How Are Stand Up Pouches Made? Full Production Process

A stand up pouch is a flexible packaging bag with a folded bottom gusset that stands upright on retail shelves. Stand up pouch production involves printing, lamination, bottom-fold forming and pouch making, commonly using PET, EVOH and PE films. Stand up pouches serve food and beverage, nutraceutical, household, pet food and personal care markets.

Why Stand Up Pouches Beat Glass and Metal Packaging

A stand up pouch is lighter and more environmentally friendly than traditional glass and metal packaging. A stand up pouch is also easier to transport and takes up less space in storage, which results in cost savings along the distribution chain, and a stand up pouch can be formed into many shapes and sizes to fit specific product characteristics.

What Steps Are Involved in Stand Up Pouch Production

Stand up pouch production starts with printing the desired design on the film, typically with an ink-jet printer using water-based ink. The printed foil is then laminated to the base film with a food-safe special adhesive, and the base film can be PET, EVOH or PE, where the EVOH-based barrier offers excellent protection against oxygen, aromas and water vapor. Once printing and lamination are complete, the individual pouches are formed, and a stand up pouch can be given a handle hole or zipper and finished with a matte or glossy lamination.

Doyen Bottom vs K-Seal Bottom: What Is the Difference

A Doyen bottom and a K-seal bottom are the two options for the bottom fold of a stand up pouch, and the main difference between them is the tooling required.

• Doyen bottom: requires a format-specific tool to produce.
• K-seal bottom: the same tool can produce any format.

How the Barrier Layer Protects the Product

To guarantee high product safety, the barrier layer of a stand up pouch must be robust against puncture and other environmental factors. A number of specialty films can also be used to add extra protection against contaminants, UV rays or moisture.

What Is a Retort Pouch

A retort pouch is a highly specialized type of stand up pouch that allows the sterilization of food. A retort pouch is made from a laminate of flexible plastic and metal foils, so it allows the sterile packaging of a broad range of foods, replaces industrial canning processes in retort machines and offers a higher level of consumer safety. A retort pouch is more compact and lighter than glass or metal counterparts, which results in lower shipping costs and greater warehouse efficiency. To select the right bottom construction and material structure for a stand up pouch, brands can work with a flexible packaging manufacturer such as Guangdong Kody Packaging (Dongguan Kody Plastic Products Co.,Ltd. / Guangdong Kody Packaging Products Co.,Ltd.).

Q：How is a stand up pouch different from traditional glass and metal packaging?

A：A stand up pouch is lighter and more environmentally friendly than glass and metal packaging, a stand up pouch is easier to transport and needs less storage space, which lowers costs along the distribution chain, and a stand up pouch can be made in many shapes and sizes to fit a specific product.

Q：Should I choose a Doyen bottom or a K-seal bottom?

A：The difference is in the tooling: a Doyen bottom requires a format-specific tool, while a K-seal bottom can be produced with the same tool for any format, so the choice depends on the pouch formats a brand runs and the tooling investment it wants to make.

Q：Can a retort pouch replace cans?

A：A retort pouch is made from a laminate of flexible plastic and metal foils, so a retort pouch can sterilize food in retort machines and replace industrial canning processes; a retort pouch is also more compact and lighter than glass or metal containers, which lowers shipping costs and improves warehouse efficiency.