BasicGui,

to
amma
o

,|fechnol

.'.
EXI
Convertl-ag
:lectrDical '
I ns t i tute
 Copyright@1999
First Edition
By ConvertingTechnicalInstitute

Original work was written by Mr. Koichi Matsumoto.

English translationrights arrangedwith Mr. Koichi Matsumoto.

All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmittedin any form or by any means,electronic
or mechanical,including photocopyingand recording,
or by any information storageand retrieval system,
without advancewritten permission from the publisher.

rsBN 4-90645r-22-5

ConvertingTechnicalInstitute
3-4-6,Iwamoto-cho,
Tokyo101-0032,
Chiyoda-ku, Japan
1-3-3861-3858
Telephone:+8
Fax:+81-3-3861-3894
jp
http://www.ctiweb.co

Printed in Japan
:

t
I
Foreword
In 1998,we published a book written by Mr. Koichi Matsumoto,
the Japanesetitle is "Dare-demo-wakaru-laminating"(this means
that "It is basicenoughfor everyoneto understandthe laminating
technology").This articlehad beenoriginally edited in slightty dif-
ferent form in the seriesof "BasicGuide to Laminating Technol-
ogy" in ourJapanesemonthly magazine"Convertech"and our En-
glish quarterly magazine"ConvertechPacific".The purposeof pub-
lishing the book is mainly to provide information on the laminat-
ing technology to those at the first level of expertisein the Japa-
neseconverting industry. Also the book provides great worth to
convertersand the relatedpeoplein ]apan becauseit describesthe
know-how of laminating processes with many figures.After read-
ing its contents,many readersare able to get how to produce lami-
nated products such as dry food packages,liquid food packages,
pharmaceuticalpackages,etc.This is the sophisticatedmagic and
as the result,the book makespeople more attracting.
At the sametime, we have receivedmany requeststo pubtish the
Englishversion for foreign people.Due to this reason,we decided
to publish the Englishbook cooperatedwith Mr. Koichi Matsumoto.
I would like to very thank Mr. Koichi Matsumoto who contributed
to this projectby supplying information and illustrations.

Converting TechnicalInstitute
Publisher
MasayoshiAraki
w

Preface
Plastic products have been gaining a significant foothold from life goods up to ad-
vanced industrial uses, and the function accomplished by the development is impor-
tant. Raw material industry and plastic molding and processing industry composing
plastic industry have been developing technology by demand expansion and devel-
oping various kinds of products.
The plastic molding and processing technology are generally represented injection
molding, extrusion molding, blow molding, compression molding and transfer mold-
ing, etc., but the word "converting technology . industry" explained in this book is also
often heard, Converting technology is composed around the printing and laminating
processing technology by related technologies before and after that, and peculiar tech-
nologies and processesare used until the final product.
This book is edited from articles "Basic Guide To Laminating Technology" serialized
14 times in the quarterly magazine "Convertech Pacific" with some additional and
updated articles for converters or people related the converting industry in the world.
This book mainly explains basic laminating technology and process, and main materi-
als used in the process with using illustrations as many as possible to make under-
stood easily.
Therefore, I hope and am huppy if this book is helpful and able to be used for everyone
at any levels, people who work or will work for laminating, service and management,
new face, and also experts working in a plant.
Finally, for the publication of this book, I would like to show my gratitude to Convert-
ing Technical Institute and the editorial stuff, Mr. Kouichi Kawakami and Mr. Shigeo
Araki who gave kind instruction and support from the publishing project to the pub-
lication. September,l-999KoichiMatsumoto

About the Author

KOICHI MATSUMOTO was born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan in
1945, and graduated from Chiba Institute of Technology (Indus-
trial Chemistry) in 1968.
Working first with a converter which was Kaito Chemical Ind. Co.,
Ltd., studying laminating technologies, flexible packaging tech-
nologies and designs. Since 1984 starting instruction and export
of laminated flexible packaging materials technologies and pro-
duction, process, quality control etc.
Moved to Sumiju Platec Co.,Ltd./ Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. in 1994.
He is the Senior Packaging Consultant with japan Packaging Institute (|PI) and the
Consulting Engineer (Industrial Management) as authorized by JapaneseGovemment.
BRIEFGONTENTS

Chapter 1 Whatis Converting?

Chapter 3 ExtrusionCoating/Lamination ..........23

Chapter4 Dry Lamination .................

49

Chapter 5 Non-solventLamination ..... 67

Chapter 6 Wet Lamination ..................

89

Chapter 7 Co-extrusionCoating/Lamination ..... 107

Chapter 8 Hot-meltLaminarion............. ............123

Chapter9 ThermalLamination............. .............

139

Chapter 10 LaminatedFilms for VariousPackaging...........159

Bibliography ....... ... 193

List of Abbreviations........... ................

194

Index .....195
VI

Tahle ol Eonlenls

Chapter1 What is Converting?

Introduction .'..'.'.3
1-1.ConvertingandLaminating 3
'...'....'.'...
l-1-1.Converting......... 3
..'.'..............
....'....'....
I -1-2.ConvertingandRelatedTechnologies 5
'.........
Technologies
l-l-3. Converting ....'......".....'.,.".
6
(l) Coating .........
6
(2) Printing ....'.'..8
(3) Metallizing............. .'.......9
(4) Embossing............... .'.'..'.l0
(5) SlittingandWinding ....'..I I

Chapter 2 Lamination

? .............
2-1.Whatis Laminating 15
........'..'
Methods
Z-Z.Lamination ................. '....'..'18
2-2-1.ThermalLamination 18
............'
2-2-2.Hot-meltLamination ............
18
Lamination
2-2-3.Non-solvent ..-.--'20
2-2-4.WetLamination............ ........20
............
2-2-5.Dry Lamination ...'..'.20
2-2-6.Extrusion
Coating ................
/ Lamination .................21
Lamination.................
2-2-7.Co-extrusion ........22

Chapter3 Extrusion Coating/Lamination

Method
3-1.ExtrusionCoating/Lamination ................25
3-1-1.Advantages ........27
3-1-2.Disadvantages............... ........27
3-2. PicklesPackagewith ExtrusionCoating/Lamination .......'......
28
and Functionsof Resin
3-3. Flow, Major Characteristics ...............29
3-3-1.Density ..............31
 3-3-2.Melt FlowIndex(MFI) ........3l
3-3-3.Adaptability
of Exrrusion
Process ...........31
3-3-4.Adhesion ..........32
3-3-5.HearSealability
............ .......32
3-3-6.HeatSealability
at Low Temperature......... ................
33
3-3-7.Contaminated
HeatSealability ................
34
3-3-8.Hot-tackProperry .................
35
3-3-9.ResinOdor. .......35
3-3-10.MachineAdaptability .......36
3-3-ll. ResinExchangeability ........36
3-4.CompositionandProperties
of AnchorCoating(AC)
Agent......................
36
3-4-1.OrganicTitaniumAC Agent... .................
36
3-4-2.Isocyanide
AC Agent... .........
3g
3-4-3.Polyethylene
ImineAC Agent
3-4-4.Polybutadiene
AC Agent .....39
3-5.Properties
andUsageof Resinsfor Extrusion
Lamination
.........................
40

Chapter4 Dry Lamination

4-1.What is Dry Laminarion?................. ....................

5l
4-l-I. Unwinders(lst and 2nd Unwinders)............. .............
52
4- l -2. AdhesiveCoatingDevice
(1) GravureRoll CoatingSystem ............52
(2) ReverseKiss Roll CoatingSystem .......................
53
(3) ReverseRoll CoatingSystem ..........53
4-l-3. Dryer......... ........53
(l) Roll SupportSystem ......53
(2) FloatingSystem ..............
53
4-l-4. Laminator ..........54
4-l-5. Rewinder ..........54
4-2. Characteristics
of Dry Lamination .......................
55
4-2-l.Advantages .......55
4-2-2.Disadvantages............... ........55
4-3. RetortableFoodPackagingby Dry Lamination ......................
56
4-4.Adhesivefor Dry Lamination ............57
4-4-1.Compositionof Adhesivefor Dry Lamination ...........57
4-4-2.Characteristics
of Adhesivefor Dry Lamination...........................
59
 4-5. Characteristicsand Functionsof PackagingMaterials
for Soupin Dry LaminationProcess .....................
60

Chapter 5 Non-solventLamination

Lamination? .............
5-1.What is Non-solvent ..........69
5-1-1.Unwinder ..........70
5-l-2. CoatingUnit andLaminatingUnit............ .................
70
5-l - 3. Rewinder .........7
|
Lamination.............
of Non-solvent
5-2.Characteristics ................7
|
with Non-solvent
5-3.PotatoChipsPackage Lamination ..............72
Lamination...........
5-4.Adhesivefor Non-solvent .......76
of Adhesive............
5-5.Description .........
78
.................
5-5-1.AdhesionandCohesion ..........
78
5-5-2.Occunenceof Adhesion .......80
(l) Wettability.............. .........
80
(2) AnchorEffect ..................
82
(3) Bonding .......82
(4) SolubilityParameter .......84
5-6. Propertiesand Functionof Rice PackageMade
by Non-solvent
Lamination.............. .....................
85
5-7.Major Composition of Non-solvent
andApplications Lamination.............
86

Chapter6 Wet Lamination

6- I . Whatis Wet Lamination? ................. ....................

9l
6-l-1. Unwinder ..........92
6-l-2. CoatingUnit andLaminatingUnit............ .................
93
6-l-3. Dryer.......... ........94
6-l-4. Rewinder ..........
94
of Wet Lamination
6-2. Characteristics .....95
6-2-1.Advantages ........95
6-2-2.Disadvantages............... ........95
6-3.Cigarette Madeby Wet Lamination............
Packages .............
95
6-4.Adhesivefor Wet Lamination ...........97
for Wet Lamination
6-4-l. Adhesives ................97
of Adhesivesfor Wet Lamination.........................
6-4-2.Characteristics 98
 6-5.PaperandCellophane
in Wet Lamination............ ....................
98
6-5-1.Paper.......... ......98
6-5-2.Cellophane ........l0l
6-6. Characteristicsand Functionsof PackagingMaterial
for Butterin Wet LaminationProcess ...................
103
6-7. Main CompositionandApplications
of Wet Lamination ...........104

Chapter 7 Co-extrusion Coating/Lamination

7-1.Co-extrusion
Equipment............. .....110
7-l-1. Multi-SlotDie Method .......111
7-l-2. Multi-ManifoldDie Method...... ..............
lll
7 -l-3. FeedBlock Die Method ......I t l
7-2.TypicalProcessof Co-extrusionCoating/Lamination .............llz
7-3. Charucteristics
of Co-extrusionCoating/Lamination .............l l4
7-3-l.Advantages .......114
7-3-2.Disadvantages................ ......ll5
7-4. Exampleof Co-extrusionCoating/Lamination
of PackagingMaterialfor SnackFoods ...............
ll5
7-5. Co-extrusionCoating/Lamination
andAdhesiveResin ...........117
7-6. Characteristics
and Functionsof PackagingMaterials
for Confectioneryby Co-extrusionCoating .........119
7-7. CompositionandApplications
of Co-extrusionCoating/Lamination .....................
120

Chapter8 Hot-melt Lamination

 8-1-5.LaminatingUnit ........... ........128
8-l-6. ChillingUnit............ 128
.............
of Hot-meltLamination
8-2.Characteristics ................
128
8-2-l.Advantages ........128
8-2-2.Disadvantages..... .................129
8-3. Candy PackagingMaterial Made by Hot-melt Lamination .....129
8-4.Adhesivefor Hot-meltLamination.............. .........131
8-5.Aluminum Foil Often Usedin Hot-meltLamination ...............132
8-6. Characteristicsand Functionsof PackagingMaterial
for ChewingGum in Hot-meltLaminationProcess .................
136
8-7. CompositionandApplication of Hot-melt Lamination ...........137

Chapter9 Thermal Lamination

9-1.What is ThermalLamination?................. .............

