How to Choose Best Aluminum Foil?

09 Apr.,2024

 

Aluminum Foil is a hot stamping material that is directly calendered into thin sheets with metal aluminum. Its hot stamping effect is similar to that of pure silver foil, so it is also called fake silver foil. Because aluminum has a soft texture, good ductility, and silver-white luster, if the rolled sheet is mounted on offset paper with sodium silicate and other materials to make aluminum foil, it can also be printed. However, the aluminum foil itself is easy to oxidize and the color becomes dark, and it will fade when rubbed or touched, so it is not suitable for hot stamping of the covers of books and periodicals that have been stored for a long time. Aluminum foil is a packaging material with excellent performance. In daily life, the most common aluminum foil processed product is aluminum foil for food packaging and aluminium foil paper. Of course, the use of aluminum foil is much more than that. Therefore, as a packaging manufacturer, it is very important to choose aluminum foil with excellent performance and high quality. So how to choose high-quality aluminum foil? This article will discuss this issue in detail and give you some help.

Classification of Aluminum Foil

Classification by thickness

According to the difference in thickness, aluminum foil can be divided into thick foil, single zero foil and double zero foil.

  • Thick foil (heavy gauge foil): a foil with a thickness of 0.1~2mm.
  • Single zero foil (medium gauge foil): A foil with a thickness of 0.01mm and less than 0.1mm/.
  • Double zero foil (light gauge foil): The so-called double zero foil is a foil with two zeros after the decimal point when its thickness is measured in mm. It is usually an aluminum foil with a thickness of less than 0.01, that is, an aluminum foil with a thickness of 0.005~0.009mm. In foreign countries, the aluminum foil with thickness ≤40ltm is sometimes called “light gauge foil”, and the aluminum foil with thickness >40btm is collectively called “heavy gauge foil”.

Classification by shape

According to the shape, aluminum foil can be divided into roll aluminum foil and sheet aluminum foil. Most of the aluminum foil deep-processed wool is supplied in rolls, and only a few handicraft packaging occasions use sheet aluminum foil. According to the state, aluminum foil can be divided into hard foil, semi-rigid foil and soft foil.

① Hard foil: aluminum foil without softening treatment (annealing) after rolling, without degreasing treatment, there will be residues on the surface. Therefore, the hard foil must be degreased before printing, laminating, and coating, and it can be used directly if it is used for forming.

② Semi-rigid foil: aluminum foil whose hardness (or strength) is between the rigid foil and the soft foil, usually used for forming processing.

③ Soft foil: Aluminum foil that has been fully annealed and softened after rolling. The material is soft and there is no residual oil on the surface. Most application areas, such as packaging, composites, electrical materials, etc., use soft foils.

Classification according to processing status

According to the processing state, aluminum foil can be divided into plain foil, embossed foil, composite foil, coated foil, colored aluminum foil, and printed aluminum foil.

① Plain foil: Aluminum foil without any other processing after rolling, also called a smooth foil.

② Embossed foil: aluminum foil with various patterns embossed on the surface.

③ Composite foil: composite aluminum foil formed by pasting aluminum foil, paper, plastic film, and cardboard together.

④ Coated foil: aluminum foil coated with various resins or paints on the surface.

⑤ Colored aluminum foil: A single-color aluminum foil is coated on the surface.

⑥ Printing aluminum foil: aluminum foil forms various patterns, patterns, characters, or pictures on the surface by printing, it can be one color, up to 12 colors.

Flexible aluminum foil can be further pressed into four zero foils for high-end decoration.

Common problems in the production of aluminum foil

(1) Pinholes are the main defect of aluminum foil. Among the raw materials, the size of dust on the roll, the rolling oil, and even the dust in the air reaching about 6μm into the roll gap will cause pinholes. Therefore, it is impossible for 6μm aluminum foil to have no pinholes. It can only be evaluated by the number and size.It is generally believed that pinholes are mainly related to gas content, inclusions, compounds and component segregation. Taking effective aluminum liquid purification, filtration, and grain refinement can help reduce pinholes. Of course, the use of alloying and other means to improve the hardening characteristics of the material will also help reduce pinholes.

(2) Roll print, roll eye, uneven gloss. It is mainly the aluminum foil defect caused by the roll, which is divided into three types: point, line and surface. The most significant feature appears in three cycles. The main reasons for this kind of defect are: incorrect grinding of the roll; foreign matter damages the roll: the roll is damaged by the defect of the incoming material; the roll is fatigued; the impact and slippage between the rolls. All the factors that can cause damage to the surface of the roll can cause harm to aluminum foil rolling. Because the surface finish of aluminum foil rolling roll is very high, slight uneven gloss will also affect its surface condition. Regular cleaning of the rolling mill, keeping the rolling mill clean, ensuring the normal operation of the rolling cleaner, regularly changing rolls, and reasonable grinding are the basic conditions to ensure the uniformity of the surface of the aluminum foil after rolling.

