Innovative binders target the packaging and printing ink industries

At the European Coatings Show (ECS) in Nuremberg from March 19 to 21, 2013, the Munich-based Wacker Group will be presenting its latest product innovations for packaging and printing ink applications: The novel surface coating resin VINNACOAT ? LL 8100 allows effective sealing of aluminum foils to non-polar plastics. That makes it particularly suitable for heat-sealable packaging systems, for instance for yogurt lids or juice cups. The new VINNOL? H 5/50 A complies with numerous food-contact regulations and is thus ideally suited for printing inks in sterilizable food packaging.  

VINNACOAT? LL 8100 is a new surface coating resin based on a styrene-olefin copolymer with carboxyl functional groups, which is particularly suitable as a binder for heat-sealable food packaging. The styrene-olefin resin base not only confers high toughness and permanent flexibility on the product, but also heat-sealability to non-polar polymers such as polystyrene, polypropylene and polyethylene. The carboxyl functional groups, on the other hand, ensure outstanding adhesion to metal surfaces such as aluminium. Until now, acrylate-based binders were predominantly used for heat-sealing coated aluminum foils to non-polar polymers.  

VINNACOAT? LL 8100 offers an alternative here and complements Wacker’s broad product portfolio for heat-sealing applications. The thermoplastic binder shows very low swelling in the presence of water and high resistance to a wide variety of liquids, from oils and greases, through dilute acids and alkalis, to alcohol and aqueous salt solutions. Thanks to the polymer’s inherent elastic properties, no additional plasticizers are generally required in the formulation. VINNACOAT? LL 8100 is therefore an ideal binder for heat-sealable packaging systems, for example for sealed juice and water cups or dairy products such as yogurt or cream.  

Demanding printing solutions for food packaging

The new VINNOL?  H 5/50 A has been developed for demanding packaging and industrial coatings, specifically for printing inks in food packaging. The binder is a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-vinyl alcohol-terpolymer containing functional hydroxyl groups. Due to its functional groups, the surface coating resin adheres strongly to a wide range of polymer substrates and may be crosslinked using a variety of reagents. Its high content of vinyl chloride polymer units provides excellent chemical resistance to the surface coating, while the vinyl acetate units impAdidas Adilette Slides