tesa® Twinlock is a self-adhesive, reusable, and compressible sleeve that can reportedly help packaging printers achieve greater operational efficiency and improve return on investment (ROI) while reducing the solid waste associated with packaging printing. The traditional approach to printing flexible packaging is to employ single-use tape, but this can be time consuming and expensive. It can also result in tons of waste headed to the landfill every year, which represents an increasing concern as consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies strive to meet aggressive 2025 sustainability goals.

Comprising a base sleeve, polyurethane foam, stabilization film, and adhesive polymer, tesa Twinlock eliminates the need for tape in packaging printing. The company reports that the product’s self-adhesive and stabilization layers lead to increased efficiency and improved ROI.

According to Chuck Doyle, sales director of Flexo Print & Paper for tesa North America, one customer with large repeats of corrugated pre-print using a four-color process saved nearly six hours, or approximately 80% of the total time required. In all instances where operators only have to remount the plate without needing to remove tape or demount the tape and remount the tape, their process runs more efficiently because they save a lot of time.

“A customer with a repeat running 558 times per year made the switch to tesa® Twinlock,” Doyle said. “They expected a return on investment within two years. They achieved a total cost savings of $286,264—recouping their investment in less than two months.”

Beyond advances in packaging design and materials, packaging printers can play an important role in helping CPG companies meet their waste reduction sustainability goals. They can also do so by reducing landfill waste from their production processes. For example, an independent audit shows that by switching to tesa Twinlock, a packaging printer could potentially save 120 tons of landfill waste (results will vary depending on operation and duration of tesa Twinlock use).

Additional details are available at www.tesa.com.