(3) Thickness difference. The difficulty of controlling the thickness difference is a characteristic of aluminum foil rolling. The thickness difference of 3% may not be difficult in the production of plates, but it is very difficult in the production of aluminum foil. The reason is that the thickness is thin, and other trace conditions can affect it, such as temperature, oil film, and oil and gas concentration. A roll of aluminum foil can be rolled up to hundreds of thousands of meters, and the rolling time is as long as 10 hours. With time, the thickness difference is easy to form, and the only way to adjust the thickness is the tension speed. These factors have caused the difficulty of thickness control in aluminum foil rolling. Therefore, the real control of the thickness difference within 3% requires many conditions to ensure that it is quite difficult.

(4) The seam is a peculiar defect of foil rolling, which splits straight along the longitudinal direction during rolling, often accompanied by metal wires. The root cause of the seam is the discount on the inlet side, which often occurs in the middle, mainly due to the loose middle of the incoming material or the bad roll. Severe slits cannot be rolled, while slight slits crack in the subsequent slitting, which often results in a lot of waste.

(5) Defects in the coil. Coiling defects mainly refer to loose coils or tightness inside and outside. Due to the limited tension of aluminum foil, it is difficult to roll up hard rolls. It is ideal to obtain tight inner and outer rollers, but sufficient tension is a condition to form a certain tension gradient. Therefore, the coiling quality ultimately depends on the quality of the plate. Loose coils inside and tight outside will form horizontal edges, and loose coils will form ellipses, which will affect later processing.

The right choice of high-quality aluminum foil

For factories that need to use aluminum foil as a processing material, choosing high-quality aluminum foil needs to pay attention to the following issues. 

Whether the aluminum foil is wrinkled.

Due to the serious bad shape of the aluminum foil, wrinkles are formed when the aluminum foil is rolled or unrolled. The essence is that the tension is insufficient to make the foil surface flat. For a device with a tension dimension of 20MPa, the shape of the foil surface should not be greater than 30I. When it is greater than 30I, it will inevitably wrinkle. Because aluminum foil is often subjected to greater tension during rolling than subsequent processing, some only show poor shape during rolling, including incorrect roll grinding, incorrect roll shape, poor shape of incoming material, and incorrect adjustment of shape.

Whether there are bright spots, bright marks and bright spots on the aluminum foil.

The bright spots, bright marks, and bright spots on the double surface of aluminum foil caused by improper use of double oil are mainly due to insufficient double oil film strength, or uneven rolling surface caused by uneven rolling, and the appearance is hemp skin or foreign body pressure. Into the state. Selecting a reasonable double oil, keeping the incoming material clean and the roll surface uniform are effective measures to solve this type of defect. Of course, it is also necessary to change the amount of reduction and choose a good aluminum plate.

Whether the aluminum foil has dense pinholes.

The pinholes of 6μm aluminum foil rolled by high-quality hot-rolled material can be less than 100/㎡. When the cast-rolled material is well purified, the 6μm aluminum foil pinholes are less than 200/㎡.

With the continuous update of the technology, the production process of aluminum foil manufacturers is also constantly improving, and most manufacturers can provide good aluminum foil materials.

Of course, you need high-quality aluminum foil, but you may also worry that the uneven quality of aluminum foil will affect the production quality of your products. Therefore, it is very important to choose a high-quality aluminum foil supplier. Excellent aluminum foil supplier can monitor the entire production process of aluminum foil, so they can provide high-quality aluminum foil to dispel your worries. Regardless of your demand, CHAL Aluminium Corporation will provide specific high-quality aluminium foil products that suit your needs.  We provide various types of aluminum foil (including 3003, 3004, 8011 and other different types of aluminum foil). Whether it is aesthetic changes or excellent mechanical properties, we will provide you with precise aluminium foil! Contact us now to learn more about our aluminium foil.

Related Products

For the longest time, tin, known as tinfoil stuck, was used as a packaging material for containing goods such as candies and cigarettes. While aluminum foil was also being used commercially, it wasn’t until 1947 that everyone’s favorite “aluminum foil” made its way into the household.

That’s right.

It’s light, inexpensive, and is insanely multipurpose. You’ve used it to package food for the freezer, wrap up those leftovers, line your baking sheets and oven grill grates and even sharpen scissors.

