Consumables
New Solventless, Fast-cure Adhesive from Dow Improves Productivity and Lowers Laminating Costs
Monday 08. February 2010 - The Adhesives and Functional Polymers business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) today announced the availability of its new Mor-Free L75-173/C-145 solvent-free, 100 percent solids, polyurethane adhesive system for flexible packaging.
The two-component product is formulated as a lower-cost alternative to adhesives currently on the market for laminating and general-to-medium performance packaging applications. The Company is advising converters seeking to lower production costs for packaging laminations that this fast-curing Mor-Free adhesive can be applied at room temperature, and such laminates can generally be further processed in as little as six hours. Chemical curing typically requires up to five days at ambient temperatures. New Mor-Free L75-173/C-145 may be run at speeds as high as 1500 feet per minute while maintaining excellent appearance on a wide variety of substrates. It can be used for laminating all polyolefin films, including LDPE to LDPE, OPP to OPP, and OPP to LDPE, as well as nylon, aluminum, polyester, and other packaging substrates. The films may be unprinted or reverse printed with the appropriate laminating grade inks. A long pot life is also a feature of this adhesive.
Neil Carr, Global Vice President, Dow Adhesives and Functional Polymers states, “Our superior technical expertise first led to perfecting solventless adhesives for laminating and general to medium-performance packaging applications in the 1980s. We have leveraged years of proven performance to bring converters the latest in solventless technology. Mor-Free L75-164, the predecessor of Mor-Free L75-173/C-145, revolutionized the way converters handle their materials in house.” Mor-Free L75-164 was widely adopted, since it provides significant bonds within two hours, cures within four hours to allow same shift slitting to proceed, and can cure completely in just three days to more quickly allow fill operations instead of the typical two to three weeks of storage before use. The new Mor-Free L75-173/C-145 solventless polyurethane adhesive system approaches the desired performance of its predecessor, but at a reduced material cost.