141
9-1-l.LaminateUsingThermoplasticMaterial. ...................
141
9-l-2. LaminateUsing ThermoplasticResin
by Coatingor Impregnation............ ........142
9-l-3. LaminateUsingThermalAdhesiveFilm .......... .........142
9-l-4. Unwinder ...........143
9-l-5. Preheater... .........143
9-l-6. Laminator ..........143
9-l-7. Chillingprocess ...................
144
9-1-8.TrimmingDevice........ ..........I44
9-l-9. Rewinder 145
...........
of ThermalLamination
9-2. Characteristics .................
145
9-2-l.Advantages ........145
9-2-2.Disadvantages............... ........146
9-3. Lid of MoistureAbsorberMade
from Thermal LaminatedMaterial ..... 146
9-4. AdhesiveMechanismsof Thermal Lamination .... 148
9-4-1.Bondingby Thermoplastics ....................
148
9-4-2.Bondingby CoatingandImpregnation.......... ............149
9-4-3.Bondingby AdhesiveResinFilm. ...........149
9-5. Non-wovenFabricsUsedin ThermalLamination ...................
l5l
9-5-1.Methodsof Manufacturing
Non-wovenFabrics...........................
151. -.
(l) Wet TypeNWF ManufacturingProcess. ...............
151
 XI

(2) Dry TypeNWF Manufacturing

process ................
153
processes
(3) DirectTlpe NWF Manufacturing ...........................
154
9-5-2.Bonding Process .................
155
9-5-3.Finishing
Process....... ...........
156
9-6. Characteristics
andFunctionsof CerealsPackagingMaterials
in ThermalLaminationProcess .........156
9-7.Maincomponents andApplications
of rhermalLamination.....................
15g

Chapter 10 LaminatedFilms for VariousPackaging

10-1.PackagingExamplesAppliedby Laminating Technology.......................

l6l
10-2.Dry FoodPackages............. .............
161
l0-3.Aqueous FoodPackage ..............:.... .............,.....162
10-4.LiquidFoodPackage ................................. .........164
10-5.ChilledlFrozen
FoodPackages.............. ..............
164
10-6.FatandOil FoodPackages.............. ....................
f OO
10-7.Pharmaceutical
Packages ...............
167
l0-8.Vacuum Package ...........
16g
l0-9. GasFilledPackage ........120
10-10.DeepDrawingPackage .................
171
10-11.FreeOxygenAbsorber
Packages.... .................
174
10-12.Peelable
Packages .......174
10-13.
StandingPouch .........176
10-14.Retortable
Packages ... l?g
10-15.
PaperCartons............... ..................
179
10-16.Bagin Box(BIB) .......181
10-17.Ovenable Packages ....1gl
10-18.AsepticPackage .........lg3
10-19.SterilizedPackages .... 1g4
10-20.
Laminated Tube........... .................
lg6
10-21.Pouchwith Zipper .... lg7
lO-22.SpoutPouches .............
190

Bibliography
List of Abbreviations.......... ...................
le4
Index ......
195
\
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t.7-<
t2.
=L'
,r\
l1

Chopter 7
What is Conaerting?
 Introduction
wide variety of products are displayed at every store front, including
toys, daily necessities,sporting and leisure goods,stationaryproducts
and many kinds of foods and eachof them has a great variation. Most of
them are attractively packagedwith beautifully printed materials. In
accordancewith the diversification, various forms of packaging are now
widely availablein Japan,such aslaminated toothpastetubes,paperboard
milk packages,and standing pouchesfor detergent.
The functions of thesepackaging forms are as follows.
(1) Protectionof packagecontentsduring delivery from the producer
to the final consumer.
(2) Handling conveniencein loading, unloading and transportation.
(3) Salespromotion and providing visible information of the prod-
uct.
Although we are not aware of thesefunctions in daily life, however,it
is becauseof them that we feel saferand more reliabreon packagedprod-
ucts.
The packagingmaterialsaremainly compositematerialsproduced by
"lamination." Lamination is a very interesting converting technology
which incorporatesmany techniques. This article introduces lamination
processes/materialsand componentdesign. It describesbasic lamina-
tion technology in a way that is understood even by thosewho have no
prior knowledge. Now, let's embark on a journey to the world of con-
verting technology.

1-l Convertingand Laminating

1-1-1. Most people are unfamiliar with converting technorogyor the business
Gonverting
world in which it is applied, even though they have often heard the word
"convert." To convert means"to changeinto another form" and convert-
ing meansthis action. Howeve4,even this doesnot clearly explain what
is meant by "converting"in this context. In the plasticsindustries,con-
verting meanssecondaryprocessingwhich meansthe manufacturing of
finished products from basicmaterialssuch asplastic sheetor film, paper
and aluminum foil, and a converter is a person or a company who buys
thesebasic materialsand sells finished products after printing and/or
manufacturing. Primary processingon the other hand meansthe manu-
facture of the basic materialsbut people engaging in the work are gener-
ally called plastic film, paper and aluminum foil makers.
Next, converting is explained by analogy with a packageof an ice
lolly, a flavored ice frozen around a stick. The bag containing ice lollies is
 the packagingproduct, which protectsthe quality of the ice lollies and
ensuressafedelivery to the consumer.When the ice lollies are eatenthe
package'sduty is achieved. After the packageis opened,it is generally
thrown away, even though it incorporatesmany unknown converting
technologies.Thesetechnologiesare further explainedin Fig. 1-1.
First, the biaxially oriented polypropylene film produced by the film
maker is printed. Next, an adhesiveis applied on the printed film. Then,
the film is laminated with an aluminum metallized castpolypropylene
film and cut to a constantwidthby slitting. Finally, it is wound on to ro11
styles. The food maker automaticallyinsertsice lollies into the package
and sealsit. The processof printing, metallizing, laminating, and slitting
of the film is called converting.
Figure 1-1.
Manufacturing
Processof Ice
Lolly
Packaging
Material

Component or OPP Film/Prin/Adhesive/Aluminum Metallizins/CPP Film

pK^-.^,.,]n.lon.,,u"
(BiaxiallY Oriented ' il;i:iiilli! iJI Polvpropvrene)
Lglil"*- (casr Firm
Polyp.odylene) Film

t;;]_ -|;".*."*I
I
Fill-Sealing
I
Adhesion on P.inted Slilting of Popsicle Automatic
Surface of OPP Film Lminated Film Fill-seal Packaging
and hminaling with (Upr)
Metallircd Surface
h6ess of CPP Film
I c...". I
Film Mmufacturcr AluminumMetallizing
on CPPFilm
OPPFilm
Printing I

o,"lLl""ii"\\.h
Metallizinpt-]Ell5|

P.intin8Conve(er LaminalingConvener SlittingConverter

of
Convener
Melallizin!Convener

Metallircd CPP Film

Pmes
Outline
OPPFilm

,w
hinting on
OPPFilm , t/
PrintedOPPFilm

CPP Film

Merallizing on
CPP Film
 Here let's redefine "Converting is to give new processingand to yield
new values on the rolls that are wound thin substrateswhich are plastic
film/sheet, paper,foil (including aluminum foil), cloth, etc"rer.(l).
That is
to say,converting is the manufacturing technology by which a continu-
ous roll of substrateis made into a roll type manufactureclproduct by
many kinds of processes.Furthermore,converting utilizes the related
technologiessuch as rewinding, winding, slitting, dryi.g, and hardening
in pre- and post-processingrer'(1).
As shown in Fig. 1-1,the product achievesthe following resultsby
converting processes.It conveysvisible information by printing on a
transparentbiaxiallyorientedpolypropylenefilm. Aluminum metalliz-
ing of the film is attractive,improves moisture proof and gasbarrier prop-
erties. Packagescan be made airtight by heat sealingin which cast
polypropylene film is laminated on the inside of the package. This effect
can be seenby comparing an ice lolly packageof the converting type
with the transparentone.

1-1-2. Converting and related technologiesare explained in Fig. 1-2,which out-

Converting lines their territory and structure. As shown, converting incorporates
and Related
Technologies many areasincluding raw materials,subsidiary materials,machinery,pe-
ripheral equipment,and related products. It is becoming increasingly

.Figure1-2.
Related
Industries
of MachineryMaker
. Coater
Converting Substrates
Maker . Laminator
.F ilm . Printingpress
. Paper . Sliner
. Foil . Winder
. Nonwoven

Peripheral
Device'sMaker
Raw Materials Convertins . Drive
Maker tndusiries . Roller
. Chemicals . Coating . Shaft
. Resin . Laminating . Breaks
. Chucks
. pulp . Printing . Clutch
. Metallizing
etc.
. Embossing
. Dipping
. S l i ui ng
Sub-materials Related
Maker Processing
. Ink . Molding
. Adhesive . Bag making
. Coating agent . Specialprinting
. Packaging,
. Electric,
. Electronic,
. Architecturial,
. Industrial use
 difficult to draw a clear boundary between converting and related tech-
nologies,becauseeven substratemakers have begun to produce convert-
ing products to add value to their own film or paper,while converters
have begun to manufactureraw materials to apply their technologies.
This trend is expectedto increase.New comersto converting technology
will increase,so expansionof the industry is expected.

