Foil and film laminates

To guarantee outstanding quality of the final product, Holmen is responsible for the whole product value chain, from the paperboard production to in-house foil and film lamination.

Lamination has multiple benefits when producing packaging, it provides a special visual effect by giving a glossy appearance or a metallic finish. It can also be used to protect sensitive products like food as the lamination of foil or film acts as a barrier against moisture.

Applications and benefits

Film and foil laminates are typically used in premium packaging for perfume, cosmetics, and dried food applications such as infant formulas. Lamination is a technique whereby a film is applied onto the paperboard surface to achieve a particular aesthetic effect. Thanks to extensive product development and modern mill equipment, it is possible to minimize the amount of plastic within in the final laminates.

When combined with Holmen’s smooth paperboard, foil and film lamination offers visual enhancement that can be used to achieve special graphic design effects. Foil and film lamination also protects the surface from scratches and stains and acts as a barrier against moisture. Adding an aluminum barrier to paperboard makes it resistant to wet and aggressive products and can even make it impermeable to flavors, gases and light.

One side plastic coated board is usually corona treated to improve the sealing characteristics and to permit gluing with waterbased adhesive.

Technical details

The finish of a foil or film laminated print surface is determined by the smoothness of the baseboard and by the amount of plastic applied. Our products, combined with an extruded PE tie layer, result in a smoother result than the alternative lamination technique using an adhesive. When printing on a foil or film laminated surface, special inks for foil, litho or UV drying are recommended.