Cannabis is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Today, there are 33 states that have legalized medical marijuana use, 14 of which allow adults to purchase marijuana for recreational purposes. On top of this, every state allows the use of Cannabidiol (CBD), which is not psychoactive.
Sales within the legalized U.S. cannabis industry are growing at an incredible pace, with over $13.6 billion in 2019 sales, which is a 32% increase over 2018. One of the largest contributing factors to this pace of growth is the increase in alternative options to consuming cannabis, which has traditionally been smoked in plant (flower) form. Flower now only accounts for 50% of sales in the United States. Cannabis can be purchase and consumed in a variety of other forms, such as edibles, resin, oil and other extracts.
With this breadth of product options comes a series of challenges in processing and storage, which is where FEP film can be extremely beneficial. The properties of FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) make it an optimum choice in applications where a release layer is required or maintaining the freshness of product is critical:
Non-Stick
FEP is a fluoropolymer film with excellent release properties, which means cannabis extracts won’t stick to the surface of FEP film, making it ideal for the processing and storage of these sticky products.
Non-Leaching
FEP is extremely inert. The material will aid in keeping product fresh in storage and will not contaminate it like silicone.
Food-Safe
FEP film is acceptable for food contact and meets the requirements of USP class VI plastic.
Laboratory-Proven
FEP film has been a popular material-of-choice in laboratories across the world for years. Scientist love FEP film for its solvent-proof, chemical resistance, and thermal range (up to 400ºF/205°C).
With over 35 years of experience, Welch Fluorocarbon, Inc. is the expert in converting FEP film to meet the cannabis industry needs. Our FEP conversion expertise includes:
Sheeting
Welch Fluorocarbon can produce custom sheet sizes, which can be used in the processing and storage of cannabis resin.
Heat-Sealing
Welch Fluorocarbon has an array of standard-sized bags in FEP film. We can also produce custom FEP bags and drum-liners, which are great for the bulk storage of flower and extracts.
Thermoforming
Welch Fluorocarbon can thermoform FEP film into custom three-dimensional shapes, such as packaging container liners and cap seal liners.
For any questions about FEP film and our capabilities, or to place orders, the Welch Fluorocarbon team can be reached at 603-742-0164 or at [email protected].
