Bobst: A knowledge transfer partnership

An innovative, transparent and highly-effective food packaging material has been developed through a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) with Manchester Met.

The challenge

Bobst is a world-leading supplier of vacuum coating equipment and services to food packaging manufacturers and the flexible materials industry.

The company’s core business is supplying vacuum roll coating platforms to film producers and converters for the food packaging market.

Bobst recognised a business need to develop new streams of revenue through applying higher-value, innovative technologies. As a result, it undertook a three-year, PhD-level knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) with Manchester Met. The aim of the project was to develop and produce innovative, transparent food packaging materials using the University’s novel expertise in surface characterisation techniques.

Solution

The company recruited a KTP associate, Dr Carolin Struller, through Manchester Met. The company aimed to build on her research at the University on aluminium oxide as a transparent ceramic barrier coating on polymeric web materials, such as polypropylene. The company had already supported Carolin during this PhD project at the University.

Aluminium oxide can be used as a barrier layer against water vapour and oxygen, which can permeate through polymer packaging material and spoil the food product inside. An ultra-thin aluminium oxide layer is sufficient to protect the food for many times longer than the untreated polymer. As a transparent material, it allows the consumer to view the product and being non-metallic, it is suitable for use in the microwave.

Modern day packaging is a complex process. The KTP associate developed all the stages necessary to take this research from the laboratory to a commercially-viable process for food packaging. This involved developing processes for:

• slitting the large coated rolls down to smaller sizes
• laminating additional layers to protect the aluminium oxide coating
• printing the packaging with appropriate labels.

Bobst are now able to market this as a product that can be used by businesses to package foods.

Benefits to the company

Bobst now have an innovative new packaging product to take to market which provides more effective food packaging,  improves shelf life and reduces costs and waste. The company gained:

• a new highly-skilled member of staff in the R&D department through recruiting the KTP associate to the team
• access to the knowledge from the supervisory team at the University
• potential additional sales markets
• potential cost savings
• a material that is more environmentally sustainable than traditional transparent barrier films

Nick Copeland, Director of Research and Development at Bobst said: “We would strongly recommend Manchester Met as an institution to work with on a KTP or another collaborative project.

“We have had good supervisory support from the team involved, and the research was also awarded ‘outstanding’ by Innovate UK. The project has also led to the development of another KTP.”

Benefits to the academic:

• provided the academic team with knowledge of cutting-edge industrial and engineering processes
• knowledge gained from the project will inform undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes in manufacturing engineering programmes
• outputs will contribute to an impact case study for the 2021 Research Excellence Framework
• led to the KTP associate gaining a full-time job at Bobst
• Led to the generation of a further KTP