Pharmaceutical Packaging Pouches for API & Drug Packaging

HDPE and LDPE are derived from polyethene (PE), the most popular plastic used worldwide. These two materials belong to the polyethene family of thermoplastic, extracted from petroleum through the polymerization process. 

Polyethene is generally a mixture of organic compounds and is categorized into different groups based on density and branching. It has a simple molecular structure and is most commonly found in everything, including toys, shopping bags, water bottles, etc. 

The key difference between LDPE and HDPE is the polymer molecule's density or alignment. The difference between LDPE and HDPE is that the HDPE polymers are straight and closely packed, whereas the LDPE polymers are not closely packed and have many branches. 

Another significant difference between these materials is their overall durability and rigidity, as the LDPE bags are more flexible than HDPE bags. This is due to the crystalline structure between these two bags. However, LDPE is known to have a much lower melting point and is most likely to get cracked under high pressure and stress. 

The bags also need to be recycled in different methods, which is why HDPE bags are more widely recycled than LDPE bags. In addition, the HDPE recycling process is more straightforward than recycling LDPE.

The primary attributes of LDPE and HDPE:

LDPE: The transparent plastic bags are flexible, have waterproofing capacity and have incredible chemical resistance. It is utilized in the making of a wide range of products. The most common applications are grocery bags, plastic wrap & films, and injection moulded components.

HDPE: the popular plastic material is known for exhibiting a high impact on strength and durability. It is available in many variations like transparent & opaque. 

LDPE Bags:

LDPE bags (low-density polyethene bags) are soft, flexible and lightweight plastic materials. The bags are less dense because of the increased space between the branches during the polymerization process. This makes it immensely flexible than HDPE bags. They also have better clarity than dense polyethene materials. LDPE bags are easy to tear, which is an advantage while opening the packages. They work excellent with chemicals and are easy to fabricate. 

LDPE bags are produced by either a stirred autoclave or a tubular reactor. It is generally a manufacturing process involving ethylene gas polymerization and gas separation compression. 

LDPE bag's density range is 0.91-0.94g/cm³. The branched polymer is synthesized from ethylene by a catalytic procedure. More branching makes the molecules packing irregular, and intermolecular bonds become weaker than in HDPE bags. As a result, these bags are flexible but can't tolerate higher temperatures.

Advantages:

• Low cost
• Resistant to acids and bases
• Accessible to process and mould
• Good electrical insulation
• Waterproof property

Applications:

• Food items
• Grocery and produce bags
• Corrosion-resistant work surfaces
• Packaging for computer hardware

LDPE is majorly used for Pharmaceutical and API Packaging

It is said that LDPE bags are ideal for pharmaceutical and API packing, which meets the needs at an affordable cost. The bags are essentially long-chain polymers made from ethylene gas through polymerization. This process is performed under high pressure. Therefore, because of this reason, the bags can withstand high ambient temperatures and are highly flexible. In addition, the LDPE bags provide a moisture-free environment and extend the stored products' shelf-life. Such properties are necessary for the pharmaceutical industry. 

The pharmaceutical industry uses these bags for storing and packaging medicines and bulk drugs. This also maintains the consistency of the delivered product and enables the production of high-quality finished goods. E.g., tablets and capsules. 

API:

API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients). It is crucial to maintain the effectiveness and quality of the API for producing tablets, capsules and several other drugs. The temperature changes can affect the API products. Because of this reason, the products are packed in pharma-grade bags to preserve their quality and effectiveness from getting damaged. These bags act as a protective barrier to uphold the properties of the API products. 

API LDPE bags are also used with pharma-grade bags, especially while transporting products in powder, beads, or other forms. It generally keeps the APIs away from chemical and biological reactions. These bags can also be provided for various thickness-based requirements, particularly for the transported product. 

Pharma-grade bags:

The pharma-grade bags are made of laminated material, commonly used for pharma product packaging. However, as we know, pharma products are susceptible, and delivering these sensitive products is more challenging for healthcare manufacturers. 

To sustain the efficiency, quality and performance of the medicines, pharma-grade bags are a practical solution for eliminating the risk of leakage and moisture effects and providing the safest delivery of the pharma products. These bags are moisture-free, odourless and even non-toxic. They also have an additional advantage of extending the shelf life of the products. 

Thus, the pharma-grade bags are perfect for protecting bulk tablets, drugs and medical powders, especially from moisture and humidity. In addition, these bags are manufactured without adding additives or chemicals, so there is less chance of adverse effects on the tablets, capsules and drugs packed in pharma-grade bags. 

Pharma-grade bags are available in different sizes and shapes, depending on the product's packaging. Bags are also considered one of the economical ways to protect medicines and drugs from getting affected by moisture and humidity by maintaining the clarity and quality of the film. 

HDPE Bags:

HDPE (high-density polyethene bags) are durable, versatile, low-cost and chemical-resistant plastics. These bags are denser than LDPE bags because of the branching structure of the polymer chain. This makes them more durable and resistant to tear, but these are not much flexible as LDPE bags. Denser and more durable, they are most commonly used for heavy-duty packaging. HDPE bags are also excellent for fabricated water and chemical tanks.

The HDPE bags are generally produced by heating the petroleum at high temperatures using slurry polymerization or phase polymerization. The production process begins with the polymerization solution of ethylene monomers after operation and drying. 

It is manufactured in low temperatures ranging from 70°C to 300°C, rather than LDPE. HDPE is mainly obtained through the catalytic cracking of crude oil into gasoline or natural gases like methane, ethane, etc.

