Food packaging serves to protect against harmful environmental influences and at the same time can be used for visual differentiation and thus branding.
Laser cutting can be used to cut viewing windows into packaging materials, which are then closed again (transparently) in a further processing step; this is usually done in the laminating machine.
Since the laser process can be adjusted very quickly and flexibly, there is almost unlimited freedom in the geometric design of these viewing windows. The production, testing and maintenance of cost-intensive mechanical cutting tools is no longer necessary.
Modern and visually appealing packaging solutions can be designed for the end consumer, allowing a transparent view into the packaging. Packaging solutions with a high paper content are also often easily recyclable and enable the improvement of individual sustainability goals.
he MLT laser systems are basically installed in the moving web process. The packaging films for this packaging solution usually consist of 2 layers: a paper layer and a transparent plastic film (often made of PE).
The laser cuts the viewing windows of the later packaging into the moving paper web. The cut-outs are sucked off at the bottom and then collected.
Depending on the process, either the PE film is now laminated onto the paper web, for which an adhesive must have been applied to the web beforehand.
Alternatively, no adhesive is applied: in the more complex extrusion process, the transparent film is bonded directly to the paper web.
Different configurations are used for different material types and widths: