Solventless film lamination method in the production of laminated film packaging

Currently, there are many film lamination technologies applied in products such as wet lamination, dry lamination, and especially solventless lamination. So what is solventless lamination? and why this method is popular in the market, please refer to the detailed content of this article.

1. What is solventless lamination?

Solventless lamination: where the adhesives used do not contain solvents. Solventless adhesive generally indicates a specific type of adhesive composed of two components reacting with each other and consequently not requiring drying. The resulting laminated film is then rewound into a finished roll.

2. What are solventless adhesives?

The solventless adhesive is used in a wide array of packaging applications as it is a high-quality laminating adhesive. That is why solventless adhesives have become a crucial part of the laminating industry in a short time. Previously, these adhesives were used in certain applications only, such as snack foods, bottle labels, and candy bar wrappers.

In current times, solventless adhesives are used virtually in many applications. Take note that in traditional practices, solventless adhesives did not go well in things that contain foil. However, after significant improvement in this context, they have now made their way into applications that have foil in them including high-barrier films and high-slip films.

The first solventless laminating adhesives were primarily moisture-cured polyurethanes. The adhesive is coated onto a substrate and atmospheric moisture reacts with excess isocyanate groups to crosslink the adhesive after the second film has been joined. Slitting of the laminate generally can occur in 24-72 hours.

While water-based systems have been developed as an economic alternative to overcome some of the drawbacks associated with solvent, in practice the performance of water-based adhesives, especially in wet environments, is not as good as their solvent counterparts. The most important solventless and high solids adhesives used in laminating flexible packaging are those belonging to the polyurethane family

Two-part solventless polyurethanes were also developed to negate some of the disadvantages of the moisture-cured type, such as bubbling, inconsistent cure rate, and cloudiness. These problems were generally associated with variations in the ambient moisture content. The two-part polyurethane laminating adhesives require a mixing and metering unit since pot life is limited. High residual monomers and low initial bond strengths somewhat limit the application of these adhesives.

An improved polyurethane adhesive has been developed based on moderately high viscosity polyurethane polymers that require a 50-70°C application temperature. The increased viscosity reduces the cure time to 12-24 hours before slitting. This generation of adhesive is made from a process that removes nearly all of the excess isocyanate monomer from the prepolymer.

3. Benefits of Solventless Adhesives

Solventless adhesives come with a variety of benefits. For instance, these are great to lower coat weight. Moreover, using solventless adhesives means there is no solvent and no risks of emissions. Plus, there is no need to use ovens as well.

Its benefits also include that it runs at high speed using less energy. If you enter the market for the first time, using solventless adhesives can reduce your capital investment costs as compared to solvent-based laminators. On the other hand, the footprint is also minor in comparison to a solvent-based laminator.

Read more: Dry lamination in the production of laminated film packaging

4. Application of Solventless Adhesive Flexible Packaging

Flexible packaging film is mainly applicable to consumable goods that need an extended shelf-life. This means that solventless adhesive flexible packaging film is suitable for products like the following:

• Ready-to-eat foods
• Frozen goods
• Fresh Produce
• Boil-in-bag pouches

5. Why is Amiba company always the first choice?

• More than 30 years of experience in the plastic and complex film packaging industry
• Provide products with high quality
• Large production capacity
• Cost savings
• Large warehouse system, fast delivery
• Diverse payment policy
• Being a close partner of many large companies and large enterprises
• Staff dedicated to the job
• The production environment is safe for humans and the environment

Amiba company’s products are widely used by ensuring quality management, environmental protection, and integrated ISO standards:

– It has been assessed and certified to meet the requirements of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Codex Alimentarius

– It has been assessed and certified to meet the requirements of  Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000

– It has been assessed and certified to meet the requirements of ISO 22000: 2018

– It has been assessed and certified to meet the requirements of ISO 9001: 2015

If you need to learn more about laminated film packaging, or need advice regarding placing an order or getting a price quotation, please call now +84 966 290 555 for the best support.

CONTACT US

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Tel: +84 966 290 555

Email: info@amibapack.com

Website: www.amibapack.com