Wet bond adhesives play an essential part in manufacturing many types of food packaging, so it is extremely frustrating when problems arise. From all the issues we are aware of, we have identified five main ones. These have the greatest potential to cause delays or product recalls, and to increase production costs.
We have therefore made it our aim to address each of these problems in turn with our adhesive and cross-linker products.
1) Price
All manufacturers operate on tight margins and none more so than packaging businesses. Your end users need packaging to perform under difficult heat conditions, while keeping food fresh and secure – and they usually don’t want to pay too much for it! It is therefore important to keep costs per unit as low as possible, and this can be difficult without affordable adhesives and other raw materials.
Price is therefore the most commonly faced problem when purchasing adhesives. On the one hand you can’t afford for adhesives to eat too much into your bottom line, but you can’t compromise on quality either, or you are likely to experience one or more of the other problems on this list!
What Do You Do?
Our solution is to take the emphasis away from price and place it more on value. In the long run, ‘cheap’ and ‘expensive’ are not absolute terms. They are relative to the value of the end product and how each component contributes to enhancing that value.
Our adhesives are therefore solution focused. We formulate tailored products based on the needs of your business and the outcomes you need from each project. So we take into account factors such as budget, delivery schedule and performance, to deliver a solution that is a perfect fit for your business.
We won’t ever compromise on quality, so you may find that some suppliers give you a lower quote in absolute terms. We do however guarantee that we will give you the best possible value for money based on your project criteria, and we won’t ever overcharge you.
2) Poor Lamination Strength
‘Green' lamination strength is an extremely important factor when choosing a wet bond adhesive, and this is where many products fall down. Poor green strength is a major issue when the quality control department require immediate positive test results from each master reel to allow production to continue without any loss in press downtime.
Our Wet Bond 2068 has extremely good green strength. This is demonstrated by the finished laminate experiencing zero de-lamination when subjected to embossing immediately after lamination.
3) Poor Heat Resistance
Many types of food packaging have to perform well under high temperatures, without losing their integrity or bond. Examples of this are microwaveable or oven-ready products.
With some adhesives, the lamination bond strength can fail when subjected to high temperatures up to 200°C. Packaging has to withstand very high temperatures in the microwave, and also during heat sealing of the finished pack.
Our wet bond adhesive is based on a hybrid polymer that can be crosslinked to give an incredibly strong and flexible bond, even under high temperatures.
4) Product Not Running Correctly
Some adhesives exhibit problems with viscosity, which can lead to the adhesive being difficult to apply evenly. Our water-based adhesives do not rely on solvents to create their bond. The adhesive runs very cleanly with no thickening making them more reliable. The formulation has been found to have a long shelf life and an easier application process.
5) Inconsistent Quality
When purchasing adhesives for a large product run, consistent quality is essential. Unfortunately, some suppliers exhibit different levels of quality from batch to batch. This can be due to the availability of raw materials, flaws in the production process, or even human error – but we understand it is the end user who experiences the worst effects of this inconsistency.
We have formulated our adhesives for consistent performance, regardless of the batch. You can therefore be assured of a high-quality product whenever you purchase from us.