1-1-3. Representativeconverting technologiesare shown in Table 1-1,and out-

Converting lined below.
Technologies
(1)Coating Coating meansto form a thin layer on the surfaceof a substrateby apply-
ing a liquid on it. There are many methods depending on the material
and the coating machine. The purpose of coating is to add new functions
to a substratethat it did not have originally,by liquid coating and drying
on one or both sides. The coating liquid is called a coating agent.
Propertiesimported by coatingare as follows.
(1) Waterproof - protectingfrom water.
(2) Water and gasbarrier properties - preventing water or gas
permeating into and out of the package.
(3) Oil resistance- protecting from oil.
(4) Chemical resistance- protecting from chemicals.
(5) Gloss- improving glossof the substratesurface.
(6) Odor proof - preventing the odor leaking out of the package.
0 Heat sealing - sealing the substratestogether by heating.
(8) Tacking - providing adhesion.

Table 1-1. Technologies Details

Typical l. Coating Water-soluble coating, solvent coating,
Technologiesof hot-melt coating, extrusion coating, etc
Converting Wet lamination, hot-melt lamination, extrusion coating/
2. Laminating lamination, co-extrusion lamination, dry lamination,
non-solventlamination,thermal lamination
3. Printing Gravure printing, flexographic printing,
offset printing, transfer printing, screenprinting, etc.
Aluminum(Al), nickel(Ni),argentum (Ag),
4. Metallizing chromiun(Cr), zinc(Zn), titanium(Ti),
cobalt(Co),copper(Cu),silica(SiO,),
alumina(Al.O,),etc.
5. Embossing Roll-embossing
6. Sliuing, Slitting
Winding Winding, unwiding, rewinding
7. Surface Chemical,ozone,flame, corona,
treatment sand-blasttreatment,etc.
8. Dipping Roll coating,dipping
 (9) Scratch resistance - protecting the surface from scratches.
(10) Antistatic - protecting static electricity.
(11) Electro-conductivity - providing electro conductivity.
(12) Releasing - preventing the surface from stacking to adhesive.
(13) Slipping - improving the surface slipping.
The main component of the coating agents that creates these proper-
ties is resin. The coating methods in which the resin is dissolved and the
substrate is coated by a suitable method are classified as follows:
(1) water-soluble coating in which the resin is dissolved or dispersed
in water.
(2) Solvent coating in which the resin is dissolved in an organic
solvent.
(3) Hot-melt coating in which the melted resin is applied by nozzle
or roll.
(4) Extrusion coating in which the melted resin is extruded into a
substrate.
In water-soluble coatin g, two types of coating agents are used: the
water-soluble type which includes water-soluble glue, starch and water-
soluble polyvinyl alcohol, and the emulsion (latex) type in which fine
grained resin is dispersed. The emulsion type is the most common and
the resins used for this type are thermoplastic elastomeq,low density poly-
ethylene, ionomer, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), ethylene-vinyl ac-
etate copolymer (EVA) and polystyrene wax. The coating agents are coated
on paper, aluminum foil, and plastic film, and the product is then dried
and wound up. The purposes of the coatings are to provide a heat seal-
ing property by using polyethylene, ionomeq, PVDC, or EVA, and to im-
prove water proof, oil resistance, moisture proof and gas barrier prop-
erty.
In solvent coating, the coating resin is dissolved and coated on cello-
phane, paper, aluminum foil, and plastic film. The coating resins are vi-
nyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer and EVA which provide moisture
proof and heat sealing; PVDC which provides moisture proof, gas barrier
and heat sealing; nitrocellulose which improves moisture proof, heat re-
sistance and gloss; and cellulose acetate which improves gloss and oil
resistance. A silicone coating improves releasing properties and antistatic
coating agent improves antistatic property.
In hot-melt coatilrg, which includes wax coating, paraffin wax, s)m_
thetic wax or EVA are coated on paper, aluminum foir and plastic film,
providing heat sealing and water proof to the substrate.
In extrusion coating, melted resin is extruded from a slot die called a
T-typ" die and coated on the substrate film. The main thermoplastic res-
ins used are polyethylene, polypropylene and ionomer, and they improve
 the products'heat sealing,moistureproof and water proof properties.
The dry coatingweight of resinsare very small: 1.-6g/rn2 for water-
soluble solventsand L0-20 g/m2 for hot-melt coating. However, the new
materialproducedby coatinghas a new value that it did not have origi-
nally.

(2) Printing Printing originally developedfor publication of books and dissemina-

tion of commercial and public information on paper. However, with the
appearanceof plastics,printing on plastic film and sheet,aswell as PaPer
printing, printing for the packagingindustry is holding a very important
position.
The main printing types are as follows.
(1) Letterpressprinting.
(2) Lithographic printing.
(3) Intaglio printing.
(4) Screenprinting.
The relief plate method and the flexographic method are examplesof
letterpressprinting. In the relief plate method, ink is directly transferred
to the substratesurfacepressingthe relief sectionof the metallic plate
agahst the printing surface. In the flexographicmethod, a rubber or pho-
topolymer plate is used.
Offset printing is the most conunon type of lithographic printing. It
utilizes the repulsion of the ink between the lipophilic sectionand the
hydrophilic sectionof a flat metallic plate. In this system,ink is first hans-
ferred to a rubber blanket and then re-transferredto the substrate.
In intaglio printing, ink is provided on the engraved section of a me-
tallic plate and transferreddirectly to the substrate. The most popular
method is gravure printing.
In screenprinting, ink is transferred to the substratethrough a mesh
plate. This methods is suitable for rough and curved surfaces,which is
difficult in flexographic and gravure printing.
The multi color rotogravure printing and the flexographic printing
are the main printing methods used in the converting. The front or back
surfaceof the film is printed and if necessarythe printed film is resin
coatedor laminated to improve glossand protection or composite of the
printed surface.
Plate type printing and the processof each printing press are shown
in Fig. 1-3,and representativeconverting surrounding the printing pro-
cessis outlined in Fig. 1-4. As shown, the main converting technologies
are printing and laminating, but coating,metallizing, embossing,surface
treatmentand dipping are used as advancedmanufacturing technolo-
gies. Furtherrnore, slitting and winding are indispensable in ali manu-
 facturing processesto ensurethe better handling quality in the post-pro-
cessing,and to meet the product specifications.

(3) Metallizing The metallizing is a techniqueto form a thin membraneby depositing the
metal onto the surfaceof the paper or plasticfilm under vacuum condi-
tions. \A/henwater is heatedand boiled, water moleculesare projected
from water surface. This is called evaporation. Metal, like water, is
changedfrom solid to liquid by heating to a high temperatureand then
changedto gasby heatingto a still higher temperature.
Though this metallizedlayer is very thin: about 300 - 1,000A(0.03-
0.1pm)it improves shielding,odor proof, metal glossand gasbarrier prop-
erties. The metallizing material is mainly aluminum, however,gold (Au),
argentum (Ag), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti),

Figure 1-3.
PrintingPresses rnk
& Printing
Plates
Convexprinting plate
>--rFlat printing plat€

Drver

#il-t
,d\l$1 (J (u
I
l. hesscylinder l. Presscylinder
2. Platecylinder 2. Platecylinder
3. Blanketrcll
3. Anilox roll
4. Weuing mll
4. Inking roll
5. Inking roll

Flexographic
printingprocess Offsetprintingprocess

h--'
llEf
Concaveprinting plale

printingprocess
Rotogravure Screenprintingprocess
Figurel-4.
Representative
Converting
Technoloeies - CONVERTING

Coating
Metallizing
Dipping
Surface-
treatment
etc.

cobalt (Co),siliconeoxides(SiOx),aluminum oxide (AlrOr),nickel (Ni),

and indium oxide (InrO.)are alsoutilized. Thesematerialsimprove gas
barrier, antistatic,and conductive functions.

(4) Embossing Embossingis done by passingpaper or a laminated substratethrough

embossingrollers comprised of concaveand convex sections,thus form-
ing an embossedpattem on the surface. The surfaceof toilet paper is
embossedto provide a soft touch. Printing material is provided with
matting, light and shadecolor, and stereoscopicfeeling by embossing.
Embossedpolyvinyl chloride sheetfor floors and walls, embossediron,
aluminum and stainlesssteelplate for building materialsand industrial
use, form attractivepatternsand moldings, and improve shock absorb-
ing effect.The embossingprocessis shown Fig. 1-5.

Figure1-5.
Embossing
Process

\ steelroll,
(5) Slitting slitting is closelyconnectedto winding, but it is completelydifferent from
and Winding cutting.
Cutting meansto cut transversely,but slitting meansto cut lon-
gitudinally. The differencebetween slitting and cutting is shown in Fig.
7-6.
Figure 1-6.
Cutting&
Slitting

/drhremain
Cutting unchanged

Slitting

Figure 1-7.
Slitting& Slitting
Winding, V
Unwinding,
Rewinding
(Substrate)
D
Winding

Slirtine
v

ft
Unwinding Rewinding

For example,the cellophanetapesand videotapesare produced by

slitting wide film. The slitting deviceis calleda slitter.
winding meansto wind and relatedwords are unwind and rewind-
ing. unwinding meansto wind out the web wound in a roll and rewind-'
ing means to wind again. winding means to wind unrolled substrate
onto a roll. For example,the processthat the paper or film send out from
manufacturing processis being wound is winding.
The relation betweenslitting and winding is shown in Fig. 1-2. slit-
ting and winding are most important manufacturing technologies.They
usually are the final processesof converting that directly lead to the pro-
duction processes of final products.
other converting technologiesare dipping for impregnating the sub-
stratewith liquid; surfacetreatmentfor physicallyor chemicallytreating
the substratesurfaceand changingits properties;drying, removing wa-
 ter or solvent from the substrateby heating; and curing for making physi
cal property of the substratemore stable or acceleratingreactions.
Representativeproducts produced from substratesusing eachof these
convertingtechnologiesare listed in Fig. 1-8.

Figure 1-8.
Milkpack, pouch,
retort tape
Examplesof beerlahl,
packaging, / kraftpapr/ PE/ silicone
adhesive
Converting medical
agent
conugated board,
Products wrappingfoil,
tape,
adhesive etc.

Condenserfilm,
videouF, 7----v- Cufoil
audiotap, Bondingagent
fs*sfA
@ \
sealedup, Plfilm
printcircuil,
flexible

fF' I converting,
lptastc I
lritm I r L
tt*
lFoil I f__f Wallpaper,
Technorogies carpeq
lil;il;fl"1 moistureproofsheet,
floorstreet,
lcloth I etc.

Facsimilepapr,
poster,
photographfilm,
maskingfilm.
mukingfilrn
syntrticleather,
etc. Adlresive
agent
coating
 K.A

t/^
^eLl
tr\
,'r
I

Chapter2
Lamdnation
 2-l What is Laminating?
Laminated tube, which is well known world wide, is made by laminating
aluminum foil and plastic films to combine the excellent folding and gas
barrier properties of metal foils and the flexibility, chemical resisrance,
and printability of plastic films. Fig. 2-1 shows general sectional diagram
of laminated tube rer'(2).

