What exactly is Mylar? You might have seen it in those shiny balloons with helium, solar filters, space blankets, plastic coatings for protection, or insulators. Let’s know about the history of Mylar and what is composed of and how it’s made. Mylar is a special type of stretched polyester film with the brand name Mylar. People also call it Melinex or Hostaphan, and it’s generally known as BoPET or biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.
In the cannabis industry, Mylar bags are the go-to choice for packaging, and it makes sense. People who use marijuana often buy more than they’ll smoke in one day. Because marijuana smells strong and can be harmed by the environment, normal containers aren’t good enough. Moreover, keep reading below to find out the various aspects of Mylar’s history.
What Is The History Of Mylar?
The BoPet film was created by DuPont, Hoechst, and Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in the 1950s. NASA launched the Echo II balloon in 1964. This balloon was huge, 40 meters across, and made using super thin Mylar film (just 9 micrometers thick) with layers of aluminum foil (4.5 micrometers thick) on both sides.
“Mylar” is now a trademark owned by DuPont Teijin Corporation. The polyester film doesn’t let gases pass through as easily as other plastics do, which is why it’s liked in the food packaging world. When used as a combo, like aluminum foil/polyester / LLDPE, it keeps food fresh for longer and guards against moisture and gas, especially oxygen.
Vacuum metallization, also called thermal evaporation, is the top way to apply metal alloys in a vacuum, and it’s the most common PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process. In the case of polyester film, aluminum gets vaporized inside a vacuum chamber and sticks to a polyester sheet, making a layer of metal that’s even. This creates the shiny, silvery stuff that people often wrongly call “mylar” – the right term is “metalized polyester.”
Mylar Properties
Below you can read out various properties of a Mylar. These properties help it to become the best choice for commercial use.
- Electric insulator
- Transparent
- High tensile strength
- Chemical stability
- Reflective
- Gas barrier
- Odor barrier
How Mylar Is Made
· Melted polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is squeezed out as a thin layer onto a cold surface, like a roller.
· The layer is stretched in two directions. Some machines stretch it in both directions at once. More often, it’s stretched first in one direction, then in the other direction. Heated rollers help do this.
· Lastly, the layer is made solid by keeping it tight and hot, over 200°C (392°F).
· The pure layer is super smooth, it sticks to itself when rolled up. So, small particles can be added to the surface. A process called vapor deposition can add metals like gold or aluminum to the plastic by evaporating them onto it.
Uses
Mylar and other BoPET films are great for making flexible packaging and covers for food, like lids for yogurt and bags for roasting. They’re also used for keeping comic books safe and storing important documents. People use them to make paper and fabric shiny and safe. Mylar is useful for blocking electricity and heat, reflecting light, and adding decoration. It’s found in musical instruments, see-through films, and even kites, among other things. So, these films are super versatile! In addition, die-cut Mylar bags have been used in many businesses. These bags come in customized shapes.
Why Are Mylar Bags So Popular?
Mylar bags come with various storage benefits that make them different from other containers. When it comes to keeping cannabis fresh for a long time, Mylar bags are the best option because they maintain the quality of the product even after many years. Below you can read some prominent advantages of Mylar bags.
Maximize the shelf life
Mylar helps keep cannabis fresh for a long time by keeping out oxygen and moisture. Food can be stored in it without compromising on taste. Therefore, Mylar bags are best for increasing the shelf life of food items.
No Light
As we know that light can change the taste and color of cannabis or other food items. But Mylar is best to stop the light and do not allow it to enter inside it. Aluminum foil in the middle of layers blocks the entrance of light. And keep the items fresh with natural qualities for a longer period.
Fresh Buds
If food is placed in direct contact with air and water then it can be spoiled after some time. But if you keep the food inside Mylar then it won’t allow the air and water to come inside the bag. That way, you can enjoy fresh food always.
No Harmful Stuff
Some plastic bags have bad stuff that gets into the food. Mylar bags don’t have those bad things. Storing cannabis or edibles in Mylar bags is safe because it keeps them free from bad stuff.
Easy to Seal
Sealing a Mylar bag is easy. For this, two options are available. First, you can use a heat sealer and second a clamshell heat sealer. In addition to this, if these two options are not available then you can also use an iron to seal them.
Can Be Used Again
These bags are reusable even if you have opened the seal. It is because they are very strong and don’t get hurt even if you wash them. After storing food in them, you can utilize them again for storing another item.
Strong
These bags are built with strong materials. You cannot tear them easily. Moreover, Mylar bags are similar to other simple storage bags. Further, these bags provide enough protection to the contents inside so that you can ship them safely.
FAQs
When was Mylar bags invented?
Mylar bags were invented in 1954. It is a kind of BoPET film. Do not know what is BoPET? It is a chemical compound that has full form as biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.
Who invented Mylar bags?
DuPont Hoechst invented Mylar bags in the 1950s. These bags are made by vaporizing aluminum sheets in a vacuum chamber.
Are Mylar bags smell-proof?
Yes, they are smell-proof. Mylar bags offer lots of advantages in the industry. One of the key reasons Mylar bags are widely preferred is because they can block smells, be designed to be childproof, show if they’ve been tampered with, and have various printing options.
Are Mylar bags recyclable?
No, they are not recyclable. But you can reuse them after washing. Moreover, some places can recycle Mylar bags, but not all places can do it. Because the bags have different layers that are hard to separate.
