OTR Testing, Oxygen Transmission Rate Testing
Oxygen transmission rate (OTR) testing is the process of measuring the amount of oxygen that can pass through a polymer package film or membrane on a square meter basis in 24 hours. Flex-Pack Engineering has the experience and highly specialized instruments which measure OTR by placing 100% pure oxygen on one side of the film and 100% pure nitrogen on the other side of the film. As the oxygen molecules pass through the film, they are caught up in the nitrogen stream and swept off to a detector that counts the oxygen molecules and determines the volume (in CC’s) per unit time.
OTR testing is important in the flexible packaging industry because it ensures that food products maintain their flavor and odor profile. This is important for products such as meats, nuts, or fruits and vegetables that can change or spoil based on the amount of oxygen ingress into the packaging.
Flex-Pack Engineering provides OTR Testing for customers for a variety of reasons including quality control or to allow a manufacturer to provide a certificate of conformance that certifies the oxygen transmission rate value for a particular package. Additionally, we can provide OTR Testing as part of the design and development process to evaluate if a new film material has a better OTR than the previous film design. We also help customers who are having issues with the OTR of a particular film and assist in determining the problem and offering recommendations for a solution.
Flex-Pack Engineering offers very competitive OTR Testing rates and turnaround times. However, the most important element that Flex-Pack offers our customers is the interpretation of OTR test results and providing recommendations to help solve flexible packaging problems or improve a new film design. A traditional testing lab will deliver testing results but not provide the insights into what the results mean in context of a customers’ goals or issues. With our consultative approach at Flex-Pack, we always discuss OTR testing results with our customers to make sure they understand the data and how it effects the overall product design.
Flex-Pack Engineering, Your Turn-Key Provider for OTR Testing and Analysis
At Flex-Pack Engineering, we bring a nearly 30 year education in developing packaging products that help our customers not only with OTR testing results, but also to help you understand those results to help you compete in the marketplace. We offer very competitive pricing, quick turnaround times, and outstanding customer service to help you with all of your flexible packaging testing requirements.
Contact us today at 330-704-9436 or fill out our request information form and learn how Flex-Pack Engineering can help with OTR testing challenges!
