About M-RULE®

Since inception in 2002, M-RULE® Container Performance Models have been used throughout the global packaging industry to predict permeation and shelf-life of packages quickly and accurately. M-RULE® Models are the only predictive models for beverages and foods that are commercially available across the industry. To date, the M-RULE® Models have been used for well over 100,000 package simulations.

M-RULE® Models were developed by Container Science, Inc., a corporation which is widely recognized for the scientific rigor they apply toward solving issues in the industry.

Sales and marketing of M-RULE® Models are provided by SBAcci, a leading consultancy that develops critical analysis and insights, including supply/demand issues, for key global markets in plastics packaging.

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• M-Rule® Container Performance Models are fundamental models based on first-principles prediction of the diffusion and solubility of gases.
• M-RULE® Model calculations are based on the application of physical laws and fundamental science via numerical integration.
   

Predicting Container Performance with M-RULE® Models

• M-RULE® Models inherently account for all the factors that affect permeation, including concentration-dependent diffusion, temperature, polymer crystallinity, orientation, stress, and stress relaxation.
• M-RULE® Models simultaneously calculate the migration of O2, N2, CO2 and H2O, and then continually revise the diffusivities and solubilities of each of these permeants as a function of the above factors.
• M-RULE® Models include all the major packaging polymers and barrier technology options, including plasma coatings, oxygen scavengers, multilayers, blends, and nanocomposites.
• M-RULE® Models allow users to assess the impact of package design, filling, storage, and distribution conditions on the product shelf-life.
   

Two Powerful M-RULE® Models to Choose From

The M-RULE® Container Performance Model for Beverages is most appropriate for predicting permeation and shelf-life in packaging for:

• Beverages, including carbonated soft drinks, water, juices, teas, coffees, wine, and beer
• Food products that are primarily liquid, such as ketchup, pickles, mayonnaise, and jams
• Various other products that are water-based, such as liquid detergents, eye drops, and distilled spirits

The M-RULE® Container Performance Model for Foods is most appropriate for predicting permeation and shelf-life for:

• Complex food packaging, such as bag-in-bag, bag-in-box, ready-to-eat, and institutional packaging
• Packaging for solid food products and liquid food products
• Packaging for various other products that are moisture or oxygen sensitive, such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, lotions, etc
   

The M-RULE® Advantage

M-RULE® Models are Validated, Secure, User-Friendly and Robust.

• M-RULE® Model results have been validated by users across the world through extensive comparison to data generated from real-life packages. That, plus initial validation work carried out before introduction of the Models in 2002, adds up to more than two decades of validation.
• All pages of the M-RULE® Models are secured via SSL SHA-256 encryption technology. The Models reside on powerful servers that are hosted at a premier, secure data center and that are used for M-RULE® exclusively. Each user of the system has a unique username and password.
• The Beverage Model and the Food Model are subscription-based and are password-accessed via a user-friendly, web-based interface. Subscribers have 24/7 access to the capabilities identified in their subscriptions, and there are several subscription levels available.
• M-RULE® Models are continually refined and enhanced to meet critical needs of subscribers and of the industry.
   

M-RULE® Models Fulfill Many Objectives.

The M-RULE® Models provide the capability to understand how to rapidly and reliably optimize packaging, product, production, distribution, and storage conditions. This helps to fulfill many objectives, including:

• New package development
• Strategic analysis of alternative technologies
• Assessment of competitive materials and packages
• Package authorizations
• Light-weighting programs with existing packages
• Barrier technology assessment and development
• Materials research and development
• Training and education for packaging knowledge
   

M-RULE® Modeling versus Physical Testing

• M-RULE® Models simulate far more packaging options and environmental conditions than could ever be addressed by empirical testing of physical prototypes.
• M-RULE® Models can simulate empty package storage and filling conditions, plus simulate as many as 13 different time and temperature conditions after filling (such as transport times and temperatures, or market shelf times and temperatures, etc.). Such real-time simulation of all these different environments is almost impossible in a traditional testing laboratory setting.
• M-RULE® Models provide quick assessment of opportunities for cost savings and shelf-life extension without physical prototypes.
   

M-RULE® Modeling versus Traditional Models

M-RULE® Models are not restricted by test data.

• Traditional computer models are primarily data-driven empirical models that are restricted to a limited range of test data.
• Conversely, M-RULE® Model calculations are based on the application of physical laws and fundamental science via numerical integration. Because of this fundamental approach, M-RULE® Models can simulate scenarios and provide predictions well beyond the range of test data available to empirical models.

M-RULE® Models are not limited by traditional assumptions.

• Typically, empirical models evaluate one parameter at a time (such as oxygen ingress) and treat it as independent from all other parameters, such as carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen permeation. However, that approach requires an overly simplistic assumption: that diffusion and solubility of each permeant is independent of all other permeants. In reality, this is not the case.
• Conversely, M-RULE® Models take a robust, comprehensive approach. M-RULE® calculates the concentration, diffusivity, and the impact of temperature and stress on all permeants concurrently and with each time increment. It inherently calculates the impact of all interactions on the permeation of each component material.
   

Who Uses the M-RULE® Models?

Users of the M-RULE ® Models are suppliers and customers throughout the value chain of the plastics packaging industry around the world, including:

• Brand Owners
• Resin Producers
• Additive Manufacturers
• Beverage Companies
• Food Companies
• Converters
• Equipment Manufacturers
• Technical Labs
   

Other Computer Modeling Options:

Other models developed by Container Science, Inc. and offered as part of their client consulting services include:

• The Decontamination Model, which simulates recycling and decontamination processes using fundamental scientific first principles and advanced computational technology,
• Other proprietary models for predicting acetaldehyde generation and diffusion, solid state polymerization and general permeation prediction, as well as proprietary economic models.