Figure 2-1.
Sectional
Print hint
Diagram of
-Resin
Laminated Resi
Tube Resin
A l foi l
Resin

a: General laminated tube composition

b: Included paper laminated tube composition

"To laminate" means "to stack in layers," "to make thin film layers,"
and "to bond together." Flence, we call the process of bonding several
films or sheets of things together "laminating." Some examples are
laminated paper, laminated film, laminated sheet, laminated board, and
laminated steel plate, etc.

Figure2-2.
Aluminum foil
Improvement
by Lamination
Wrinkle
Break

Paper \-
Lamrnatron
Aluminum fo'l i

(. Improvingmaterialstrength )
\. Decreasing
breaksand wrinkles/

Paper ')
Aluminumfoil
lLamination
Polyethylene)
(. Improvingmaterialstrength
\. Adding heatsealingproperrywirh poty.ttyt.n)
Figure2-3.
Advantages of Pre-lamination After-lamination
Lamination A
A provides merits to B

B providesmeritsto A

As you have probably experiencedin your kitchen, aluminum foil is

very easily wrinkled and torn. However, if we laminate paper on one
side and polyethyleneon the other side, the propertiesof the resulting
sheetbecomequite different. The foil is protectedon both sidesand is not
so easily torn or wrinkled as shown in Fig. 2-2. Furthermore,because
polyethylenehas sealingproperties,we can make a very good pouch by
folding the sheetwith the polyethyleneinside and heat sealed. We can
thus keep moisture proof and gasbarrier,which are intrinsic properties
of aluminum, aswell as improve shength and provide heat sealing,which
aluminum foil can not do by itself.
Thus, we can define that laminating is a manufacturing method to
bond a substratematerial to the sameor different materialsby which we
can maintain the properties of the substrate material, improve its
weaknesses, and provide additional properties.
Supposewe have two different substratematerialsA and B, as shown
in Fig. 2-3. By laminating thesetwo materials,we can combine the
advantagesof both materials.This is the basic principle of lamination.
Of course,it is also possibleto combine the weak points of two substrate
materials,which would be an exampleof a failure of lamination shown
in Fig.2-4.
As shown in Fig. 2-5,we may need a third material to laminate the
two substratematerials together.This third material may be a molten
resin or an adhesive.If either of the two substratematerialsis naturally
adherent,we can laminate them without an adhesivematerial. Hence,
laminating can be classified according to the substratematerials and
whether or not an adhesivematerial is used,
A machine that performs the lamination processis called a laminator.
A laminator includes:
(1) An unwinder unit
A primary substrateunwinder unit
A secondarysubstrateunwinder unit
(2)A coaterunit
 (3) A dryer unit
(4) A laminator unit
(5)A rewinder unit
We will describethe various laminating processeslate4,and we will
seethat somelaminating machineshave neither a coaterunit nor a dryer
unit. Here, the primary substratematerial is the one coatedwith adhesive
and the secondarysubstratematerialis the one laminaied to it. Fig. 2-6
shows the typical layout of the dry lamination.

Figure 2-4. Materials Properties

Exampleof o Having porous composition
Failureby Paper o Good air permeability
Lamination o Good water absorbabilitv
o Good moisture proof
Polyethylene o Good water resistance
(LDPE)Film
o Good heat-sealabilitv
Laminated . Losethe air permeability
materials o Deterioratethe water resistance
Paper/LDPE r Decreasethe heat-sealstrength

Figure2-5.
Principleof Usinga thirdmaterial Usingno thirdmaterial
Lamination
A
C
B
B

C moltenresinor adhesive

Figure2-6.
Dry Lamination
himary substrate
Process unwinder
 2-2 LaminationMethods
There are seven lamination methods:
(1) Thermal lamination
(2) Hot-melt lamination
(3) Non-solvent lamination
' (4) Wet Lamination
(5) Dry lamination
(6) Extrusion coating / lamination
(7) Co-extrusion lamination

Fig.2-7 outlines each process and indicates typical products. We will

describe each production process in the next s€ction rer'(3).

2-2-1. In the thermal lamination process, substrates are bonded together with
Thermal heated rollers, cooled down, and then rewound. One substrate is
Lamination impregnated or coated with hot-melt, thermosetting, or thermoplastic
adhesive before the thermal lamination Process. There is also another
method in which an adhesive film of polyethylene, polyamide, or
polyester is inserted between the substrates and hot-pressed together.
The laminating procedure comprises unwinding the two substrate
materials, bonding them together with a heated roller, and rewinding the
finished product. This process requires no adhesive coating and drying
unit.
Typical products made by thermal lamination are non-woven fabrics
laminated with non-woven fabrics and paper laminated with non-woven
fabrics. These products are used as packaging materials or thermal
isolation materials. Paper laminated with aluminum is used for paper
containers, and steel laminated with steel is used as an industrial material.

2-2-2. Hot-melt lamination is also called wax lamination. In this method, the
Hot-melt primary substrate is coated with a hot-melt adhesive and then the
Lamination secondary substrate is laminated to it. The adhesive is then quenched to
form the finished product.
The laminating process comprises unwinding the primary substrate,
coating it with the adhesive, unwinding the secondary substrate,
laminating it to the primary substrate, quenching the adhesive, and then
rewinding the finished product. A hot-melt adhesive is heated up before
applying it to the primary substrate for lamination. This method requires
no dryer unit.
Figure 2-7.
Method Structure
Outline of
1. ThermalLamination
Lamination
Process A c B
Paper/Adhesive/Non-woven
film fabrics

2. Hot-meltlamination
ACB
Cellophane
/Adhesive/Al

Al : Aluminumfoil

3. Non-solventlamination
ACB
ONy /Adhesive/ PE

ONy : BiaxiallyOrientedNylon
PE : Polyethylene
4. Wet lamination

A c B
A l / Adhesive/ Paper

5. Dry lamination
ACB
ONy /Adhesive/ CPP

B CPP : Castpolypropylene

6. Extrusioncoating/lamination
A c
Singlecoating Cellophane
/ AC /PE

D AC : Anchorcoating

Sandwichlamination ACB
B
OPP/AC /PE / CPP
Lor OPP : Biaxiaily Orientedpotypropylene

Tandemlamination
ACBC
CellophaneIAC /PE I Al IPE

7. Co-extrusionlamination A C B c
T-diemethod PET /AC / PE I IO I AI/ AC / PE
-cot
1|flI PET : Polyethylene
IO : Ionomer
terephthalate

Circular die method

BCACB
PE/Adhesive/Ny /Adhesive/pE
Trimming
resln resin

)
 Products presently made by the hot-melt lamination method include
cellophane,biaxially oriented polypropylene film, and paper laminated
with aluminum foil for primary substrate,which are used for direct
wrapping of candies,chewing gum, chocolates,butter, margarine, soap,
and so on.

2-2-3. Non-solvent lamination usesan adhesivewhich contains no solvent. In

Non-solvent this method, a one-component or two-component non-solvent
Lamination
thermosettingadhesiveis heatedto 80 to 100"Cto lower the adhesive's
viscosity for easy coating on the primary substrate.The secondary
substrateis then laminated to the primary substratewith heater rollers,
and the laminated product is rewound.
The laminating processcomprisesunwinding the primary substrate,
coating it with the adhesive,unwinding the secondary substrate,
laminating it to the primary substrate,and rewinding the finished product.
Sincethere is no solvent in the adhesive,this method requires no dryer
unit.
Productsmade by the non-solvent method include biaxially oriented
nylon, polystyrene, polypropylene films, and aluminum metallized film
laminated with castpolyethylene or polypropylene films. Theseare used
as a packaging materials for foods such as potato chips and for liquids.

2-2-4. Wet lamination means"lamination performed under wet conditions."This

Wet method includes coating a substratewith a water-solubleor water-
Lamination
emulsive adhesive,laminating under wet conditions,and then rewinding
the finished product after the adhesivehas been dried.
The laminating processcomprisesunwinding the primary substrate,
coating it with the adhesive, unwinding the secondary substrate,
laminating it to the primary substrate,dryi.g the adhesive,and rewinding
the finished product. The most distinct feature of wet lamination is the
use of an aqueousadhesive,which makes it necessaryto use porous
material such as paper, cellophane,or cloth as one of the substrates.
At present,the main products made by wet lamination are cellophane,
various kinds ofpaper such as,grassinepapet kraft paper and cardboard
with an aluminum foil substrate.Theseare used for the outside packages
of chewing gum, the inner wrapping paper for cigarettes,packaging
materials for powdered food, jelly bean paste,black tea, and soap.

2-2-5. Unlike wet lamination, in this method, the adhesiveis first dissolved by
Dry an organic solvent and then applied to the primary substrate.The
Lamination
secondarysubstrateis then laminated to the primary substrateby heated
rollers pressing after evaporating the solvent in a dryer.
 The laminating processcomprisesunwinding the primary substrate,
coating it with the solvent type adhesive,unwinding the secondary
substrate,laminating it to the primary substrateafter evaporating the
solvent by a dryer, and rewinding the finished product. The distinctive
featureof dry lamination is the use of an organic soluble adhesiveand
laminating the substratesafter evaporating the solvent.
This is the most popular method using adhesives.Dry lamination is
used to bond many combinationsof materials.Someexamplesare cast
polyethylene and polypropylene films laminated with films of biaxially
oriented materialssuch asnylon, polyestel,polypropylene,or aluminum,
coppel and lead foils. Theseproducts are used for food packaging,retort-
pouched food, and industrial materials.

2-2-6. Thesemethods include the extrusion coating method and the extrusion
Extrusion lamination method. In extrusion coating,a thermoplasticresin is melted
Coating/
and then the molten resin is extruded from a T-type die by a screwunit to
Lamination
form a film. The extruded resin film is coatedto the primary substrate
and simultaneouslycooledwith pressureroll to form a bilayer lamination.
In exkuded lamination,the extruded resin from the T-typedie is coated
to the primary substrate,and the secondary substrate film from the
secondaryunwinder is bonded to the resin film to form a 3-layer
composition. Hence,the extruded lamination is alsocalled a sandwiched
lamination.
Strictly speaking,in extrusion coating, melted resin is coated on to a
primary substrate,while in extrusion lamination, melted resin is used to
bond a secondarysubstrateto a primary substrate.However, the final
products of the two methods are almost indistinguishable.
A laminator which has a single T-type die is called a single laminator
while one with two T-type dies is called a tandem laminator. Typical
processesof theselaminators are as follows:

Single coating:
This processcomprisesunwinding the primary substrate,applying
an AC (Anchor Coating) agent,drying the AC agent,extruding the molten
resin and applying it to the substrate,and rewinding the finished product.

