In this blog, we will dive deeper into the material that bulk bags, otherwise called FIBCs are made of. We'll take a look at the characteristics, helping you make the right choice for your products.
THE FORERUNNERS OF FIBCs
Long before FIBCs were manufactured as they are now, people still had to transport and store large amounts of product, from farm to market. To do this effectively, they used 'big bags' made of jute. This was over a century ago, and is the start of Masterpack.
As the products developed, they were made of different, improved materials. After the jute phase, the bulk bags were made of natural raffia, which is a type of palm originating from Africa.
The problem with these types of materials, is that they aren't really suitable for industrial use. Then, as techniques developed, a a synthetic material, based on long-chain olefin synthetic polymer, was used, a so-called thermoplastic.
Initially, this was not used in all industries. Only when its formulation was perfected, making it resistant to heat and light, the use of propylene FIBCs extended to the entire bulk industry.WHAT IS Polypropylene?
Polypropylene, also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer, which is made via chain-growth polymerization made from the combination of propylene monomers.
Advantages of polypropylene
Many of the advantages of the big bag are, in fact, properties of the polypropylene of which it is made.
It is one of the most used materials in the industry and can be found in many applications: big bags, shopping bags, bags for animal food, and even in furniture. The reasons why this material is chosen for so many different products is because of its characteristics.
- Strong: Being a thermoplastic means that it is ductile and doesn't lose its strength when hot or cold.
- Light: Polypropylene is especially lightweight, weighing just 0.9 g/cm³.
- Safe: Polypropylene is one of the safest materials for contact with food and chemical products since it is inert. It preserves the chemical and organoleptic properties of the contained product
- Protective layer: its water barrier keeps the humidity inside or prevents any humidity entering the packaging.
Thanks to the use of this material, FIBCs are usually reusable and of great mechanical resistance, which can be incorporated into practically any manufacturing process.
Want to know more about all the advantages of FIBCs and their uses? Read our previous blogs or ask our experts any question!