SubscribeThis article details High Performance Adhesive Solutions for the Packaging Industry
Low Temperature Technology
Traditional packaging hot melts are applied between 160°C and 180°C and with this high temperature come obvious risks. National Starch strongly believes in the importance of safety, and leads the global adhesive market with their COOL-LOK and COOL-MELT low application temperature products. Now, this technology has been further developed, resulting in two new products:
- COOL-MELT ULTRA - applied at 130°C
- NOVACOL - applied at only 90°C!
Safety Improvements
Why is reducing the risk associated with hot melt adhesives so important? One of the most important factors of reducing the application temperature is to significantly reduce the risk of serious production-line burn injuries. According to industry studies, approximately 6% of plant employees suffer some type of burn while at work. The lower application temperatures of COOL-MELT ULTRA and NOVACOL adhesives can greatly reduce the potential for severe burn injuries. This is a real step forward for operator safety, but National Starch always recommends following normal safety procedures when using any hot melt adhesive.
Reduced energy use
Because both COOL-MELT ULTRA and NOVACOL adhesives are applied at much lower temperatures, the amount of energy needed to heat them to operating temperature is reduced. Customer studies have shown that COOL-MELT ULTRA requires 30% less energy from the hot melt unit and NOVACOL requires 70% less energy, throughout the production cycle. This reduction in energy will produce considerable savings on a multi-line plants.
Reduced maintenance
All hot melt adhesives degrade when heated to elevated temperatures and are exposed to the air. If one of these factors is reduced, then the level of degradation is reduced. Degradation becomes visible as the adhesive darkens in colour and charred particles block the filters and application nozzles causing production downtime for cleaning or replacing blocked machine parts.
Applied at significantly lower temperatures both COOL-MELT ULTRA and NOVACOL will improve production efficiencies.
The need for maintenance and cleaning is reduced or eliminated, and customer studies show that typical production facilities can reduce their spare part costs and the cost of downtime and maintenance intervention by up to 80%.
The degradation potential can be decreased further through using the unique 3D hot melt transfer system developed by National Starch.
The 3D unit seals the application tank and automatically transfers the adhesive, maintaining the correct level of adhesive at a consistent temperature to maximise adhesive performance.
VARNI-MELT – secure bonding of varnishes
A high performance breakthrough
Producing varnish blanks creates extra work and cost in the packaging and converting industries. In the many stages taken to produce a finished carton, ensuring the gluing areas are left unvarnished is critical if the packed carton is to survive in the hands of the consumer. Using patent pending technology National Starch has developed VARNI-MELT which has unrivalled adhesion to Acrylic and UV varnishes.
The cost of producing cartons with varnish blanks can now be removed and the cost of “putting right” the mistake of incorrectly varnishing these areas can be eliminated. The Converter and Packing companies will never be in the situation of having cartons to pack that cannot be glued.
Extensive Testing
Over 2000 bonding tests were used in the development of VARNI-MELT and with the close co-operation of key varnish manufacturers, VARNI-MELT has proven performance on over forty varnishes, down to a surface energy level of 28 dynes/cm. Secure bonds are maintained in deep freeze and chilled conditions and on cartons exported to hot climates.
Summary
National Starch & Chemical are market leaders in the global packaging market. Our continuous development program and strong relationships with Allied Suppliers ensure that customers will receive cutting edge technology that improves their manufacturing process and the performance of their final product.