Dow Chemical Co. has developed a new family of resins for blown and cast film lines, added two new resins to its Dowlex resin line and introduced a solvent-based adhesive for high-temperature laminates.
All three materials have limited applications and are just now rolling out nationwide.
Dow has focused its efforts around “sustainability — doing more with less; increased profitability — more efficiency and increased output; and consumer convenience. These are the three large trends we're seeing,” said Dave Kyle, marketing director for Dow Performance Packaging in North America.
He said the company's Adcote L 76-185/CR 8111B solvent-based polyethylene adhesive, introduced at the show, is an example.
“You get better throughput, which reduces converting costs, and brand owners get improved packaging,” Kyle said in a telephone interview after the Pack Expo show in Chicago.
“The throughput increase is substantial. It's not a trivial 10-15 percent,” he added.
The adhesive, Kyle said, is designed for retort pouches made from multiple layers of flexible laminate, liquid packaging as well as some industrial applications such as cable wrap. “We think it will be used for liquid packaging, soups, rice, pet foods and high-end coffees,” Kyle said.
The adhesive can be used for high-temperature laminate in applications such as flexible packaging and industrial laminations.
“It is an example of developing technology for emerging markets like retort packaging. It is less likely to blister, and it increases shelf life,” he said.
“It is very much a market-driven development, as we see less and less cans and a big demand to replace cans with flexible packages — which drives the need for more-demanding adhesives to seal the package,” said Kyle. “We are very positive about this. It gets at the issue of convenience and sustainability, as you will have less waste going into the recycling stream.”
Similarly, Dow's Agility processing accelerators for low density PE film are designed to provide a better flexible pouch and to reduce costs for converters through improved bubble stability, which will permit increased throughput.
The company experimented with how molecular architecture affects bubble stability at its film application development center in Freeport, Texas.
The resins are targeted as a replacement for conventional LDPE resins in heavy-duty shipping sacks and in flexible packaging where there is a need for clarity and transparency.
“You will get 10-15 percent more throughput using these resins,” said Scott Collick, North American technology services and development director for Dow Performance Packaging.
“That is a tremendous advantage that allows converters with a fixed installed base of equipment to increase output with making any additional capital expenditures.” The resins also can allow for a thinner film structure, he said.
“This will be very good for lamination films such as candy packaging, and for stand-up pouches. It is in limited commercial use and we are now rolling it out to a broader base,” he added.
Dow's two new additions to its Dowlex linear LDPE family also provide greater throughput when producing blown film.
Both XUS 61530.501 and XUS 61530.502 will give converters an increase in output of 5-10 percent in applications where Dowlex 2045G and 2056G are used, according to the company. Both new resins can be used for food packaging, medical packaging, heavy-duty shipping sacks, and industrial and consumer films and liners.
Dow said XUS 61530 has a more stringent gel specification than Dow 2056G and is particularly good for highly demanding food applications, and that XUS 61530.502 has similar characteristics as Dowlex 2045G, but is designed for structural and sealant applications where higher throughput is required.
“These resins will be good for very low gels and high-demanding industrial applications as well as food applications such as laminated and printed stand-up pouches,” Collick said. “We see a big continued growth rate in stand-up pouches because they use less material than containerboard or metal.”
Pack Expo was held Oct. 28-31.