Sandwich larnination:
This processcomprisesunwinding the primary substrate,applying
AC agent, drying the AC agent, unwinding the secondarysubstrate,
laminating the primary and secondarysubstratesby extruding molten
resin between them, and rewinding the finished product.
 Thndemlamination:
This processcomprisesunwinding the primary substrate,applying
AC agent, drying the AC agent, unwinding the secondary substrate,
laminating the primary and secondarysubstratesby extruding the first
molten resin between them, extruding the secondmolten resin onto the
secondarysubstrate,and rewinding the finished product.
The notablecharacteristicof the extrusioncoating/lamination is the
coating processin which a molten resin is applied to a substrateto form a
film. This is the most popular method used in lamination technology.
The materialsused in this method are paper,plastic films assubstrates,
and various resins.The finished products are used for dried food and
succulentfood, depending on the kind of AC agent.For example,pouches
of instant noodlesand powdered/granular drugs, milk cartons,and
laminated tubesare typical products of the extrusion coating/lamination
Process.

2-2-7. Co-extrusionlamination can be classifiedinto the T-type die and circular

Co-extrusion die methods.The T-die method produces multi layer laminated films by
Lamination the previously describedextrusion coating/lamination method. In the
circular die method, severalresins are extruded simultaneously from
circular dies and laminated immediately after.The advantageof these
methods are that they can produce multi layer laminations in a single
step.
Productsmadeby co-extrusionlamination include packagingmaterials
for ham and sausage,deep drawing/vacuum packing materials, and
packaging materials for milk cartons and bread.
Eachlamination processdescribedabovehas its particular advantages.
Thus,a suitableprocessshould be selecteddependingon the purposeof
the finished product, its required characteristics,the substrateto be used,
economy/and so on.
 \t/-t.7-<
\-

:&
,\

Chapter3
Extrusion Conting/Iamination
 In the previous section, we explained that there are two lamination
methods: the adhesive method and the extrusion coating/lamination
method in which molten resin is sandwiched between two substrate
materials. This section describes the extrusion coating/lamination method.
The adhesive method is described elsewhere.

3- 1 Extrusion Coatin glLamination

Method
There are two different processes in the extrusion coating/lamination
method: extrusion coating and the extrusion lamination. Extrusion coating
is the process in which a molten resin is extruded from a slit die, called a
T-type die (T-die), to form a sheet. Then the resin sheet is applied to a
substrate from the unwinder. This method, is used to make 2-laver film
(F i g .3 -1 .1 ).

Figure 3-1.
Single/
Sandwich/
Tandem
Laminator

Substrate product(2 layers)

2. Single laminator (Sandwich lamination)

Substrate Substrate Product(3 layers)

3. Tandemlaminator(Tandemlamination)

EI E2
sw l

Substrate Substrate Substrate Product(5 layers)

UW: Unwinder E: Extruder

SW: Sandwichunwinder RW: Rewinder
 In extrusion lamination, the molten resin is extruded from the T-die to
form a sheetwhich is sandwichedbetween one substratefrom the normal
unwinder and anotherfrom the sandwich unwinder. This method is used
to make 3-layer film (Fig. 3-1,.2).Extrusion lamination is also called
sandwich lamination becausethe resin sheetis sandwichedbetween two
substrates.Strictly speaking,extrusion coating is the processof applying
molten resin and extrusion lamination is the processof laminating with
molten resin. However, they both come under the generalcategory of
extrusioncoating/lamination.
A laminator with only one T-die is called a single laminator and one
with two T-diesis called a tandem laminator. The latter is called a tandem
laminator becausethe two T-diesare lined up in a row. To make a S-layer
laminated product with a single laminator, a 3-layer sheetis made first,
and then the single laminator is used again to make the two additional
layers(Fig.3-1.2).Thus,a two-stage-process is required.However,with a
tandem laminator this canbe done in a singleprocess(Fig.3-1.3).
Now let us define the extrusioncoating/lamination process.In this
process,a molten resin is extruded to form a sheetand is coated on a
substrate which is pretreated with an anchor coating (AC) agent. If
necessary,another substratecan be laminated simultaneously in this
Process.

Figure 3-2. Methods Structure Uses

.1.
Main Extrusion Singleextrusioncoating

Coating/ Medicine
Lamination Cellophane/AClPE (Strip packaging)
etc.
Methods and
Uses (AC)

2. Sandwich lamination

rm $ 6 ) A CB
Succulentfmds
[Komyaku (pastemade frcm
KGhd OPP/AClPElEVddlrnl the devil's tongue)l

\i etc.

Tandemextrusion@ating

Succulentf@ds
A C(E,)C(E2)
(Pickles)
PET/AC/PE/EVA
€ tc,

4. Tandemlamination

Spic€s
A C(Er) B C(Er)
(Powder)
ONy/AC/PE/ Al/AC/PE
etc.

AC: Anchor coating PET: Polyethyleneterephthalate

PE: Polyethylene EVA: Ethylene-vinylacetateopolymer
K: Polyvinylidenechloride ONy: Biaxially Oriented Nylon
OPP: Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene Al: Aluminum Foil
 Fig. 3-2 shows, methods, structures, and typical usage of coating and
lamination by single, sandwich, and tandem laminators.
The distinct characteristic of extrusion coating/lamination is that
molten resin is applied to a substrate. This has the following advantageg
and disadvantages.

3 - 1- 1 . (1) Lamination processing speed can be divided into 3 categories:low

Advantages speed (50-60 m/min), intermediate speed (60-150 m/min), and high
s p e e d (mo re th a n 1 5 0 m/mi n).
E xtrusi on coati ng/l ami nati on
processing speed can be high speed, making it possible to fabricate
products at the rate of 180-250 m/min.
(2) Becausewe use a molten resin as the intermediate layer, there is no
restriction on the substrate material for sandwiching. porous materials
such as paper have a rough surface into which the molten resin can
penetrate, thus increasing the lamination strength.
(3) The thickness of the extruded resin sheet may be73 -70 pm, and it
can be easily controlled.
(4) With certain types of machines, multi-layer products can be
manufactured in a one-stage process.

3-1-2. (1) Products of the extrusion coating/lamination process are weak in

Disadvantages thermal resistancebecauseof the properties of the thermal plastics are
used as the resin.
(2) It takes a long time to melt the resin and extrude it to a constant
thickness. In particular, productivity is slowed down and made some
substrates-resins losses at the beginning and when replacing the resin.
(3) Producing a constant resin thickness requires close production and
quality control management. However, this situation is ameliorated
because we now have accessto automatic film thickness controller.

A t p re s e n t, p ro d u c ts manufactured by the extrusi on coati ng/

lamination process include plastic packages for instant noodles; packages
for powdeq, granule, or tablet medicines; packages for pickles, konnyaku,
and spices; milk carrier paper; cardboard; and laminate tubes.
 3-2 Pickles Packagewith Extrusion
CoatinglLamination
Pickled vegetablescontaining salt or soy source,which are commonly
found at grocery storesin ]apan, are sent to the market after they are
packedinto plasticpouchesof laminatedmaterialand boiled togetherat
80- 85 'C for 30minutes for pasteurization.The pouchesaremanufactured
with a tandemlaminator,as shown in Fig.3-3.
The following describesthe production processof the laminated film
in detail. First,we print on a biaxially oriented polyesterfilm produced
by a filrn manufacturer.Next, we apply an AC agent,used as an adhesive,
to the printed surfacewith a laminator and dry it. Then, low density
polyethylene(LDPE) is applied to the AC coatedsurfacewith the first
extruder,and ethylene-vinyl acetatecopolymer (EVA) is applied to the
LDPE surface.Finally, we rewind the laminated (or coated) film after
trimming its edges.
Pouchesof a pre-determined size are produced in the pouch making
process,and pickles are put into the bags. The sealedbags are passed
through a boiled water pasteurizationprocessand then sentto the market.

Figure3-3.
Outlineof
Pickles
Packaging
Process

Er Ez
Composition
or PET/Print/AC/PE/EVA

PET Print AC PE EVA

EarsF *bc:'''"ls
Pruess i Tandemextrusioncoating !
Film ontoPETfilmafterAc Bagmaking
I printingonpETFilm i
mmufacturcr i ' ' bY lminated film
Convening

Classihcation
of Printing Converter lffination Convener i
Convert€r

PdntedPFI
PicklesPackaging
Pruess
Outline
PET Film EVA
Printingon
PE
PETFilm
Bag making AC
Print

PET
 In somecases,LDPE,linear LDPE (LLPDE),ethylene-methacrylicacid
copolymer (EMAA) are used insteadof EVA resin,which is used in the
secondextruder.
This film compositionrequiresa two-stageprocesswith a single
laminator. However, only a one-stageprocessis required if we use a
tandem laminator.

3-3 Flow, Major Characteristicsand

Functions of Resin rer'(4)
The resins we use in the extrusion coating/lamination process are thermo-
plastics such as polyethylene. Their material characteristics including
the melting temperature and the viscosity vary widely according to the
kind or the molecular weight.
Before becoming molten, the resin is in the form of solid pellets, which
we receive from a supplier. They are usually cylindrical or cubic,2-3 mm
diameter or length. They are similar in appearance to rice grains.
They are vacuumed up by a hopper loader which supplies a constant
flow of pellets to the hopper. The pellets loaded into the hopper are heated
and become molten while passing through a heating barrel in the extruder.
The molten resin is extruded through the T-die and its adapter at a constant
rate by a screw unit. The thickness of the extruded resin is determined by
th e e x tru d e d a mo u n t, the substrate w i dth, and the speed of the
manufacturing process line. Fig. 3-4 shows the layout of the extruder and
the die unit. The resin film produced in this way is then made to adhere
to the incoming substrate.
Next, we explain the "melting" phenomenon of resin in detail. Thermo
plastics such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are polymers.
They are formed of chain (linear) molecules comprising a main chain and
side chains.

