Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap ( colloquially bang film, bubble wrap or Popp film, Eng. Bubble wrap ) is a resilient, mostly transparent and at least two-layer plastic film that is used for packaging easily breakable items (upholstery), for the isolation or void fill.

Construction

Bubble films consist of two-layer polyethylene ( PE), a smooth cover sheet and a second position in which at regular intervals by means of a dimpled cylinder and a vacuum roll round air pads are incorporated, which are used for damping of shocks. Three-layer designs have a second smooth cover sheet and are thus more resilient. Kleinnoppige films have about 10 mm bubble diameter, large-nubbed 25 mm. Often Mailers are lined with it in order to protect against damage.

To protect electronic assemblies bubble wrap can be of antistatic or also be made of conductive films.

For the filling of transport packaging air pillows are often used instead großnoppiger bubble wrap. These consist of a regularly partitioned, air-filled tubular film. At the welds they are perforated for easy removal.

Development

The bubble wrap was invented by accident in 1957 by the two engineers, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes in a garage in New York who were actually looking for a new plastic Tapetenart. The wallpaper should be easy to clean and also be easier when attaching to the wall than the usual paper material. In this case, both found that their wallpaper would also make a very lightweight, yet durable packaging material, and inserted the plastic add small air bubbles.

On November 27, 1959, the inventor reported their packaging film called " Bubble Wrap" with the U.S. Patent Office, and established a year later, Sealed Air Company, headquartered in Elmwood Park in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which is now different to the production of plastic packaging concentrates, including air cushion and foam sheets, bubble mailers, membrane upholstery and interior fixation and various systems for product protection (air bag systems, paper cushioning systems, packaging systems -in-place ). The Sealed Air Company 1976 he took over the company InstaPak, 1991 and 1998, the Sentinel Cryovac Division of the U.S. chemical company WR Grace and Company.

Since 2000 is also produced in Germany at the site Alsfeld.

2006 could reach 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in sales and 17,000 employees worldwide are employed.

2009 the company had 16,000 employees in over 100 production facilities in 52 countries and a turnover of around 4.2 billion U.S. dollars.

Cultural effects

In the Internet bubble wrap are many dedicated fansites. These deal with a specific peculiarity: the pressurization of the air bubbles, causing a small explosion. Therefore, the colloquial term stirred bang film. There are also electronic toys ( Bubblewrap Keychain) in the form of key fobs, which mimics the effect. The bubble wrap has (as modest piece of art ) in the New York Museum of Modern Art also found to be " Humble Masterpiece" as a design exhibit collection. Since 2001, every year in the United States on the last Monday of January, the " great day of bubble wrap " ( " Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day " ) committed.