which is sealed with a transverse sealing seam. Particular preference is tubular bag with a longitudinal seam sealing and terminal transverse seam seals. If the bag is torn along the weakening, then sets the plan continued until a maximum of the entire bag periphery, however, the longitudinal seam sealing prevents further tearing. At the longitudinal seam and the longitudinal seam sealing the bent end of the bag hangs. The content of the bag can now be easily pushed out or be consumed directly from the package, wherein the bent piece bag remains connected to the longitudinal seam with the rest bag and does not form a single to be disposed of or falling to the ground bag piece.

Figures 1-6 exemplify present invention.

1 shows schematically the production of a tubular bag.

Figure 2 shows a schematic view of a tubular bag.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show another tubular pouch of the front and back, and the wide-open state.

Figure 6 shows a section through the packaging material in the region of weakening.

According to Figure 1, the packaging material 10, which is already provided with the weakening and example overprinted on the weaknesses in the form of a multi-color print, unwound from a supply roll and fed to the packaging process. The arrow 11 indicates the Füllguteinschub and the Füllguteinschub the longitudinal seam sealing 12 and the cross-seam sealing 13 is continuously carried out, wherein one package unit 14 is produced. A cutter 15 divides the material into bags 16 with the transverse seams 17 and the longitudinal seam 19th

In Figure 2, the tubular bag 16 is ready. The long seam 19 is located on the back and both ends of the tubular bag 16 is closed by transverse seams 17th Dash-dot line of weakness is indicated 18, which is located in the region of one end of the tubular bag 16 and is covered with, for example, an overprint varnish.

Figures 3 and 4 show another tubular bag 16 with the transverse seams 17 at both ends and the longitudinal seam 19. In Figure 4, the weakening 18, which is located under the pressure pattern produced by printing ink, indicated by dash-dotted lines. If the package, claimed, for example, by gripping the pack at the transverse seams 17 and by pulling on train, so the pack separates along the weakening 18 and by pulling and for example, simultaneous spraining pulls the sheet material further, usually along a tear line 20, which dots is shown in FIG. 3 The tear line 20 terminates at the longitudinal seam 19, as there respectively a material accumulation. Material thickening caused by the refolding and sealing. Thus, the tubular bag 16 along its circumference, 19 opened up to the area of ​​the longitudinal seam and the content can be easily removed, for example by removing poking from the end. The two parts of the tubular bag 16 stick together with the longitudinal seam 19 and can then be disposed of.

5 shows the tubular pouch 16 with the transverse seams 17 and the longitudinal seam 19 in torn form. The bag bent part 27 is connected to the packaging material of the longitudinal seam 19 with the rest of the tubular bag sixteenth The tearing took place along the weakening 18 and continued over the tear line 20 to the longitudinal seam 19. The content 26, such as a chocolate bar, the tubular bag 16 can now be easily removed or consumed directly from the pack out.

6 shows a section through the packaging material 10 in the region of weakening 18. The weakening 18 has, for example, made of a plastic film 21 and the weakening 18 represents a cut through the plastic film. On the plastic film 21 is on the on the bag outwardly facing side a multi-layer, usually multicolored, printed with the printing lacquers 23, 24 and 25 attached. When designing the printed image in the region of the weakening 18 an additional layer of printing lacquer 24 was applied, whereby the total thickness of the printing lacquer layer over the rest of the packaging material increases 10 and the weakening safely covered, sealed and the packaging material 10 again awarded a tensile strength. In certain cases may be on the bag 10 on the inwardly facing side a sealing layer 22, in particular a sealing lacquer, the packaging material is mounted. The seal coating 22 is primarily used for subsequent sealing of the seams, but can support the overprint varnish 23, 24, 25 in its effect.