Figure3-4.
Schematic Hopperloader
Drawingof
Extruder& Die Heatingbarrel
Screw
cvl Adapter
(cross head)
Die
Deckel
Rod pin
Electric motor
 At low temperatures,the motion of the moleculesin a plasticis stopped
and their condensedstateis similar to that of glass.As they are heated,
somemoleculesrotate around the atomic bonding axis and small local
pulsation of molecules is observed.This phenomenon is called glass
transition (the second-ordertransition) and the temperatureat which this
thermal motion of moleculesbecomesobservableis called the glass
transition point. The molecularmotion occursmore and more freely above
a certain temperaturecalled the melting point or the first-order transition
point, and the plastic changesfrom the solid to the liquid state.This is the
phenomenonof "melting" of resin.
The pellet is heated up by the heating barrel in the extruder and
gradually becomesmolten. The molten pellets are conveyed through the
extruder by the screw unit and pushed out from the T-die. The important
factor in this processis how easy the resin flows. If it has high viscosity
like honey, the load on the screw unit is too high. In this case,the flow
becomespoor and the extrusion cannot be done uniformly. However, if
the resin has low viscosity like water, we cannot produce a homogeneous
film either.Thus, an optimum viscosity is required for the production of
a homogeneousresin film.
For some resinswith high melting points, it is necessaryto heat them
to a high temperature. However, they can decompose at such
temperatures.In somecases/temperaturecontrol is difficult due to the
heat generatedby friction among resin pellets. Therefore,it is necessary
to adjust the processingtemperature for eachresin in order to obtain the
optimum melt viscosity and flow.
The resin film extruded in this way is then applied to or laminated on
a substratesuchascellophane,papeq,or aluminum foil. After this adhesion
process/the substrateis cooled quickly to harden it. A schematicdiagram
is shown in Fig. 3-5 to illustrate the processof melting, flowing, and
hardening.

Figure3-5.
MeltingFlow Hopper
of Resin Extruder

T-die

Substrate

Chill roll

Pressroll
 Next, we describe the characteristics of molten resins frequently used
in the extrusion process.

3-3-1. The density is the mass per unit volume, usually expressed in grams per
Density cubic centimeter [g/cm3]. For example, the density of polyethylene is
0.92 to 0.96, polypropylene is 0.90 to 0.92. When crystallization occurs,
molecules form a periodic strucfure. Consequently, the molecular weight
per unit volume and the density are increased.

3-3-2. The melt flow index is defined as the amount of molten resin extruded in
MeltFlow 10 minutes from a nozzle with a fixed aperture size. Thus, it is expressed
Index(MFl)
in grams [g]. It is a simple measure of the fluidity of molten resin and it is
also called the melt index (MI). When the MI is 2.1, it means that 2.1 g of
resin is extruded in 10 minutes from a nozzle with a diameter of 2 mm.
The MI has a reciprocal relationship with the molecular weight, i.e., the
molecular weight increases as the MI decreases.Therefore, resins with
small MI values are viscous like honey and they are hard to extrude. On
the other hand, resins with the large MI values are less viscous and they
flow more easily.

3-3-3. The adaptability of the extrusion process is a measure of how fast it can
Adaptability be, or of how thin the extruded film can be. This is also called draw downll).
of Extrusion
The width of the film extruded from the T-die occasionally becomes
Process
less than that of the outlet nozzle of the T-die. This phenomenon is called
"neck-in." The thickness of the film atboth edges also sornetimes becomes
greater than that at the center, and this is called "edge beading.,, These
portions are trimmed off and discarded during manufacture. The
adaptability for the extrusion process is good, because it produces less
neck-in. Fig.3-6 shows a T-die film with neck-in.

Figure3-6.
T-dieFilm & T-die
Neck-in
Film

Edgedbead

--i'l L- Neck-in

Trimming

[1] Orawdown:This is a measureol how fast the moltentilm can be wound,expressedin metersper minute[m/min].
Whenthe pfocessingspeedexceedsthis value,ths edgesof the resinfilm startshaking.The lilm shouldthen be cut to
lunherincreasethe processingspeed.
 Someresinsmelt at higher temperatures.Examplesarehigh density
polyethylene(HDPE) and PP with smaller MI values. Theseresinsare
very viscous,i.e., they do not flow easily,thus causinglarge resistance
againstthe screwunit. As a result, the load on the electricmotor in the
extrusion system is increasedand the rotational speed of the screw unit
cannotbe increased,making it necessaryto reduce the production speed.
Therefore,possibilitiesof high speedextrusion,neck-in, and motor
load are important factors in adaptability to the extrusion coating/
laminationprocess.

3-3-4. An important factor is the adhesionbetween the resin film extruded from
Adhesion the T-die and the substratethat it covers.Someresinsrequire wettingtztin
order to adhereto the substratematerials. It is alsonecessaryto activate
the resin films by oxidation with air while they are moving through the
air gap from the T-die outlet to the Substrate.Therefore,increasingthe
extrusion temperature reduces the viscosity of the molten resin and
provides better wetting conditions, thus increasing oxidation and
enhancingadhesion.However, if we increasethe air gap too much, the
resin film cools down while it travels through the air gap. This lowen the
adhesion,and if extrusion resin temperature is too high, it is difficult to
adjust the coating thickness,createsmore oxidation odor, degradesheat
sealability, and so forth. Thus, it is important to set an appropriate
temperaturefor the process.Fig.3:7 shows a schematicdiagram of the T-
die and the air gap.

Figure3-7. T-die
T-die&Air
Gap

3-3-5. A heat sealing method is used in making 3- or 4-edge sealed bags for
Heat instant noodles or potato chips. In this method, the resin sides of coated
Sealability
substrate films are heat-sealed together over a width of 5 to 10 mm. The
strength of the seal is a measure of how good the heat sealability is.

[2] Wetting:This is a measureof adhesionbetweena liquid and a solid matetial.tl lhe two materialsslick well, wetting is
good and if they do nol, wetting is poor
 As we have already leamed, the resins used in the extrusion coating/
lamination process are thermo plastics, howevet the heat sealing
characteristics vary widely from resin to resin. some of them have good
sealing strength while others do not.
Fig. 3-8 shows a heat sealing method using a heat sealing bar, and a
method of measuring heat seal strength. Fig. 3-9 shows typical data on
heat sealability and strength. As shown in this figure, the heat sealability
and the strength of resin A are superior to those of resin B.

3-3-6. Heat sealability is generated while the resin is passed through a series of
Heat processes (melting by heating, adhesion, and solidification by cooling)
Sealabilityat
after it is coated on a substrate. The temperature at which heat sealability
Low
Temperature is generated is different for each resin. some can be sealed at low
temperatures and some at high temperatures. Here, low temperature
means 100 to 110'C or less and high temperature means 160 to 1g0 'C or
more.
The major application of extruded coating/lamination
is as a packaging
material. The pouches are made with these materials on pouch making
machine. we use many automatic filling packaging machines for making
pouches and packing them with contents. such automatic packaging units
must be capable of high speed production, and low temperature heat
sealability is desirable for heat resistance of substrate plastic films. Low
temperature heat sealability is one of the characteristicsof coating resins.
Fig. 3-10 shows a typical example of low temperature heat sealability.
In this figure, resins A, B, and C have the same strength, howeveq, resin A
has the lowest sealing temperature, and this superior low temperature
heat sealability makes it advantageous for making pouches and packaging.

Figure3-& Heat seal

Substrate
Heat Seal
Method & Seal t|_lo*
Strength Coated
surface
Measurement

Substrate A I
'u"u"
lff|searsurrace
]|

1".,,."u,
-V
Seal
width
strength
Figure 3-9(left).
Heat Sealability
& Strength
1
€d
4
A
1
6
I g
Figure 3-L0ttet'0. a d

LowTemperature a /,- a
o
Heat Sealability o

Heat sealtemp. Heat sealtemD.

' Hight

3-3-7. Heat sealability when foreign materials stick to the sealing area is called
Contaminated contaminated heat sealability. If there is no foreign material on the sealing
Heat
surfaces, sealing can be done easily. However, this is not easy to achieve
Sealability
in an actual process, and contamination spoils both heat sealability and
strength. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent contamination mechanically
or to choose resins which have superior contaminated heat sealability
properties.
Fig. 3-11 shows an example of a contamination process and typical
contaminated heat sealability characteristics. It is shown that heat sealing
strength is determined by the amount of foreign material and the kind of
resin.

Figure3-1,1.. Filler Content sticks

Contaminated
HeatSealability
Pouch
il
| *
in seal surface

!+
Contaminatedseal

|| t:l l0l"

ll-lftl*tHt
q,l
UW

Heat seal temp.

3-3-8. Hot-tack property is also called heat releaseability. In automatic fill seal
Hot-tack processes/a heat sealed pouch is filled with a content. During the filling
Property
process, the content weight may press the sealing area before the molten
resin has solidified. If this occurs, the sealed portion could become
released. The adhesion of the sealed portion while it is hot is called the
hot-tack property. Resins which do not releaseare said to have superior
hot-tack properties. The higher the viscosity of the molten resin right after
heat sealing, the better the hot-iack properties.
Fig. 3-12 shows an example of hot-tack properties. we observe that
material A has less thermal release and thus better hot-tack properties
than materials B and C.

3-3-9. since laminated products are used as packaging materials for food and
ResinOdor medicine, there may be some concern about odor from the resin film. In
some cases/this spoils the taste of the content. In an extruded coating/
lamination process, an oxidant odor is generated because the resin is
extruded at a high temperature and its surface is oxidized for better
adhesion. some copolymers generate particularly odorous substances,
Therefore, it is difficult to eliminate odor from some resins. However,
resins producing less odor have been developed and several low
temperature lamination processeshave been implemented that produce
less odor.

Figure3-12.
Hot-tack Substrate
surfacer Resin
Property Content \ n coareo
) l-l surrace
Heat I _l I
/ seal | | l l l
tnl
ilt/l
t
Dar
t -t l

-r
weishto r------.',i-l *.-',
I
I

T
Released
disrance
Ull
v/- s ealp a n
onm e l t i n g ll
on
hearing
=Y= il?
uilil* iJi,e u 'l
bar bar
tl

?I
Weight

Hight
3-3-10. Development work is being carried out to automate laminated product
Machine manufacturing processes.Machine adaptability is an important factor in
Adaptabillty
automation,and factorsaffectingmachineadaptability include lamination
material stiffness,surfaceslipperiness,and anti-static properties.
The stiffnessof the film canbe adjustedby its thicknessor composition.
We can also coat a lubricant and an anti-static agent on the surface of a
laminated film, or we can mix those agentswith resins to improve resin
properties.

3-3-11. Lr a typical extrusioncoating/lamination process,every laminator is often

Resin used for various kinds of resins.Thus, resin exchangeabilityneedsto be
brdtangeditity
considered.Someresins,such as LDPE, can be easily exchanged,while
copolymers such as EVA, EAA, EMAA, and Ionomer take time to
exchange,and more resin is lost for cleaning.Therefore,it is necessaryto
use resins with better exchangeability. For resins with lower
exchangeability,careshould be taken in the exchangeprocess.

