In order to guarantee the quality and safety of its products, Plastimak:

• - Carries out strict inspections covering all stages of the production process.
• - Ensures that the personnel is experienced and continuously trained according to the product quality and safety requirements.
• - Collaborates with certified and accredited external laboratories to carry out all necessary chemical analyses in accordance with legal requirements.

In addition, with a strong emphasis on high quality, innovation, and reliability, Plastimak operates a fully equipped Quality Control and Research & Development (R&D) Laboratory, highlighting the company’s ability to offer technically reliable packaging solutions with even greater precision in the testing and development of new materials. Specifically, the laboratory features:

- OTR Tester (Oxygen Transmission Rate)
For accurate and reliable measurements of oxygen permeability, ensuring longer shelf life for sensitive products.

The OTR (Oxygen Transmission Rate) is an extremely important factor in flexible food packaging for the following reasons:
1. Prevention of oxidation | Oxygen causes oxidation in food, resulting in, among other things, flavor and aroma deterioration (especially in fatty foods), color changes (especially in fresh meats), and loss of nutritional value.

2. Suppression of microbial growth | Many bacteria and fungi require oxygen to grow. Therefore, a film with a low OTR helps extend the product’s shelf life and enhance the safety of the end user.

3. Impact on storage conditions | A proper OTR helps maintain the desired conditions inside the packaging during storage and distribution, especially when the product is packaged under Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) or vacuum.

- WVTR Tester (Water Vapor Transmission Rate)
The WVTR (Water Vapor Transmission Rate) is just as critical as OTR in flexible food packaging, as it indicates the level of protection the packaging provides against moisture. A lack of adequate barrier properties can:

- Hot-tack/ Heat-Seal/ Tensile Tester
For testing the heat-sealing properties of films, ensuring optimal performance under real production conditions

The Hot-tack/Heat-Seal/Tensile tester is a critical tool as it evaluates the quality and strength of the heat seal of each material, which directly affects the integrity, safety, and shelf life of the packaged product.

Such an equipment helps determine the ideal sealing conditions by identifying the appropriate combination of (a) temperature, (b) pressure, and (c) dwell time, ensuring a strong and consistent seal without damaging the material.

- FTIR Tester (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy)
Τhe FTIR allows for the rapid identification and analysis of materials by recognizing and analyzing the individual layers in multilayer films.

- Gas Chromatograph
It enables the precise identification and analysis of volatile and hazardous substances, ensuring safety, regulatory compliance, and consistent quality of the final product.

- Dynamometer

For measuring tensile strength, elongation, heat-sealing or lamination strength, and generally for the quality control of production.

- CoF (Coefficient of Friction) tester

For measuring the coefficient of friction between two surfaces of packaging material, either during the production process or in the use of the final product. The CoF tester is essential in the quality control of flexible packaging, as it ensures that the material has the appropriate friction properties for efficient processing, safe use, and high performance in its final application.

- Analytical balance with 4 decimal places

The analytical balance is essential for the proper preparation or precise analysis of samples and for the reliability of the results.

- Micrometer

For measuring the thickness of films and materials, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and quality in the final product.