Flo-pak Or how straws became filler

History of filling material flo-pak^® began in 1950. Safe-T Pacific in the United States primarily manufactured paper drinking straws and independently sold the cut ends of the straws that were left over during production as filler material. It soon became clear that this was a very profitable decision. Due to increasing demand, Arthur Graham founded Free-Flow Packaging Corporation in December 1967 to concentrate entirely on the production of this promising filling material. Just one year later, the paper straw was replaced by lightweight expanded polystyrene. And it was at this time that the characteristic “figure eight” shape was developed, which gives this filler its unique flexibility as well as its stability and shock absorption protection. As a result of this rapid development, flo-pak®^“ (the similarity to the “Flow” part of the company name is no coincidence) was registered as a trademark on 6 September 1960 and is now an integral part of the packaging market. In addition, since 1989, 100% recycled materials have been used for its production. This is also why these small filler chips are flopak in natural quality are the optimal combination of an effective filler and an environmentally friendly product.

Theflopak filler can be reused. It contains no hazardous CFCs or chlorine and is harmless to groundwater. Other unique properties of this filling material include its water resistance, flexibility (it absorbs a load of 45 to 65 g/m2) and anti-static properties. Due to its specific shape, it is only minimally compressed (only about 5%) during vibration, which is up to 5 times less than other fillers. This minimizes the amount needed in boxes. Thanks to the autofit shape, the individual elements wedge into each other, wrapping the inserted contents and fixing them firmly in place without deforming the product.

Now you may be asking yourself if you’ve ever heard of supplier Free-Flow Packaging Corporation. In 1996, based on its growing international success, the company renamed itself and operated under the business name Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc. Shortly thereafter, it registered its now familiar business name, FP International. And the stellar saga continues: flo-pak® filling continues to be one of the company’s most successful products…