3-4 Compositionand Propertiesof Anchor

Coating(AC) Agent
In an extrusion coating lamination Process,a substrateis coatedwith a
thin adhesivebefore it is coatedwith an extruded molten resin, as shown
The amount of
in Figs.3-2 and 3-3.This liquid is called the AC agentt3l.
the AC agentis very small: 2to5 g/m2 in solutionform or 0.1to 0.3g/m2
in dry solid form.
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) is often used as an extrusion resin.
LDPE is a non-polar polymer, and it is hard to bond other materials to it.
The surface of the LDPE extruded from the extrusion die at a high
temperature of over 300 'C, is oxidized by the oxygen in the air and
activated before it is pressedtogether with a substrateby a roller
mechanism. b:rthe pressingprocess,an AC agent is applied between the
substrateand the molten LDPE to enhancethe adhesiveness.The AC
agentsareroughly divided into organic titanium-based,isocyanate-based,
polyethyleneimine-based,and polybutadiene-based.Isocyanateis the
most commonly used of theseagents.

3-4-1. An organictitanium compound has a structurein which metallic titanium

Organic and carbonof an organicradicalbind together.In a broad sense,it includes
TitaniumAC alkyl titanateof Ti-O-Cbond, titanium acylete,and titanium chelate.Alkyl
Agent

[3j Anchorcoatingagent: AC agent.A pre-coatingagent for enharcing adhesiveness.This adhesivenessot a molten resin
is enhancedby coating h with an AC agent.
 titanate is a commonly used agent.
The chemicalformula of Alkyl titanateis Ti(oR).,where R standsfor
an alkyl group (CnH**,,for example,-CHr, -C2Hs,etc.)or an allyl group
(CH2= CH-CHr-). An alkyl group is often used.The alkyl titanateis a
solid if R is a methyl group (-CHr),and it is viscousrransparentor a slightly
yellowish liquid if R is heavierthan an ethyl group (-crHs).If R is a long
chain suchas a stearylgroup (-Cr8H37), it becomesa waxy solid.
Typicalalkyl titanatesused asAC agentsinclude:
* Tetraisopropyl titanate(TPI, Ti(OCrHr)r,
a colorlessliquid)
* Tetranormal butyl titanate(TBT
Ti(oc4He),,a slightly yellowish
liquid)
* Tetra stearyl titanate (TST,Ti(OC,rH.r)n,
a yellow waxy solid)
TPT and rBl which have smaller alkyl groups,are easilyhydrolyzed,
while TST,which has many carbons,is very slowly. The hydrolysis
reactionand the coating membranestructure of alkyl titanate are shown
in Fig.3-13rer'(s).

Figure3-13.
OR

[""-il-""]
Hydrolysisto I 4HzO
Titanium RO -Ti - oR + 4ROH
Dioxide I
OR Alcohol

tl
HO - Ti - O - Ti - O
o-Ti-o
tl O =T i =O
oo
tl O =T i =O
HO - Ti- O - Ti- O
ll Powder
oo (Notenoughadhesion)
tl
Transparentfilm
(Good adhesion)

As shown in this figure, a transparent titanium dioxide membrane

(TiQ, partially -oH, -oR are left) is obtained by the following procedures.
First, TPT or TBT are resolved with a solvent such as hexane or toluene
and they are applied to a substrate. second, the solvent and then the
alcohol freed by the hydrolysis reaction are evaporated. If the membrane
is thick, cracks often appear and the adhesiveness is degraded. If the
hydrolysis reaction occurs in the solvent before it is applied, it causes
clouding and some white powder of titanium dioxide polymer appears
on the coating surface. This also degrades the adhesiveness.
In general, alkyl titanate has a short pot life because of the fast
hydrolysis reaction, which makes it unworkable when the agents have to
 be changedin an actualproduction Process.There are also problems of
wasteliquid disposaland lack of water proof. Thesedays, alkyl titanate
is being replacedby isocyanateor water type AC agentswhich have longer
pot lives. However, alkyl titanate has the advantagethat it requiresno
curing time, i.e., reactionhardening time of the adhesivematerial, and it
thereforecausesno blocking. Furthermore, it is flexible and can be used
off-line (the AC and lamination processesare not only continuous but
independent).Becauseof thesereasons,it still is occasionallyused.

3-4-2. Solventtype adhesivematerialsfor dry lamination can also be used as

lsocyanide AC agents.Therearetwo types:one-comPonentand two-component. The
AG Agent
solid consistencyof the adhesivesolution used for dry lamination is
approximately20 to 30% and its solid glue spreadis large (2.5to 4.5 g/
m2) . Its solid consistencyas an AC agent is 4 to 6"h and a small amount
(approximately0.1 to 0.3 g/m'?)of solid glue is applied in the extrusion
laminationprocess.
Polyurethane,which is a composition of the adhesive,is the generic

?
name of polymers which have an urethane grouP (- NHCO -) in their
molecule.The isocyanategroup (-NCO-) is changed the urethane grouP
by some chemicalreaction.
The chemical reactionsof the polyurethane as an AC agent are
attributed to either the single-liquid reactionbetweenthe isocyanategroup
and water (HrO) or the two-liquid reactionbetween the isocyanategroup
and the hydroxyl group (-OH).
This AC agenthas a longer pot life than organic titanium and is superior
in humidity resistance,waterproofness,heat resistance,chemical
resistance,and boiling resistance,and is therefore suitable for variety of
applications.However,blocking on a substratefrequently occursin an
off-line process.Thus, an in-line process(the AC and lamination process
arecontinuous)is necessary. The isocyanideAC agentis the most versatile.

3-4-3. A very reactiveethyleneimine is polymerized into polyethylene imine. It

Polyethylene is not a linear chain moleculebut has primary, secondary,and tertiary
lmineAC nitrogen atoms and a branch (Fig. 3-14; '"r'1e1.
Agent
Polyethyleneimine is water-soluble.Its water solution is diluted with
water and a lower alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, or ethylene glycol,
and is used as an AC agent.
Polyethyleneimine is highly polarized and reactive,and is superior
in adhesion to various substrates.However, it is water soluble and
thereforeunsuitable for applications which require humidity resistance
and waterproofness.
Figure 3-14. Polymerization
Structural CHz- CHz
* N zH f C H z-C H u -| H C H z-C H z-N H \
Formula of
Polyethylene NH CHz
Imine Ethyleneimine CHz
I
-N -

Polyethyleneimine

Figure3-15.
HO- "-"' -t CHz-CHJa -""- -OH
Structural I
Formulaof CH
il 1, 2 polybutadieneglycol
Polybutadiene CHz

OR

HOOC- """'{ CHz-CHi .------CoOH

I
CH
tl
CH:
1, 2 Polybutadiene
dicarboxylicacid

3-4-4. PolybutadieneAC agentis producedby modifying both ends of the 1,2-

Polybutadiene polybutadienechain with the hydroxyl
groups (-OH) or the carboxyl
AC Agent
groups(-cooH) (shownin Fig.3-15)and the successive water dispersing
(emulsification).It is a colorlessor slightly yellowish liquid polyms. rer.(6).

Table3-1.
Properties&
Applicationsof
AC Agents
Applications Compositions
bo
I
o
bo o o
o
I
5
{ I
o
o
!)
o I 6
6 o
AC agents ;
Organic
titanium
A o X o A, A X Medicine Packaging Cellophane/AC/PEetc.
Liquid soups,Rice cakes
Frozen foods, ONy/AC/EVA
Isocyanate X @ o @ @ o o o Powderjuices, PET/AC/PEetc.
Konnyaku,Bean pastes
rolyetnylene lnstantnoodle,
imine o X X o X X X Snack foods, OPP/AC/PEerc.
Dried laver
SnacKroods,
Polybutadiene o o A X A A A X Instantfoods, Cellophane/AC/PE/
Al/PE etc.
Creen tea
Cood. A : Poor ai r,
 By applying thesediluted materialswith a mixture of water and alcohol
to a substrate, a cured membrane will form after drying and the
adhesiveness will be enhanced.
It has better humidity resistanceand waterproofnessproperties than
polyethylene imine. It also has superior chemical resistance,particularly
acid and alkali resistancecomParedwith polyethylene imine.
Wehave describedthe majorAC agents.ln addition to them, polyolefin
AC agentscomposedof EVA and PP are used'
Table3-1 shows the properties and applications of typical AC agents.

3-5 Propertiesand Usageof Resinsfor

Extrusion Lamination rer'(7)
When it is applied to a substrate,resin for extrusion coating lamination
provides additional properties such asheat sealing,humidity resistance,
and waterproofness.
Typical resins with heat sealing properties include low density
polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), ethylene-vinyl acetate
copolymer (EVA), and ionomer (IO). Thosethat enhanceadhesiveness
with metal include IO, ethylene-acrylicacid copolymer (EAA), ethylene-
methacrylic acid copolymer (EMAA). Thosewith specialproperties such
as heat resistanceinclude polymethylepentene(PMP), and polyethylene
terephthalate(PET).Table3-2 shows an example of a composition of a
packaging material for spice,properties and functions of used films and
other materials, and important points to be noted in carrying out the
extrusionprocess.
The packagingfilm, from outside to inside, is composedof nylon/
printing/Ac/LDPE resin/ aluminum foil/ AC/LDPE resin. The
equipment for making it comprisesa tandem laminator that provides
two extrusion processes,and therefore does not need to use a second
sandwich unwinder (D).
The requiredpropertiesin this caseinclude sanitation,packagematerial
strength,pinhole resistance,gasbarrier property, moisture-proofness,
water proofness,odor non permeability,resistanceto containedmaterials,
suitability for automaticfilling, and adaptability to the lamination process.
As statedbefore,thereare two types of laminators:single and tandem.
A typical equipment layout is shown in Table3-3, togetherwith some
examplesof substratesand resins.In the figure, a substratefilm is coming
out of the extrusion sectionA, and a substrateand a sealantfilm for heat
sealing are coming out of the sandwich unwinders B and D. Various
molten resins are used in the extrusion section C and the adhesiveis
applied to the substratewith the AC aPparatus.
 As described, many kinds of materials are used in the extrusion
lamination process. Therefore, there is a wide variety of products.

