What is MDO Film? Discover its Benefits & Uses

When choosing the right packaging, MDO film is something to consider. It is growing in popularity as the best recyclable material in flexible packaging whilst not compromising on protection. In a world growing ever more conscious of the climate, this is a very appealing factor.

What is MDO film?

MDO stands for machine-direction orientation and MDO film is a fully recyclable, flexible packaging film that requires less material and uses a unique film-making technology to produce it. The raw polymer (e.g. Polyurethane) is heated to a temperature just below melting point and stretched in the desired direction before being cast on an MDO machine.

How is MDO film made?

What gives MDO film all of its great properties is the manufacturing process. Without each step, the film would not have all of the characteristics that make it such a versatile, flexible packaging choice.

1. The first stage of the process is extrusion. This means to form something by forcing or pushing out through a small opening. It involves preheating and feeding the polyurethane film into the stretching unit and warming it to the desired temperature which is slightly below melting point.
2. The film is then stretched between revolving rollers. Stretching the MDO film several times will give it a “shrink index value” which will then determine the maximum final retraction. It will then set during the cooling process.
3. Lastly is the annealing stage. This means heating the product and then allowing it to cool slowly which removes the internal stresses and makes it easier to work with. The film’s new properties are now made permanent through this process and it is this that makes the MDO film so flexible.
4. The cooling process is the final stage where the MDO film is brought back to near room temperature and is ready to be used.

Typical characteristics of MDO film?

MDO film is a popular choice when selecting flexible polythene packaging and it has several main characteristics. These are:

• High rigidity
• High resilience
• Brilliant printability
• Excellent bag-converting performance
• Higher transparency and glossiness than other similar products
• Excellent optical clarity
• A high tensile strength

What are the benefits of MDO film?

Making MDO film your plastic packaging of choice comes with many benefits. These include:

• Shock and tear resistant making it an ideal choice for packaging
• Lightweight which reduces the shipping cost & packaging tax impacts
• Excellent performance due to its flexibility so is perfect for bags such as sachets and pouches
• Consumes less raw material making it more sustainable
• 100% recyclable
• Reduced manufacturing costs
• Versatile

Where is MDO film most commonly used?

The versatility of MDO film makes it suitable for almost any packaging machine. Equally, it can also be used for almost any packaging needs. These include but are not limited to:

• Pillow bags
• Sachets
• Flow packs
• Lidding film
• Stand up pouches
• Side gusset bags

Is MDO-PE film recyclable?

MDO-PE film is both environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable making it a sustainable packaging choice. It can be used to produce mono-polymer packaging and can be disposed of easily at the end of its life.

The technology used to produce MDO film is suitable for packaging that has been manufactured from renewable sources. This means that it is possible to produce MDO packaging that has not only been made from renewable materials but is also entirely recyclable.

MDO film also has a reduced carbon footprint due to the manufacturing process. Producing the thin film consumes very few fossil fuel resources and transportation costs are also reduced which causes less emissions than heavier packaging products.

Reduce your packaging costs today

If you are looking for an MDO supplier, contact us to make an inquiry and discuss how we can help reduce your environmental impact and reduce your packaging costs today.