Abstract
High end lamination is a consecutive growing segment in flexible packaging (FP) market. These high value
packages are very much desirable by our customers ‐ the flexible packaging converters, and the brand owners
which want to stand out with their digitally printed colorful flexible packaging instead of the labeled metalized
cans. This growth increases using the ser. 4 printing digital press machine.
High performance FP applications requires to resist various challenges such as high heat sealing, water and
chemical resistance as well as challenge to create retortable products with Liquid Electro Printing (LEP)
technology. Retortable products are required to resist high temperature, relative humidity and pressure
during the retort process.
The solution available today to offer the digital print customers requires adding an additional step in the FP
manufacturing process. A post printing and prior to lamination step, an off line procedure has to be performed
i.e. coating the printed film with a cross linker agent. Polymer cross linking forms chemical covalent bonds
between polymer chains and primer which leads to improvement in chemical and physical properties of the
polymer matrix. By cross linking our primer and ink the flexible package performance is significantly increased
so high performance and even for the high demanding processes of pasteurization and retort can be
successfully performed. This solution requires also an over‐night curing of the cross linker applied in needed
and only then the film can proceed the FP manufacturing steps of lamination.
In current publication we present a single step process (one‐step). Introducing the cross linker agent at the
lamination step procedure of FP manufacturing eliminating the need to add a coating a step to the
manufacturing. By mixing the cross linker with the lamination adhesive it is possible to achieve the LEP ink
enhancement and enable the digital printed FP to resist the chemical and physical challenges described above.
We show that it is possible to achieve the high performance FP applications by cross linking the primer and
polymer resin and lamination process in one step, the anyway needed lamination process step in FP
manufacturing.
Creative Commons License
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Recommended Citation
INC, HP, "LEP PRINTED HIGH PERFORMANCE FLEXIBLE PACKAGING FOR LAMINATION USING ADHESIVE MIXED WITH CROSS LINKER", Technical Disclosure Commons, (April 02, 2019)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/2113