Table 3-2.
'a
Tandem .9!{
Lamination :P E
€s
Process& .= +
Packaging ' f &.>
-.E
Materials&
st
Design for .;E
Spice E}
qa

9= ==A

E9
;E i: 1'i E . F90
e giEiE
d
) J tx - x .Y

i .3
U)
Fg EE
- "; r
!E *
b rE
3F9=
d o:6
=A= 3i"r€
N
gY:e
5
.o
L=

N
6 3t4a 53
O 4- 9)
E ilE + 3 .E AE
t: b5;.=€
Et fE:t: ;IE
q, .5:3f3 5F>
=
U)
3*
!q q

-=v9
.; 6.
E- i E
! {9X tr @
!
:. 'E E r . i E
I x 9tr eq
rI] -.1 <o d -azd
E

() I

9! 9-

x9
a P*- :
tr : ad43
d < :d

>
p
v.z
Yn
-
X {!
F'a J - = ql
,-Ed
c!ro g
x :x x }E F
' z 6;66 C.F Y
f d "
€9

€
F .9

.=9
OX
r
Table 3-3.
Single laminator
The Typical
Lamination
Device & Raw
Materials

Tandem laminator

EI SWI ACz

A (substrates) B (substrates) C (resins) D (film)

Paper Aluminum foil LDPE LDPE film
Cellophane Paper LLDPE LLDPE film
K coated film LDPE film mLLDPE mLLDPE
Biaxially MDPE film EVA MDPE film
orientedfilms HDPE film IO EVA film
OPP LLDPE film EAA CPP film
PET EVA film EMAA
oNv CPP film EEA
EMA
etc. etc. etc

Biaxially orientedfi lms:

PET (polyester), ONy (nylon-6) , OPP (polypropylene)
CPP : Cast polypropylene
EAA : Ethylene-acrylicacid copolymer
EEA : Ethylene-ethylacrylate copolymer
EM A :Eth yle n e - m e th y l acryl atecopol ymer
EMAA: Ethylene-methacrylicacid copolymer
EVA : Ethylene-vinyl acetatecopolymer
HDPE : High density polyethylene
IO : Ionomer
K : Polyvinylidenechloride (PVDC)
LDPE : Low density polyethylene
LLDPE:Linear low density polyethylene
mLLDPE: Metallocenelinear low density polyethylene
MDPE: Medium density polyethylene

Table3-4,3-5list the resinsfor exkusion coating/laminationand their

properties.Fig. 3-16describesthe low temperatureheat sealabilityof
typical sealants.Fig.3-17describesthe contaminatedheatsealabilityand
Fig. 3-18 describesthe hot-tack property of sealants.Finally, Table 3-6
lists the compositions,properties,and applicationsof major products
producedby extrusioncoatinglamination.
Figure 3-16.
Low Temp.
Heat Sealability Z ONyl5/realmt50pm
of Sealants Pre. t.0kg/cm,(98kPa)

S2

Heat seal temp. ('C)

Figure 3-17.
Contaminated ONyl5/sealant5Opm - Blank
Heat Sealability Pre. l.0kg/cm2(98kPa) -------Conraminated
of Sealants z Time l.0sec (Soy soup)
a

6
oo
5 ,""""""""'t'o'u
4 EVAE(6qo)
a
g .2.---'--'-- EvA
-l '
,.-.---------.LDPE
€
o I

Heat sealtemp. ("C)

Figure3-18.
Hot-tack Base/sealant40pm
Pre. l.Okg/cm2(98kpa)
Propertyof Time l.0sec ro
Sealants
\\ 1i. ""
\\\'* i,ti t

\\\'-tt ll
\--* y-l
Heat sealtemp. (t)
L

Table3-4.
Resinsfor
Extrusion
Coating&
Properties

Resins Characteristics Applications

Polyethylene(PE) LDYE Cood processabrhty uenerar use lor
Density: 0.917- 0.930 Good sealability food packaging
{cH,-cH,f M I: 4 7 Suitable for a wide use Pharmaceutical
LDPE: long chain branch rich Good transparency packaging
LLDPE: short chain branch rich Inferior in oil and ereaseresistance Industrial use
HDPE:shortchainbranchfew LLIJYL Excellentheatseal strength* . rooo pacKagrng
Density:0.915- 0.938 Excellent contaminated heat seal strensth* . Industrial use
*: mLLDPE > LLDPE M l:4 - 1 2 Good hot tack property*
**: mLLDPE> LLDPE MLLL TD Good impact strength**
Density:0.905- 0.925 Inferior heat seal strenglh at low temp*
M I: l0 - 2 0 Bie neck-in
li|'.JYE Good moisture proofness . food packaglng
Density:0.941-0.942 Good gas barrier . Industrial use
M I:8 - 9 Good heat resistance
Good stiffness
Inferior processability (big neck-in)
Hieh extrusionload
Ethylene-vinylacetatecopolymer(EVA) uooo neat seal srengtn . l.ood pacl(aglng
Good heat sealability at low temp . Industrialuse
{(cn,-cH,ficH,-cH )+" Good contaminated heat seal strensth
I Excellent in hot{ack property
Density:0.920-0.930 O = C- OCHr Good impact strength, anti-pinhole property
M I:? -9 Good cold-proof
VA conc.:3-15 wt%o Inferior processability at high temp.
Resinodor
Blockins oroblem
Ionomer(lO) uooo neat seal srengm . ueneral use for
- C- C- C- C- Good heat sealability at low temp food packaging
I Good contaminated heat seal strensth . Industrial use
O = C. -
'o m* Excellent in hortack property
Good impact strength, anti-pinhole
,o."
O = C' O = C- O H Good adhesionto metal and paper
ll Good oil resistance
-c-c-c-c- u0uu gIlYlIUIltItgIttal 5u955 ulauKlllg
Density:0.940-0.950 Resinodor
M I:3 - l0 Good processability
M: Metal-ion(Na',Znt, etc.) (Comparativelyhigh neck-in)
High extrusion load
Exoensive
L,thylene-acrylicacid copolymer(EAA) uooo neat seal srengm t ood packaglng
Good heat sealability at low temp Laminated tube
Good contaminated heat seal strensth lndustrial use
{(cH,-cH,[cH,-cH )+" Excellent hot-tack property
I
Good adhesionto metal and paper
o=C- oH
Density:o.gz7-o.g3z Big neck-in
MI: 5 -ll High extrusion load
AA: 3 -llwtTo A little exoensive
acrd copolymer(EMAA)
bthylene-methacryhc Good heat seal strength . r.ooo pacKaglng
Good heat sealability at low temp. . Laminated tube
9H' Good contaminated heat seal strenqth . Industrial use
I
Excellent in hoCtack property
{(cur-cH,{cHr-_cB" Good adhesionto metal and paper
I
o=c- oH Good oil resistance
Densiry:0.930-0.940 Big neck-in
M I: 7-1 0 High extrusion load
M AA: 5 -llwtvo A little exoensive
 Resins Characteristics Aoolications
h,thylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer @EA) Good heatsealabilityat low temp . Food packaginl
Good impact strengthat low temp. (EA=87o or less
f(cH,-cH,ficH,-cH*" Flexible at low temp. . Industrial use
I Big neck-i n
O=C_OCHzCHT Resinodor (Apple-like odor)
Density:0.925-0.930 : 0.925-0.930
MI:3 -6
EA:.'l-18wtVo
Ernyrene-methylacrylatecopotymer(EMA) Good adhesionto paper,cellophane,PP, and PVDC . rooo pacKaglng
Good heat seal strength . Industrialuse
Good heatsealabilityat low temp
{(cn,-cn,ficH,-cH)b}, Cood contaminated heat seal strensth
I
O=C_ OCHr Excellent hot-tack property
Density:0.940-0.942 Good thermalstability
MI:2 -6 Good weather resistance
MA'. 6.5-20 wt%o A little bis neck-in
Drnylene-mernytmetnacrylatecopolymer(EMMA Good adhesionto paper,cellophane,PP and PVDC l.ood packaging
Good heatsealstrength Industrialuse
1", Good heatsealabilityat low temp
{(cH,-cu,ficH,-c)+" Good contaminated heat seal strensth
t- Excellent in hot-tack property
Density:0.920-0.940 O= C - OCH: Good thermalstability
Ml:'7 - 12 Good weather resistance
MMA: 10-25wtTo A little bie neck-in
Polypropylene (PP) uooo neat reslstance . t,ood pacl(aglng
Good oil resistance . Industrialuse
{cH,-l'-cH! High stiffness
Good transparency
CH'
Density:0.90 High heat seal temp.
MI: 1 5- 30 Good neck-in
Ethylene-vinylalcoholcopolymer (EVOH) Excellent gas barrier . Fooo pacKaglng
Good aroma barrier . Industrial use
{(cn,-or,}(cH,-qH)+" Good non-adsorbtivity
Density:l.l2-1.2o OH Good oil chemicalresistance
Ml:3-8 Moisture absomtion
rolymetnytpentene(PMP) Excellentin heat and chemicalresistance l'ood packaging
{CHr-CHh
I High stiffness (Ovenabletray)
CHz Good transparency Industrialuse
Density : 0.830 | Skillful techniquesare neededto process
M r: 2 6 - 1 8 0 CH( CH3 ) ' Exoensive
rolyernylene rerephthalate(Pb t ) Excellentheatand chemicalresistance . Food packaging
High stiffness (Ovenabletray)
{co@coo-(cH),-o}" Excellentabrasionresistance . lndustrialuse
No odor, adsorption property
Density : 1.34 Skillful techniquesare neededro process
MI : 1 3 - 5 5 Expensive
mLLDPE: LLDPE made by metallocenecatalysts(Kaminsky type catalysis)
Thble3-5.
Main Resin's
Propertiesfor
Coating&
Laminating

Resin lrl
Fr
rF
rrI r!
n ti
J IJ fr l fr l
Property J J T! Ir l
rrl r Yl rrl rrl rrl

Heat sealstrength A x
o o o o 9o -oo o .) A. X
-A
Low temperature
heatsealabilitv
Z-\
A, . X ..) X
9o 9o @ o a) X X X

Contaminated
heat seal strength
A o A. A A o 9o 9o o o o X X X

Hot tack strength

A o o A, o o -o 9o o o l\ X X
-
ryletal DoncllnS
strength
A, A. A' X
- ^A
X
-A 9o o X
-A
X X
-A - A
A X X
Oil resistance
A, o X
-A
@ o o r) X
-^A,
X X
-4.
(J o o
Chemical
resistance
@ @ o o @ o @ c) o o @ @
Heat resistance X
- 4,
A o X 9o X X X X X X ^A, o o
Low temperature
o -o o o o
l\ A
@ A A. A A A, ^A.
resistance - \'_/ -C
Pinhole resistance
A o A X
-A
@ a) A, A A A A, A

5cratchresistance
X X A, X @ X X X X X X X @ @
Resinmoisture
No No No No No abs. No No No No No abs. No abs.
absorption
Neck-in X
@ A, A (_, Z-\ X X X U \, A' X
-4,
Processabilitv
@ .A. A, A A A o o A X X

Extrusion motor
load
o A A, () A. l\ A (J r) A, X
-A
X

KESIN
o 9o o X a) X X X o o^ 9o X X X
chaneeabilitv -A -A -4,
Cost
@ o (J o o X
-A
A A A A,
-C
A A X X
-A
*: LLDPE S mLLDPE @<+x
**: LLDPE < mLLDPE (excellent) (worse)
mLLDPE: LLDPE made by metallocenecatalysts
Table3-6.
Composition
And Usesof
Extrusion
Lamination

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