Gather an
estimated 50,000 people from more than 75 countries. Put
them in front of exhibits from over 2,000 packaging and processing
companies representing the entire packaging supply chain.
The result, a dynamic setting to launch an exciting and innovative
new laminating technology.
A good number of those attendees chose to hear Rohm and
Haas representative Mai Chen, PhD, Rohm and Haas research
and development project manager, explain the company’s
new second-generation water-based laminating adhesives. With
technical details, convincing charts and abundant data, Chen
set forth the reasons why this unique technology is spreading
so quickly.
Second Generation Enables Hot-Fill Applications
“We’ve had excellent success with our first generation
for general purpose applications, but this
second generation
broadens our reach to applications that require resistance to moisture and
heat — like
hot fill, detergent, shampoos and juice,” Chen informed the audience,
adding that they also are ideal for fresh produce because
they are oxygen-permeable and free of solvents. She continued by showing how
the acrylic-based chemistry provides the product with an ideal polymer network,
adhesion profile and other properties that are comparable to medium-performance
solvent- based choices. Chen further outlined the new adhesive
characteristics.
Testing Proves New Adhesive’s
Mettle
Chen presented persuasive data proving the new
generation’s
capabilities. The company has compared
the adhesive’s
bond and heat seal strength, critical for packaging integrity
during shipping and storage, against medium-performance
urethanes. This water-based generation demonstrates much
the same bond and seal strength as urethanes.
During adhesion tests with foil, nylon, polyethylene,
polyester and polypropylene, the aqueous agents had
similar adhesion values to solvent-based options (see
chart “Adhesion Comparison of Robond vs. Adcote”).
Heat and moisture resistance tests showed comparable
desirable results. “We tested our new products
with three typical boil-in-bag structures: PET/PE, nylon/PE
 and foil/PE,” Chen commented. “They had
similar resistance to solvent-based adhesives and better
resistance in the foil/PE structure.” (see
chart “Adhesion after ‘Boil-in-Bag’ Test”)
Because of the chemistry type, this generation offers
shear strength strong enough to allow slitting immediately
after processing, without flaws such as telescoping and tunneling.
Webcast of Presentation is Available
Chen concluded
her presentation with a question-and-answer forum.
Many of the inquiries focused on processing: how
fast the new products will run and what types of coating
weights are recommended.
Commenting later about her talk, Chen mentioned that
she had appeared at the Sino-Flexpack in Shanghai
to present the same information and found an equally
receptive audience. “We
had a workshop in southern China for generation one
customers who were eager to use generation two,” she
reported. |
