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The "Golden Triangle" formula for air bags in container loading
Food Packaging Alliance 2025-03-26 13:42:35

1. Material and Structure

1. Material Properties

Inflatable bags for containers are typically made from high-strength, flexible polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) materials. Some high-end products may incorporate nylon layers or composite film structures to enhance puncture resistance and durability. The material must have excellent airtightness to maintain pressure for a long time after inflation, while also possessing wear-resistant and tear-resistant properties to withstand the complex environments encountered during long-distance transportation.

2. Structural Design

Multi-layer composite structure: Commonly consists of a wear-resistant outer layer + a middle cushioning layer + an inner gas barrier layer. For example, the outer layer uses nylon fabric to enhance tensile strength, the middle layer is made of expanded polyethylene (EPE) for cushioning, and the inner layer is polyethylene film to prevent air leakage.

Inflatable valve design: Equipped with a quick inflation valve, supporting manual or pump inflation. Some products use one-way valve technology to prevent gas backflow.

The core logic of co-extruded film formula design

The co-extruded film structure consisting of 50% nylon (PA), 30% metallocene polyethylene (mPE), and 20% linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) achieves the goals of "high strength, high sealing, and high adaptability" for inflatable bags through complementary material properties.


1. Nylon (PA): Provides high mechanical strength and gas barrier properties, puncture resistance, and impact resistance, while inhibiting the permeation of oxygen and water vapor, extending the lifespan of inner bags. High strength puncture resistance: Nylon (PA) offers structural support, metallocene polyethylene (mPE) enhances tear resistance, and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) improves flexibility, with the three working together to achieve a 30%-50% increase in compressive strength.

2. Metallocene Polyethylene (mPE): Enhances the flexibility and ductility of films, reduces low-temperature brittleness, allowing inflatable bags to maintain elasticity in environments ranging from -40℃ to 80℃, adapting to extreme transportation conditions.

3. Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE): As a heat sealing layer, it ensures that the film seals quickly at high temperatures, preventing gas leakage after inflation, while also enhancing resistance to environmental stress cracking.

Core Advantages of Applying to Container Airbags

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The high barrier properties of nylon combined with the uniform molecular chain of metallocene result in an air permeability of less than 0.01 ml/m²・24h for the inner bag, allowing it to maintain inflation for 3 to 6 months without leaking and withstand over 5 tons of pressure without rupture.
Case: The company uses a formula for inflatable bags that still maintains 98% of its pressure at -20℃ during sea freight transport, reducing the damage rate by 70%.
 

2. Puncture Resistance and Environmental Durability

The synergy between the rigidity of nylon and the toughness of metal enhances the puncture resistance of the film by 300%, allowing it to withstand impacts from sharp edges of goods (such as metal products and wood). Linear high-density polyethylene improves acid and alkali resistance, preventing aging caused by chemical corrosion, making it suitable for the transport of chemical products.
 

3. Environmental Protection and Economy

The co-extrusion process reduces the use of adhesives and lowers VOC emissions; the material recycling rate reaches 85%, replacing traditional foam adhesives and wood fillers, in compliance with EU environmental standards. The cost is 40% lower than imported multi-layer films, with the cost of a single inflatable bag being only 15-30 yuan, yet it can reduce the damage rate of goods by over 50%.
4. Ease of Operation
The lightweight design of the membrane (thickness only 0.1-0.3mm) allows a single inflatable bag to weigh less than 1kg, saving storage and transportation costs; combined with a one-way check valve, inflation can be completed within 30 seconds.

III. Practical Application Scenarios

Precision instrument transportation, such as medical equipment and aviation components, utilizes its shock resistance to prevent damage from vibrations.

Hazardous materials protection: chemical raw materials, lithium batteries, etc., prevent leakage risks through high barrier properties.

Cold chain logistics: Maintain flexibility in low-temperature environments to prevent packaging from breaking due to temperature changes.

Four Major Advantages of Air Bags Used in Containers

1. Pressure and explosion resistance: Can withstand cargo compression strength ≥ 2 tons/㎡, preventing damage during transportation due to uneven pressure.

2. Lightweight and energy-saving: Optimized material density, reducing the weight of the inflatable bag by 20%, which decreases transportation energy consumption.

High reuse rate: The wear-resistant layer (nylon outer layer) is designed for a reuse cycle of ≥200 times, with costs only 60% of those of traditional PE inflatable bags.

4. Rapid heat sealing compatibility: Linear high-pressure layer has a low melting point (110-130℃), supporting high-speed automated production, with sealing strength ≥25N/15mm.

Data support:


PA co-extruded film inner bag with a pressure resistance of 5 tons and gas tightness maintained for over 6 months.
After using the formula, the damage rate decreased from 8% to 3%, and the single carton logistics cost was reduced by 12%.
Low-temperature testing shows that at -30℃, the film still exhibits an elongation rate of 400% without any brittle fracture.

Electronic Product Transportation: A multinational logistics company uses multi-layer composite air bags to secure high-value electronic components, reducing the damage rate by 90%.

Cold chain transportation of food: In seafood containers, air bags are used to secure the container and isolate condensation, preventing damage and contamination to the packaging.

Case: After adopting this structure of inflatable bags, a certain international logistics company saw the damage rate of sea-transported electronic components drop from 5% to 0.3%, and the annual packaging cost savings per container exceeded ten thousand yuan.

IV. Industry Trends and Future Directions

Material upgrade: Adding a nano-coating (such as silica) to further enhance barrier properties, or introducing biodegradable resins (such as PBAT) to achieve full eco-friendliness.

Intelligent Design: Integrating pressure sensors to monitor the status of the inflatable bag in real time, preventing overinflation or leakage.

Summary

A co-extruded film consisting of 50% nylon, 30% metallocene, and 20% linear high-pressure, redefines the performance boundaries of container inflation bags through its "tough yet flexible" material combination. Its breakthroughs in logistics cost control, cargo safety protection, and environmental sustainability are driving the transportation packaging industry into a new era of "efficiency, safety, and greenness."

Container air bags, with their scientifically formulated material composition, multifunctional structural design, and efficient protective properties, have become an essential packaging solution in modern logistics. In the future, as material technology advances, their environmental friendliness and intelligent features (such as pressure-sensitive inflation) will further improve, leading to more extensive applications.

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