Innovation in Solventless Adhesives for Flexible Packaging

Solventless laminating adhesives used to make flexible packaging improve these advantages by reducing VOCs associated with solvent-based adhesives and eliminating the need for drying ovens and the energy to power them. Dow has launched their newest solventless laminating adhesive line, PACACEL™, to help packaging converters maximize adhesive performance for a variety of flexible packaging end users while maintaining high lamination efficiency.

Increase Efficiency and Reduce Lamination Downtime with PACACEL™ Adhesives

In today's consumer market, speed is king. Packaging converters need to be able to respond quickly and fulfill orders without compromising performance or appearance. Dow's latest solventless adhesive line, PACACEL™, is designed to allow shorter run times, a faster time to market, and higher performance for film and foil laminations used in a broad range of flexible packaging applications.

There are three primary PACACEL™ solventless polyurethane-based laminating adhesive systems. Between them, there is a best fit for each specific packaging end-use requirement, described further in the following sections. Each solventless system is composed of a PACACEL™ isocyanate component and a polyol coreactant that react quickly to form bonds and offer quick turnaround times for laminate postprocessing and curing. All PACACEL™ adhesives display great compatibility with various printing inks and substrates and reduce laminator downtime by being easier to clean and having longer pot lives than competitive adhesives.

PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141 (High-Performance Adhesive)

PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141 is Dow's premier solventless laminating adhesive system. It is designed to enable higher line speeds, provide quick curing, and create excellent adhesion and appearance onto a variety of packaging substrates. PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141 forms strong bonds with packaging films made of polyester (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), cast polypropylene (CPP), polyamides (PA), aluminum oxide–coated plastic (AlOx), and coextruded polymers.

Of the PACACEL™ line, the L75-191/CR 88-141 laminating adhesive provides the highest bond strength to metal foils and metallized films, such as met PET. It also enables high lamination throughput with line speeds of up to 1,300 feet per minute without presenting misting issues. When stored at room temperature, laminates formed with PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141 cure in just 2 days after coating and can be further processed by slitting or rewinding in as little as 4 hours.

The PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141 system also offers excellent chemical and heat resistance and complies with FDA 21 CFR 177.105 and 177.1395 conditions of use B–J. This makes it an ideal laminating adhesive to use in demanding packaging applications, including boil-in-bag, ovenable, and hot fill packaging, and less demanding applications involving dry snacks, meat, cheese, frozen foods, and oily or greasy foods. PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141 also complies with (EU) No 10/2011, providing flexibility to manufacture laminates for European end markets.  

PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-202 (Medium-High-Performance Adhesive)

Compared to the PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141 system above, PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-202 is ideal for packaging applications that do not require extremely high bond strength to foils or metallized film substrates, as it otherwise performs well in many of the same applications. It, too, facilitates use in high line speeds of up to 1,300 feet per minute without misting and provides excellent adhesive strength to the plastic films listed above for PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141.

In addition, PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-202 complies with the same regulatory compliance levels as PACACEL™ L75-191/CR 88-141. Thus, PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-202 is also a great laminating adhesive for the same packaging applications, including the more demanding ones like hot fill, ovenable, and boil-in-bag pouches. Laminates made with PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-202 also cure quickly; they do so in as little as 2 days after coating and storing at room temperature and can be further processed within 6 hours, stored at room temperature.

PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-201 (Medium-Performance Adhesive)

The PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-201 system is a great choice for creating laminates that do not require very strong adhesion to metallized structures or very high resistance to chemicals and heat. PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-201 is compliant with FDA 21 CFR 177.1395 conditions of use C–G and is, therefore, a preferred adhesive to create laminates for dry snack food, produce, meat, cheese, frozen food, and hot fill food packaging. PET, PE, PP, aluminum oxide–coated, and coextruded polymer films are all ideal substrates for creating strong bonds using PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-201. Compared to the other two PACACEL™ solventless systems introduced, the maximum line speed achievable with PACACEL™ L75-200/CR-201 is 1,000 feet per minute. It laminates cure after 3 days of coating and storing at room temperature and may be further processed in as little as 6 hours.

Summary