From October 2014 newsletter
Coefficient of Friction testing
New equipment in our laboratories will help food manufacturers evaluate the friction characteristics of their food and drink packaging, which are highly relevant to package use and handling.
Coefficient of Friction (CoF), or slip resistance, is a significant issue in the world of packaging and is an important property of all materials which run on high speed printing and packaging lines. CoF is routinely specified in materials such as cartonboard containers and plastic films. Understanding and controlling a packaging material's CoF gives processors and packers the ability to optimise performance and avoid problems in forming, filling, transporting, and even storing of packages.
Cartonboard containers which exhibit a high CoF will tend to resist sliding in unit loads, while low coefficients may result in potential problems, with packages slipping from the load. For plastic films, low CoF values may be conducive to fast filling line speeds, while high coefficients may be the cause of abrasion, scuffing and jamming of the film on the line.
Contact: Michael Bonin
+44(0)1386 842271
michael.bonin@campdenbri.co.uk