Case Study
Amcor’s AmTuff™ Bags vs. Heavy Gauge Bags
Our Superior Products Outperform all tests
Amcor, Inc. submitted plastic bag samples for evaluation to a third party lab for an evaluation of mechanical properties: Sample #1 included Amcor’s proprietary formulation of AmTuff™ materials. This was a 4 mil sample, Sample #2 included a competitor’s blend for “heavy-duty” bags. This was a 6 mil sample.
Tear Resistance
Tear resistance specimens were tested per ASTM D1922-15. The specimens were die cut from both machine and cross directions, then conditioned per ASTM D618-13 for 40 hours at 23 deg C and 50% relative humidity. The specimens were tested on a mechanical Elmendorf tearing tester. A 1600g pendulum was used for testing.
In this test, the 4 mil AmTuff™ sample proved to have a 200% improvement in tear resistance over the 6 mil sample. The AmTuff™ material proved to be 200% stronger.
Falling Dart Impact Resistance
Impact resistance specimens were tested per ASTM D1709-16a, Method A. The specimens were conditioned per ASTM D618-13 for 40 hours at 23 deg C and 50% relative humidity. A constant height of 26”, a uniform weight increment of 30g, and a dart with a hemispherical head measuring 1.5” in diameter were used for testing. The lowest missile weight used in failure was 95g.
In this test, the failure weight (in g) of the 4 mil AmTuff™ sample proved to be 50% more puncture resistant than the 6 mil sample. Additionally, the failure energy (in in-lbs) of the 4 mil AmTuff™ sample proved to 50% tougher than the 6 mil sample (linear results).
Conclusion
In a particular scenario, a potential customer utilized over 200,000 6 mil bags ($300,000) per year for packaging large woven products. The customer incurred a 4% return rate ($1.2M) on their materials due to damage of the bags during shipping. When switching to AmTuff™ bags, the customer paid 25% more for the bags (additional $80,000), but demonstrated a net savings of $900,000 as a result of a less than 1% return rate on materials. Additionally, the customer saw a net savings in freight charges based on a 3% reduction in claims.