The sky’s the limit for FILMtech
Q4 Services makes visual display systems for the aviation/simulation industry including American Airlines, British Airways, and United Airlines, but, FILMtech will use the process of evaporating aluminium to apply to food packaging.
Barrier packaging
Mark McGarel, general manager, FILMtech, told FoodProductionDaily more than 50% of its sales go into barrier food packaging and for this part of its business (aerospace) there are technical requirements for ‘process improvements which have benefits for the barrier packaging business’.
“We will be making precision coated (using a resistance evaporative aluminoum process) polyester films,” he said.
“The polyester film will be stretched over a shaped platen and drawn back with a high pressure vacuum to make conical mirrors. Where we benefit is from learning how to improve the process of evaporating the aluminium and minimizing the defects on the film surface.
“The fewer defects; the better the barrier to light and oxygen which are critical components to food packaging.”
FILMtech and Q4 Services have signed a multi-year deal that appoints Q4 as the exclusive distributor of optical standard metalized film for the simulation industry effective from July 1.
FILMtech will cease production of mirror film products and remove the machinery to begin engineering evaluation’s and upgrades effective June 2014.
Prior to any machine changes; a final production run will be conducted by FILMtech.
HACCP
Q4 will not be involved in the sales/ marketing/distribution of this production run.
McGarel added the complimentary competencies of FILMtech and Q4 will enable additional product capabilities and increased supply flexibly in support of the global military and commercial simulation industry.
“The aerospace industry (specifically NASA) was instrumental in developing the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) concept in the 1950s to guarantee food used in the space program would be completely free of microbial pathogens,” he said.
“We continue to utilize cross functional technologies to advance our companies position in barrier packaging and bring value to our customers.”
Founded in 2001, FILMtech metallizes film substrates including PET, OPP, CPP, LDPE, and BON for products such as flexible packaging and barrier lamination.
Q4 Services provides visual display products including mirror upgrades, mirror re-skinning, mirror washing, CRT and projector overhauls, and custom installation of cross-cockpit collimating displays for flight devices for the aviation simulation industry.
Products include the SupraVue collimating mirror product line, True-Vue laser sphere alignment, and Fixed-Matrix Replacement Projector (FMRP).
