What is PouchLab? Inside Volpak’s dedicated R&D space for flexible packaging
Every major innovation begins long before the first test is run. It starts with a clear idea of what the industry needs to move forward. At Volpak, that idea became PouchLab, a dedicated space located within our Barcelona facilities, where our experience in pouch machinery meets the evolving world of packaging materials.
Created to strengthen research, encourage experimentation and support the shift toward more sustainable solutions, PouchLab represents the foundation of a new way to approach flexible packaging development.
A dedicated space for packaging innovation
PouchLab is not an abstract R&D concept; it is a purpose-built testing environment designed to replicate the realities of production while maintaining complete confidentiality. Every element of the lab is designed to help companies validate their packaging ideas long before they reach an industrial line.
At the heart of PouchLab is the belief that true packaging innovation can happen only when machine dynamics and material behavior are studied together. New sustainable films, new spouts, new zippers, new shapes, these are not isolated elements. Their performance depends on how they interact with heat, tension, pressure, sealing technologies, and mechanical movement.
PouchLab provides the space where these interactions become visible, measurable and operational.
Where machines meet materials
Volpak has always been a machinery expert, but today equipment know-how alone is not enough. Modern pouch development demands a deeper understanding of how films, closures and components behave under real production forces. PouchLab exists precisely at this intersection.
The lab merges the capabilities of industrial-grade HFFS equipment with advanced testing devices such as burst analysis, vacuum and pressure systems, stress and durability tools, microscopy and thermal imaging technology. With these resources, customers gain access to an environment where they can:
- Form, seal and test pouches under controlled machine conditions
- Analyze how recyclable materials respond to heat and tension
- Evaluate sealing quality, micro-leakage risks, and mechanical resistance
- Validate closures such as zippers and spouts for compatibility and performance
This unique combination of machine and material expertise transforms R&D from a series of assumptions into a guided, data-driven process.
A secure environment built around collaboration
Innovation relies on trust. For this reason, PouchLab was designed as a closed-door, confidential space where companies can experiment, test, and make strategic decisions without exposing their ideas prematurely. Access is controlled, all data is protected, and every session is conducted with the discretion expected from a world-leading machinery manufacturer.
Within this safe setting, collaboration becomes easy and natural. PouchLab welcomes film converters, cap and spout producers, PE specialists, zipper manufacturers, technology centers, and brand owners. This approach creates a dynamic innovation ecosystem where customers can co-develop solutions alongside Volpak’s experts, accelerating problem-solving and enabling faster, more ambitious developments.
For customers, this collaboration translates into practical advantages: they can refine pouch formats, reduce film usage, explore new sustainable materials, and build packaging standards supported by quantitative evidence.
A comprehensive testing environment for thorough validation
The strength of PouchLab lies in its ability to replicate, in a controlled way, the conditions of industrial production. Every test is performed under real mechanical, thermal, and sealing dynamics, ensuring that results reflect what will happen once the packaging moves into mass manufacturing.
Customers can validate:
- Pouch forming behavior
- Sealing consistency and thermal response
- Resistance to pressure, vacuum, and mechanical stress
- Seal integrity and micro-leakage
- Film stability and durability over time
- Compatibility between films and closures
Advanced microscopy and thermal imaging tools enable a level of detail that would be impossible on a factory floor, while burst and stress devices simulate real-world operating conditions. The outcome is a dataset that supports confident decision-making and reduces the risk of redesigns during the production lifecycle.
Harnessing Volpak’s engineering expertise
Technology alone does not guarantee successful development. The true value of PouchLab lies in its integration with Volpak’s engineering teams, who guide customers through testing, interpretation, and optimization.
Based on decades of experience across industries, Volpak’s experts help customers understand not only what happens during a test, but why it happens, and what adjustments are required to achieve optimal performance. This guidance transforms R&D findings into production-ready solutions, reducing iterative adjustments during development and ensuring that each step is aligned with industrial feasibility.
PouchLab is the only R&D environment in flexible packaging that brings industrial equipment, testing expertise and engineering guidance together in a single, confidential space.
Expanding capabilities through dual-brand technology
PouchLab also benefits from Volpak’s multi-brand ecosystem. The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, including both Volpak and Enflex pouch-forming systems. This dual-brand capability broadens the range of applications the lab can support.
The addition of an Enflex F-17 machine, specialized in flat and flat-shaped pouch formats, allows PouchLab to accommodate more projects, and more industries. This expansion reinforces the lab’s mission to serve as an end-to-end innovation center capable of addressing every stage of pouch development, from concept to industrial validation.
A hub for sustainable packaging innovation
Across industries, sustainability targets continue to guide development choices, and the shift toward recyclable structures requires rigorous validation. PouchLab offers the environment in which this transition can happen responsibly and efficiently.
By enabling customers to test the machinability, sealing behavior and performance over time of new sustainable materials, the lab helps companies move toward recyclable structures with confidence. This reduces the risk of production issues, protects product integrity and supports sustainability objectives without sacrificing quality or efficiency.
PouchLab helps shape the future of sustainable pouch packaging.
Want to see what comes next? Stay tuned for the second chapter, a closer look at how the Enflex machine expands PouchLab's testing capabilities and accelerates the path from material validation to production-ready solutions.