Production process and prospect of spout bag

The spout bag is a liquid packaging with a mouth that replaces the rigid packaging in the form of a flexible packaging. The structure of the nozzle bag is mainly divided into two parts: the nozzle and the stand-up bag. The part of the stand-up pouch is made of multi-layer composite plastic material, in order to meet the requirements of different food packaging performance and barrier properties. The suction nozzle part can be regarded as the screw cap on the general bottle mouth with the addition of the suction pipe. The two parts are tightly combined by heat sealing (PE or PP) to form an extruded, sucked, poured or pressed package, which is a very ideal packaging for liquids.

The biggest advantage of spout bags over common packaging forms is portability.

The mouthpiece bag can be easily put into a backpack or even a pocket, and it can be reduced in size as the content is reduced, making it more convenient to carry. Soft drink packaging in the market is mainly in the form of PET bottles, composite aluminum paper bags, and cans. Today, with the increasingly obvious homogenization competition, the improvement of packaging is undoubtedly one of the powerful means of differentiated competition.

The nozzle bag combines the repeated packaging of PET bottles and the fashion of composite aluminum paper bags. At the same time, it also has the incomparable advantages of traditional beverage packaging in terms of printing performance. Due to the shape of a stand-up bag, the display area of ​​the nozzle bag is significantly larger than that of traditional beverage packaging. PET bottles, which are superior to packaging such as Tetra Pak that cannot stand, can be sterilized at high temperature and have a longer shelf life. There is also a single recyclable composite material low-carbon manufacturing, which is the most ideal sustainable solution for liquid packaging. Therefore, the mouthpiece bag has unique application advantages in fruit juice, dairy products, soy milk, vegetable oil, health drinks, jelly food, pet food, food additives, traditional Chinese medicine, daily chemical products and cosmetics.

1. Reasons why flexible packaging of nozzle bags replaces hard packaging

Spout bags are more popular than rigid packaging for the following reasons:

Low transportation cost - The nozzle bag is smaller in size and easier to transport than hard packaging, reducing transportation costs;

Lightweight and more environmentally friendly - the nozzle bag uses 60% less plastic than hard packaging;

Less waste of contents - all contents taken out of the mouthpiece bag account for more than 98% of the product, which is higher than that of hard packaging;

Novel and unique - the nozzle bag makes the product stand out in the display;

Better display effect - the nozzle bag has enough surface area to design and promote the brand logo for customers;

Lower carbon emissions - The manufacturing process of the nozzle bag is less energy-intensive, more environmentally friendly, and emits less carbon dioxide.

Spout bags have many benefits for manufacturers and retailers. For consumers, the screw cap of the mouthpiece bag is resealable, so it is suitable for long-term repeated use on the consumer side; the portability of the mouthpiece bag makes it easy to carry and is very convenient for carrying and consumption; the mouthpiece bag is more convenient than ordinary Flexible packaging is more convenient to use and is not easy to leak; the mouthpiece bag is safe for children, with an anti-swallowing and suffocating mouthpiece, suitable for safe use by children and pets; richer packaging design is more attractive to consumers and stimulates the repurchase rate ;Sustainable single material nozzle bag, adapt to the 2025 environmental classification recycling packaging requirements and carbon neutrality emission reduction goals.

2. The nozzle bag material structure (barrier material)

The outermost layer of the nozzle bag is a directly printable material, usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The middle layer is the protective barrier material, usually nylon or metallized nylon. The most commonly used material for this layer is metallized PA film (MET-PA). The innermost layer is the heat-sealing layer, which can be heat-sealed into bags. The material of this layer is polyethylene PE or polypropylene PP.

Besides PET, MET-PA and PE, other materials such as aluminum and nylon are also good materials for making nozzle bags. Common materials used to make spout bags are: PET, PA, MET-PA, MET-PET, aluminum foil, CPP, PE, VMPET, etc. These materials have multiple functions depending on the product packaged in the nozzle bag.

Typical 4-layer structure: aluminum foil cooking nozzle bag PET/AL/BOPA/RCPP;

Typical 3-layer structure: transparent high-barrier jam bag PET/MET-BOPA/LLDPE;

Typical 2-layer structure: BIB transparent corrugated case-set liquid bag BOPA/LLDPE.

When choosing the material structure of the nozzle bag, you can choose metal (aluminum foil) composite or non-metal composite material.

Metal composite structures are opaque, so it provides better barrier protection and longer product shelf life than non-metal composite structures. The metal composite structure can make the appearance of the nozzle bag more shiny; the non-metal composite structure does not have the high hiding power of the metal composite structure, and is not as bright as the aluminum foil metal.

The printing and graphic effects of metal composite structures are superior to non-metal composite structures. However, the structure of metal composite materials cannot be recycled, and non-metal composite materials are matched with recyclable materials, which is the direction of future development.

3. Standard nozzle bag and custom nozzle bag

Stock nozzle bags are standard products based on industry applications, while custom nozzle bags are differentiated customized products based on customer needs. Custom nozzle bags are generally more attractive on display than stock standard nozzle bags.

You can choose from a single print:

Gravure printing: printing complex design images, standard product printing methods, suitable for high temperature sterilization nozzle bags. The version fee is high, and the small size nozzle bag needs 2~4 rows of plates (the minimum plate width is 820mm).

Flexo: This is the most environmentally friendly printing option for single-material recyclable packaging and cannot be used for high temperature products. The printing fee is higher, and some products are replaced by gravure.

Digital printing: The printing cost is high, but the cost of plate making is saved, which is suitable for small batch trial production of normal temperature products.

The single-material recyclable nozzle bag (LDPE or PP) has a multi-layer composite structure, and the suction nozzle adopts PE nozzle or PP nozzle to become a single-material packaging, which is easy to classify and recycle, and realizes a sustainable recycling packaging solution.

PE single-material structure currently mainly uses biaxially stretched PE material and low-temperature heat-sealed PE composite material; MDO single-drawn PE single-layer or multi-layer composite structure conforms to the international recycling standard Class 4 LDPE classification. 

Also consider when designing a custom spout bag:

Handle: Adding a handle to the mouthpiece bag body makes it easy to carry, convenient to use, and gives it a more unique look. Reinforced plastic reinforced handles can also be added to improve handle force and improve handle grip.

Transparent Window: If you want an opaque spout bag, but want consumers to see the content, the best option is to choose a transparent material at the bottom of the fold (high barrier optional). For transparent materials, transparent windows can be left on the front or back by printing windows.

Different styles of caps and nozzles: The same nozzle can be equipped with different types of caps, standard caps, child-proof caps or customer mold caps (open mold).

Hanging holes: If you decide to make a nozzle bag that does not have a self-standing or folded bottom, then you should consider hanging holes. Hanging holes allow products to remain on display without standing on the shelf, according to target country hanging requirements.

Fillet: The default nozzle bag is rounded, which is divided into three types: punched rounded corners by bag making machine, machined rounded corners and die-cut rounded corners.

One-way flow valve: Hyde's patented product realizes the one-way outflow of liquid and avoids the design of oxygen inflow.