BOPP stands for biaxially-oriented polypropylene. It’s a variant of polypropylene (PP). Polypropylene a thermoplastic polymer, alternately known as polypropene. It’s an ideal printing surface and can be made into labels and stickers, as well as textiles and a host of different plastic parts and materials.
BOPP is essentially polypropylene that’s stretched flat. BOPP is oriented with a system that stretches it in two directions. This is where the “biaxially-oriented (BO)” part of BOPP comes from. The three most common processes for making BOPP are the tenter frame sequential process, simultaneous tenter frame orientation, and the double bubble process. This technical document from Brueckner-Maschinenbau, one of the oldest BOPP manufacturers, explains these processes in more detail.
BOPP parent material, PP, is the world’s second most produced synthetic plastic, after polyethylene (PE). It’s economical to produce while offering incredibly useful performance characteristics.
