The Solvent-Free lamination process has become more attractive in recent years since there is no solvent emission during processing, thus low energy is used to drive the process. In addition, the SF lamination process is driven by means of heat and pressure to accelerate the bonding rate between two or more films.
The process protects and improves the appearance of the packaging films. SF lamination adhesion enhances the strength of the packaging material and roll geometry. Given the increase in demand for high strength polymers, it is essential to optimise process parameters during the lamination of packaging material to meet the requirement.
There has been limited focus on optimising process parameters in the flexible packaging lamination. These parameters include raw material surface energy (dyne/cm); coating weight which is measured in grams per square meter (gsm); machine speed with a unit of measure meters per minute (m/min); taper tension and mix ratio; rewind tension which is measure in newtown (N); and application temperature and curing temperature which are both measured in (℃).
These factors are critical in maintaining film bonding strength and laminate elongation with effective barrier properties.
