Resources · Glossary
A glossary for people who actually buy hygiene film.
Plain definitions for the terms our customers, their engineers and their compliance teams use day to day. No marketing fluff.
- AATCC 127
- Standardized test method for hydrostatic head — how much water-column pressure a fabric or film resists before liquid penetration.
- ASTM D882
- Standard test for tensile properties of thin plastic sheeting; the default mechanical test for Cast PE film.
- ASTM D903
- Standard test for peel/strip strength of adhesive bonds — the method we use to validate laminate bond strength.
- ASTM D1922
- Standard test for propagation tear resistance of plastic film and thin sheeting by pendulum.
- ASTM E96
- Standard test for water-vapor transmission of materials — the method behind our WVTR specifications.
- Backsheet
- The outer layer of a diaper or napkin, sitting closest to the wearer's clothing.
- BOPP
- Bi-axially oriented polypropylene; a sister category to Cast PP, run on a different process geometry.
- Breathable film
- A polymer film engineered to release water vapor while blocking liquid; in hygiene, typically a microporous Cast PE.
- Cast extrusion
- A film-making process where polymer melt is cast onto a chilled roll and stretched, yielding tight thickness control and a smooth hand.
- Composite film
- A multi-layer film built by lamination, coextrusion or coating to combine the properties of more than one material.
- Corona treatment
- Surface activation of polymer film to raise its surface energy for downstream printing or lamination.
- CPP
- Cast polypropylene — a clear, heat-sealable film widely used as a lamination sealant and lidding material; produced by our sister company Rahil CPP Films Pvt. Ltd.
- CD / MD
- Cross-direction / Machine-direction; the two axes of a film, named relative to the machine that produced it.
- COA
- Certificate of Analysis — the document accompanying a film roll certifying it meets the agreed spec.
- Downgauging
- Reducing the basis weight of a film without compromising performance — a primary lever for material and emissions reduction.
- Embossed film
- A film with a textured surface added in-line, used for soft touch, drape, and leak-proof envelopes.
- LDPE
- Low-Density Polyethylene — a flexible, high-clarity polyethylene used for protective packaging, liners and lamination plies.
- Perforated film
- A film with engineered perforations used as a topsheet or acquisition layer in absorbent hygiene products — lets liquid pass through to the core while keeping the surface dry.
- EPR
- Extended Producer Responsibility — the regulatory regime in India that obliges brand owners to recover plastic packaging waste.
- Flexo printing
- Flexographic printing — the standard for full-color print on hygiene film.
- GSM
- Grams per square meter — the standard unit for film basis weight.
- Hot-melt lamination
- A solvent-free lamination process where a hot-melt adhesive bonds two webs (film + non-woven, for example).
- HPC
- Home and Personal Care — a packaging-industry segment covering personal care, cosmetics, and home cleaning categories.
- Hydro-head
- A measure of a fabric or film's resistance to liquid penetration under pressure; measured per AATCC 127.
- Hygiene films
- Polymer films used in baby diapers, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence and medical disposables.
- ISO 9001
- International quality management standard — the certification governing Rhyfeel's manufacturing process.
- Lamination
- The process of bonding two or more film, non-woven or paper layers together to form a composite structure.
- Microporous
- A film containing microscopic pores (typically 0.1 – 10 µm) that permit vapor while blocking liquid.
- Mono-material
- A package made of one polymer (usually PE), designed to enter a single recycling stream.
- MSDS
- Material Safety Data Sheet — provides safe handling, storage and disposal guidance for a material.
- MVTR / WVTR
- Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate / Water Vapor Transmission Rate — the rate at which water vapor passes through a film, expressed in g/m²/24 hr.
- Non-woven
- A fabric-like material made from bonded fibers rather than woven yarn; PP spunbond is the most common in hygiene.
- Pattern-dot
- An adhesive application pattern using discrete dots rather than a continuous coat — preserves breathability through the bonded layer.
- PE
- Polyethylene — the polymer family for Rhyfeel's Cast PE films.
- PIR
- Post-Industrial Recycled — material recovered from manufacturing scrap before reaching a consumer.
- PCR
- Post-Consumer Recycled — material recovered from end-user packaging after consumer use.
- PP
- Polypropylene — the polymer family for our CPP films and for non-woven spunbond.
- Retort-grade
- A film grade engineered to withstand 121 °C steam-sterilization for ready-meal pouches and sterilized medical packaging.
- SAP
- Super-Absorbent Polymer — the absorbent core of a diaper or napkin.
- Spunbond
- A non-woven fabric made by extruding continuous filaments and bonding them; the most common non-woven in hygiene.
- TDS
- Technical Data Sheet — the document specifying a film's performance parameters and test methods.
- Textile-backsheet laminate
- A composite of Cast PE film and PP spunbond non-woven, used as the cloth-like outer layer of premium hygiene products.
- Topsheet
- The layer of a diaper or napkin closest to the skin — typically a non-woven.
- Twist-grade CPP
- A CPP variant engineered to hold its shape after a twist closure — used in confectionery and pharmaceutical wraps.
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