Today, aluminum foil comes in a host of different widths and sizes. As a matter of fact, the more the thickness of a foil, the less likely it will be vulnerable to tear and leak. A heavy-duty aluminum foil obviously is way thicker than a regular one. If you’re unsure about the different types of aluminum foil and how to choose one for household use, keep reading to find answers to all your questions!

 

Standard Duty Foil vs. Heavy Duty Foil

Aluminum foils are broadly classified into regular or standard duty foil and heavy duty foil. Just like plastic or metal sheets, aluminum foil too comes in varying thicknesses and widths. However, heavy-duty foil is thicker and is resistant to wear, tear, and puncture.

Choosing a household aluminum foil depends on where and how you intend to use it.

Following are the approximate gauges for foils used in the household, mainly in the kitchen:

Standard Duty Aluminum Foil: 0.00062. Less thick than its heavy-duty counterpart, Standard Duty Foil serves as a versatile all-purpose foil for food packaging and storage.

Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil: 0.0009. The Heavy Duty Foil is thicker than the Standard Duty foil, and therefore, is more resistant to wear and tear.

 

Choosing the Right Household Aluminum Foil

 

Standard Duty Aluminum Foil

If you’re looking for a pocket-friendly solution for a multitude of different applications, standard-duty aluminum foil can be your savior. Not only is it inexpensive, but it is also one of the most common foodservice foil out there. In addition, it provides an all-purpose solution for most kitchen-related tasks. So whether you’re packaging food for freezer storage, or wrapping meats on the grill, this standard duty aluminum foil won’t disappoint you.

Common Applications of Standard Duty Aluminum Foil

  • Wrapping meats for freezer
  • Containing melted cheese
  • Preparing steam chicken and fish
  • Wrapping baked potatoes
  • Wrapping sandwiches and flatbread
  • To cover stainless steel table pans (full or half size) and foil steam table pans (full size)

Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil

If you’re looking for a more durable option that can withstand wear and tear during usage, look no further than a heavy-duty aluminum foil. Manufactured thick enough to resist puncture and tear, heavy-duty aluminum foils are perfect for covering foil steam table pans. It’s because pans tend to flex when carried, and only a heavy-duty foil can help with that.

Typical Applications of Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

  • Using as a temporary yet durable lid
  • Lining grilling gates, covering grills, and ovens
  • Lining pans use for baking, steam cooking, roasting, and broiling
  • Keeping stainless steel pans protected during transport
  • Covering all sizes of steam table pans

What is the Difference Between Aluminum Foil Rolls and Aluminum Foil Sheets?

Household aluminum foil is typically available as rolls or sheets. With rolls, there’s always an adequate amount of foil wrapped around, which you can use whenever you want in any desired quantity. Aluminum foil rolls come in handy when you need to use the foil on a regular basis. Another notable feature of these rolls is standard finish and non-stick finish options. The latter ones have a shiny glazed surface on one side, allowing you to use them in oil-free cooking as they are easier to detach. Aluminum foil rolls are ideal for use in lining pans, ovens, and grills.

Different manufacturers make aluminum foil rolls in a range of widths. Commonly available widths include 12″,15″,18″, and 24″. While aluminum foil rolls make the appropriate amount of the foil readily available at your disposal, you need to tear them according to use.

This is where aluminum foil sheets come in.

This type of aluminum foil provides already cut sheets in specific sizes, which saves your time from the hassle of unrolling foil sheets, and then measuring the desired amount before finally cutting them. The sheets come in handy, especially when you’re on a time crunch, so you can use them to wrap your food on the go.

Aluminum foil sheets are perfect for wrapping cooked food such as sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, granola bars, baked potatoes, etc. Some commonly available sizes of aluminum foil sheets are 9″ x 10 3/4″ sheets, 12 x 10 3/4″ sheets, and 14″ x 16″ sheets.

 

Conclusion

Aluminum foil is a household essential. Since it’s mainly used to store, carry, and contain foods and kitchen utensils, choosing the suitable aluminum foil is super important. Understanding the different types of foils, their thickness, and their width range can give a clear picture of which foil works best for which purpose. If you’re looking for something tough and resilient, opt for a heavy-duty variety of aluminum foil. Not only will it serve the purpose, but it will also make wrapping and packaging effortless. The best part? Aluminum foils are fully recyclable, so no matter where you are, you can always toss your use aluminum foil in the recycle bin and contribute towards building a sustainable environment.

How to Choose Best Aluminum Foil?

How to Choose Household Aluminum Foil