Material testing of flexible materials

The packaging testing laboratory at the Fraunhofer IVV has a range of physical test methods at your disposal in the area of mechanics, optics, and permeation (DAkkS accredited). These tests are essential for material development and quality assurance, as well as in the event of faults or complaints.

• Characterization/evaluation/optimization of the physical properties of packaging materials


• Permeation analysis, permeation measurement for water vapor, oxygen, other gases and organic substances
  
  
• Machinability

• Grammage according to DIN EN ISO 536
  Gravimetric determination of the grammage of paper and board.
  
  

• Grammage according to DIN ISO 3039
  (each layer)
  Gravimetric determination of the grammage of the layers of corrugated boards, including separating the layers.
  
  

• Grammage according to DIN ISO EN 2286-2
  (each layer)
  Gravimetric determination of the grammage of the layers of plastic laminates and coatings, also in combination with paper, board or foil; including separating the layers.
  
  

• Thickness according to DIN ISO 4593
  Determination of the average thickness of plastic films by mechanical scanning.
  
  

• Tensile test according to DIN EN ISO 1924 (breaking force, elongation at break)
  Determination of the stress/strain behaviour of paper and board at a monoaxial tensile stress.
  
  

• Tensile test according to DIN EN ISO 527
  (breaking force, elongation at break)
  Determination of the stress/strain behaviour of plastic films and plastics at a monoaxial tensile stress.
  
  

• Impact penetration test with electronic recording according to DIN ISO 7765-2
  Determination of the damaging force, damaging deformation and damaging energy for plastic films and laminates at a vertical impact stress.
  
  

• Friction measurements according to DIN EN ISO 8295
  Assessment of the friction of packaging materials when in contact with a metal surface or itself using a horizontal sledge in combination with an electro-mechanical tensile testing machine.
  
  

• Tear test according to DIN 53 363
  Determination of the tear resistance of plastic films using a trapezoidal specimen with a defined incision.
  
  

• Determination of optimal heat sealing conditions for packaging materials
  according to IVV test sheet 33: Strength measurements on heat sealing seams - Quasistatic method. Different sealing jaws are available
  
  
• Determination of bond strength
  Measurement of the force which is necessary to separate the layers of a laminate.
  
  
• Adhesion of thin aluminium Iayers on polymers
  Measurement of the peel strength (adhesion) of 10 strips according to the standard
  EAA peel test of the Fraunhofer IVV/EMA (European Matallizers Association).
  
  
• Surface tension of solids by contact angle measurements
  Using several liquids to measure the polar and disperse components of the surface energy
  
  
• Determination of the density of plastics acc. to DIN EN ISO 1183
  Hydrometer method
  Triple measurement
  
  
• Differential scanning calorimetry
  Measurement of thermal quantities such as the specific heat, relative to an inert reference substance, in order to investigate the thermodynamic characteristics of plastics.
  
  
• Light transmission according to DIN 10 050 Part 9
  Determination of the light transmission (UV to near infrared) through packaging materials using a spectrophotometer
  
  
• Identification of plastics and films
  Identification of plastics via burning tests and solubility tests.
   
• Identification of the layers of composite films
   
• Thickness measurements of polymers on microtome sections using a light microscope
  Preparation of microtome sections and measurement of the thickness of each individual laminate-layer using a light microscope after identification of the type layer.
   
• FTIR-spectroscopy (MIR/NIR)
  Transmission and reflection; identification of materials in organic layers and plastics; surface analysis of lacquers and coatings.
   
• Moisture content according to DIN EN ISO 287
  Determination of the moisture content of paper or board by drying in a heated cabinet.
   
• Grease permeability according to DIN 53 116
  Determination of the dot count caused by the penetration of a defined testing grease.
   
• Flex-test
  Measurement of the pinhole count or the increase in gas permeability of laminates which have been stressed at different flex cycle numbers.

• Tests on packaging (sealing and mechanical, thermal and optical properties, characterization of surface properties)
  
  
• Gas permeability testing units
  
  
• Water vapor permeability testing equipment
  
  
• Spectrophotometer for the determination of light permeability
  
  
• Universal electro-mechanical testing machinery for measuring tension and compression and also friction and adhesion
  
  
• Dynamic penetration tests
  
  
• Heat sealing equipment
  
  
• FTIR spectrometer for identifying materials
  
  
• DSC for identifying plastics
  
  
• Optical microscope with image analysis and thin layer microtome
  
  
• Raman spectroscopy (confocal microscopy)
  
  
• Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
  
  
• Crush resistance testing equipment
  
  
• Equipment for measuring the surface tension of plastics
  
  
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the non-destructive testing of packaging materials (Thorlabs GANYMEDE 930 nm)
  
  
• Equipment for measuring packaging tightness based on the principle of pressure drop (Lippke 3000)
  
  
• Equipment for measuring packaging tightness based on the H₂ gas method (SensorData H2000)
  
  
• Laboratory heat sealing unit (KOPP SGPE 20) with hot-tack tester
  
  
• Universal tensile testing machine with video recording (Zwick Z005)
  
  
• Laboratory ultrasonic welding unit (Herrmann Ultraschalltechnik HS digital control Dialog Touch)
  
  
• CF-800XS friction tester (Lippke)
  
  
• High speed friction tester (HSF tester) for web-shaped packaging materials
  
  
• Rotary microtome (Mikrom HM 355S) and stereo optical microscope (MZ 16 A Leica Microsystems)
  
  
• High speed infrared thermography system (InfraTec ImageIR)