optimont® 500-A-PET

optimont® 500-A-PET is a transparent polyester material.

optimont® 500-A-PET is manufactured from amorphous polyethylene terephthalate. The abbreviation for this material is A-PET. It is produced when molten polyester is rapidly cooled below approximately 80° Celsius, the so-called glass transition temperature of the material.

If cooling after the production process takes place slowly, crystalline regions form in the resulting material. These crystalline regions of the polyester material are opaque and therefore non-transparent. Amorphous PET, by contrast, remains transparent.

If optimont® 500-A-PET is reheated to the glass transition temperature or above, a transition to a semi-crystalline state begins within the material. In this temperature range, blow-molded PET bottles shrink again, similar to vacuum-formed polystyrene cups.

For optimont® 500-A-PET and A-PET in general, limited heat resistance must therefore be assumed.

Amorphous polyethylene terephthalate – polyester without crystalline structure

The Greek term “amorphous” can be translated as “without form.” In chemistry, it refers to substances in which the material-forming molecules do not exhibit periodically repeating structures. In the case of A-PET, this means that no crystalline structure is formed, unlike other PET materials. The molecular structure is disordered.

During the rapid cooling process described above, the polyester material solidifies in an amorphous state. As a result, it retains its transparency and flexibility.

Product properties of optimont® 500-A-PET from Bleher

The 175 µm thick optimont® 500-A-PET film is crystal clear and food-safe. It offers excellent barrier properties against both moisture and gases. This ensures freshness and quality of the packaged products. Good tear strength and impact resistance make the film resistant to mechanical stress. Food safety and good recyclability are important properties of optimont® 500-A-PET. The well-established recycling cycle for PET materials is a significant environmental argument in favor of using this recyclable plastic.

Very good formability of optimont® 500-A-PET film is important for many application areas. For folding carton packaging, solutions around one corner or two corners can be realized, allowing very good, seamless visibility of the product on display. This enables products to be optimally presented while being efficiently protected at the same time.

If optimont® 500-A-PET is heated to above 80 °C, it shrinks and transitions into a semi-crystalline state. Due to light refraction by the crystals, the material loses its transparency during crystallization and becomes opaque.

Areas of application for optimont® 500-A-PET

The amorphous PET film from Bleher is used in a wide variety of packaging applications as well as for industrial uses. optimont® 500-A-PET is primarily used wherever transparent material is required that must also be easily formable. For applications in the food sector, the good barrier properties with regard to moisture and gases are particularly important. Amorphous PET is most commonly used for the production of PET bottles.

As a viewing window in folding cartons, optimont® 500-A-PET is mainly used for packaging solutions that are intended to make a product visible from several sides. Packaging that is directly adapted to product shapes can also be manufactured from this material. Use in the packaging sector is not limited to food. optimont® 500-A-PET is also used as packaging for technical products, for example in the tool sector, as well as for medical or electronic products. Blister packaging, for example, is often made from A-PET.

However, not only packaging materials are manufactured from optimont® 500-A-PET. Displays, slatwalls, and similar shelving compartments or “glazing” in mechanical engineering applications are also made from A-PET material. Stretchable poster sleeves or containers for the chilled storage of meals or food ingredients are also common areas of application.

Environmental aspects of the A-PET material of optimont® 500-A-PET

The recyclability of A-PET is very good and relies on an established recycling loop. In Germany, the recycling rate of PET bottles exceeds 90 percent. This gives all A-PET products the advantage that this functioning recycling pathway can be used. Sorted PET materials from household collections can also be fed into this system. As a result, PET can be described as a relatively environmentally friendly plastic, even though its raw materials originate from fossil sources.

In the production of PET bottles, large proportions of recycled PET are already used today. There are even PET bottles on the market that are advertised as being made from 100 percent recycled material.

To further improve the recyclability of PET materials, research is being conducted into breaking down collected material using enzymatic or bacterial processes. The aim is to produce base substances that can be processed into new PET products.

There have also been initial successes in efforts to use renewable raw materials as starting materials for PET production. For one component, ethylene glycol, this is already possible on an industrial scale, and corresponding products are already available on the market. The production of the other component, terephthalic acid, from renewable raw materials has so far only been achieved in laboratory conditions. Large-scale industrial application has not yet been established on the market.

Formability of optimont® 500-A-PET

An outstanding property of optimont® 500-A-PET is the good formability of the material. For this reason, the material is used for packaging solutions in which not only a viewing window is available through which consumers can view a product. Folding cartons with viewing windows bent around one or two corners can be manufactured very well from optimont® 500-A-PET. Packaging solutions that are directly adapted to the shape of the product can also be easily produced from this material. This results in very consumer-friendly product packaging that allows products to be viewed from all sides.

Key properties of optimont® 500-A-PET at a glance

• High transparency
• Good barrier properties against gases and moisture
• Very well-established recycling process
• High mechanical resistance such as impact strength as well as tear and shock resistance
• optimont® 500-A-PET is flame-retardant
• As a food-safe material, optimont® 500-A-PET is suitable for food packaging
• optimont® 500-A-PET is printable
• Thickness: 175 µm

Further processing of optimont® 500-A-PET

optimont® 500-A-PET can be sawn, milled, or die-cut. It can be drilled or cut using laser or waterjet cutters. optimont® 500-A-PET can be bonded and cold-bent. It can be polished and formed by annealing. optimont® 500-A-PET can be printed and laminated; it is easy to process using a wide range of tools.

optimont® 500-A-PET is supplied in cut sheet formats as well as in narrow rolls, short rolls, jumbo rolls, or master rolls.