Dry laminations are those in which the liquid adhesive is first dried before lamination.
The adhesive can be either applied to one substrate and dried or it can be applied as a hot melt type of film (essentially another film layer).
The adhesive is then in the dry solid or slightly tacky stage when joined with the other substrate. The bonding is generally achieved during a high temperature, high pressure nip. The temperature and pressure are sufficient to cause the adhesive to flow and create an instantaneous bond when it cools and gels. Dry lamination can be applied to a broader range of products such as film-to-film and film-to-foil.
Adhesive lamination is the preferred joining process when a specific film composition cannot be effectively run in a coextrusion system due to equipment limitations or when the high temperatures required in coextrusion would be harmful to the film. Adhesive lamination is also preferred when the adhesive itself can provide additional functionality to the final product.