Advantages:

• Low cost
• High tensile strength
• Able to resist low temperature
• Relatively strong and stiff
• Waterproof property
• Good electrical insulation

Applications:

They are commonly used for packaging:

• Construction materials like cement or sand
• Bulk dry goods like rice or grain
• Auto parts and tools
• Chemical containers
• Chemical-resistant piping
• Fuel tanks 
• Food storage containers

Few similarities between both HDPE and LDPE bags:

• Low material weight
• High impact strength
• High recyclability
• Cost-effectiveness
• Low cost of manufacturing
• Resistance to chemicals 

Several similar applications like:

• Packaging
• Pipes & Fittings
• Electrical
• Automotive
• Hydraulics & pneumatics

LDPE bags are the most frequently used product in the market. It is also said to be Low-Density poly ethane bags. These bags are made from petroleum, which initially goes through many high-pressure free radical polymerization processes. There is one more reason behind its popularity that is it has excellent recycling capability. These bags are extensively used in the pharma packaging industry. When kept at normal room temperatures, it shows its least reactive activities. It can easily withstand temperatures up to 80o centigrade and shows high resistance against acids, bases, and alcohols. Its high resistance against vegetable oils, mineral oils, and various oxidizing agents has highly increased its demand in the packaging and medical industries. It is almost used in every medical agency for the packaging of medicines. When packed in these LPED bags, the medicines show their least reactive actions until the bag is opened.

As LDPE can be molded easily, it is also used molded and used in various laboratory equipment as well. In laboratories, it is used to store highly sensitive powdered chemicals. The reactions mostly occur when the products are exposed to the environment. So, chemical powders are packed in these LDPE bags when transporting medicines. These LDPE bags are also good from an environmental perspective as they recycle easily without polluting the environment. Although these LDPE bags are light-weighted and flexible, they can carry more than 50 times their weight.

Suppose the bags are manufactured by a good company and meet the requirements and standards set by the national and international governments. In that case, it can be used for various laboratory purposes as well. The size, color, and even thickness of bags can be customized easily as per the requirements. Many times, LDPE is mixed with other materials as well to overcome some of its drawbacks and to make it stronger. The bags made from LDPE tend to be more slippery, so sometimes, some additives are mixed to make them less slippery. These bags also tend to charge up on their own, so it can be quite risky when using any electronic item. That is why Anti-static additives are mixed to keep it static-free.  

Whether you like it or not, modern life doesn't exist without plastic. Polythene covers have become an integral part of our day to day life. They are found everywhere, packaging food to laundry bags; containers to carry bags. As we all know, plastic is not good for our environment. When it is necessary, we should make it as less evil as possible. LDPE plastic bags are said to be less harmful to us and the environment. This is because they are recyclable and very economical. The triple laminated LDPE plastic bags are used in packing goods like food, covers, pharmaceuticals etc. 

Sorbead India specifies that plastics used to pack food should be purer than plastics used for non-food packaging. This is known as food-grade plastic. Food grade plastic does not include dyes or recycled plastic which are dangerous to humans. Plastics used for pharmaceutical packaging should have even higher standards than food-grade plastics. Hence, only FDA approved, food-grade Triple Laminated LDPE plastic should be used in packaging food and medicines.

LDPE means low-density polyethene. It provides clarity and flexibility to the bags. Because of its strength and toughness in film form, it is used to produce grocery bags, garbage bags and milk cartons. The recycling number of LDPE is 4. LDPE bags are manufactured using the highest quality FDA approved raw materials. These triple laminated bags keep the food fresh for longer periods, prevent fungi and bacteria spoilage, and increase the product's shelf life. The three products used to manufacture triple laminated bags are aluminium, polyester and poly. Its thickness is usually 10 to 12 microns. It is mainly used in packing confectionery, tea, eatables, etc. It is moisture free and prevents the spoiling of food products.

Pharmaceutical and Drug products are packed in LDPE bags to protect them from moisture for a long period. These LDPE Bags are moisture free, DMF free, odourless and not toxic. They are also of low cost and can be easily processed into films. They have the lowest softening and melting point, good for heat-sealing. The triple laminated bags are compatible with nearly all foods and household chemicals and are corrosion resistant.

Nowadays the plastic industry has totally taken over the market. Each and every product purchased from market, comes packed in plastic bags. But gone are those days when these plastic bags were a reason for pollution in the environment. Nowadays LDPE bags are quite in trend. These bags are manufactured from petroleum and are also termed as low density poly ethane bags. Its environment friendly, recycling qualities has increased the demands of this material. These bags are not only used in food and packaging industry, but it is highly demanding in pharmaceutical industry as well. When tested, it did not show any reactive activities when tested against acid, bases and alcoholic materials. As it has least reaction activities, it is the idle container to store medicines. In order to meet the requirements and demands of people all over the world various manufacturing companies have also launched sealing bags.

The advantages of LDPE bags are that they are light in weight and are available in different sizes on demand. These bags are easy to clean and maintain and thus the bags can be used in multiple purposes. In order to design a single LDPE bags certain amount of petroleum is passed through high pressure process of free radical polymerization. The actual process is done in a gas phase reactor. This is a chemical process in which singular molecules are combined in groups which are termed as polymers. This process is adopted to produce goods which we have to use in our day to day life. LDPE can be mixed with different materials, according to the requirement. Like Ultra violet inhibitors (UVI) can be added to prevent the film from damaging in direct sunlight.

If you are certainly in a pharmaceutical industry, there is not much requirement to explain the importance of LDPE bags. These bags are perfect to store chemicals in powdered form. It is very necessary to keep the pharmaceutical products properly sealed, in order to stop any environmental reaction. As these bags are the best which provides best protection as they are air tight. These pharmaceutical bags bar any environmental catalysts or react with the medical products and thus retain its originality and effectiveness. Apart from this some other applications of LDPE products are in floor tiles to provide strength and durability. It is also used in garbage disposing purpose. It also has its own important functionality in coating application and firms.