Sappi Expands Corrugated Board Lines with New Type of Fresh Fiber Liner

Sappi, South Africa, expanding its containerboard product range and with Fusion Uncoated, offers an uncoated fresh fiber liner in the corrugated board market. With the development of Sappi’s Fusion Uncoated, a fully bleached fresh fiber liner, the specialist paper manufacturer is continuing to expand its product offering for the high-volume corrugated board market. 

Fusion Uncoated is based on the paper concept for the already very successful Fusion Topliner. In contrast to the double-coated Fusion Topliner, Fusion Uncoated has a natural, uncoated surface. Ideal applications include corrugated board and carton packaging, requiring a high white appearance for the topliner, inner liner and fluting. 

"Sappi's core expertise lies in the production of fresh fiber papers," said Bernd Gelder, product group manager for Containerboard at Sappi. "This makes the development of Fusion Uncoated a logical next step in our ambition to create an ever more appealing container board portfolio. We can now offer an uncoated surface with a natural look for the premium corrugated board sector. Fusion Uncoated is wood-free and impresses with its high whiteness and strength values."

Fusion Uncoated is approved for direct food contact and is recommended for use when branded product manufacturers, designers, and corrugated board processors are seeking an alternative to brown liner papers. These applications include inner packaging such as white corrugated board inserts for high-end perfume boxes as well as food packaging. These often-unprinted cartons present a luxury surface finish thanks to their high level of whiteness. Other applications include display and shelf-ready packaging, for which uncoated paper finishes are often the preferred option.

Fusion Uncoated is produced at the Sappi plant in Stockstadt, which has many years of experience in the manufacture of uncoated papers. Currently there are seven weights available, from 70 to 130 gsm,in sheet and roll formats. As with Fusion Topliner, the low weights meet the rising demand for weight savings with corrugated board packaging. Also, as a special requirements for food packaging, another version of this liner has recently been developed, without the addition of optical brighteners and is offered under the name Fusion Uncoated OF. Both Fusion Uncoated and Uncoated OF feature excellent printability with offset, flexo, screen, and digital printing.