Mactac launches new products

Mactac has launched several new products: Vivid Edge, Optiscan E and SmartTac.

Vivid Edge is a film engineered to overcome converting challenges while advancing sustainability goals. Combining strength, converting efficiency, premium appearance and recyclability, Vivid Edge is intended for converters and brands seeking higher performance and operational efficiency.

Built on a durable yet lightweight 2.0 mil white polypropylene facestock, Vivid Edge delivers approximately 25 percent greater machine-direction strength than traditional film constructions, providing enhanced rigidity and
dimensional stability throughout the converting and application process. Engineered to resist wrinkling, stretching, tunneling and flagging, Vivid Edge maintains a smooth, premium label appearance while enabling converters to downgauge without compromising high-speed converting efficiency, dispensing performance or application reliability. The result is a premium quality label that is easier to produce while delivering shelf appeal and a strong brand image.

Vivid Edge has been recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) for meeting the technical requirements for recycling in North America. When paired with Mactac's proprietary 710VHP and direct food contact 711VHP hot melt pressure-sensitive adhesives, Vivid Edge labels remain affixed to HDPE containers throughout the recycling process, eliminating the need for label removal. The Vivid Edge construction received APR Design for Recyclability Recognition for recyclability on natural and colored HDPE containers, marking the fourth consecutive year that Mactac products have earned APR Design Recognition. In addition to supporting recyclability, Vivid Edge offers sustainability benefits through downgauging, including increased labels per roll, reduced packaging waste and improved freight efficiency.

Mactac’s 710VHP and 711VHP hot melt adhesives are engineered to deliver fast tack, dependable adhesion and reliable performance in cold, wet and challenging application conditions.

Designed for demanding applications, the adhesives rapidly build strong bonds and perform reliably even on low-energy substrates commonly found in juice and water bottles, oil containers, detergent bottles and household cleaners, as well as traditional packaging applications.

'As brand owners continue to pursue sustainability and efficiency goals through lightweighting and material reduction, the industry faces a critical challenge: how to reduce material usage without compromising
operational performance,' said Kim Hensley, senior marketing manager, prime films, Mactac Roll Label. 'Vivid Edge was developed to bridge that gap. By combining enhanced strength, converting efficiency and APR-
Recognized recyclability in a single construction, we are enabling converters and brand owners to advance their sustainability objectives while maintaining the productivity, consistency and shelf presence required in today’s competitive marketplace.'

Vivid Edge establishes a new benchmark in film labeling by combining converting ease and efficiency, premium aesthetics, reduced material usage and recyclability in a single product. The construction is ideally suited for applications across household products, dairy, food, beverage, personal care and industrial packaging markets seeking more sustainability without compromising operational performance.

The second new product is Optiscan E, a new thermal transfer label construction engineered to help converters and end users improve productivity, reduce material consumption and lower total operating costs. The latest addition to Mactac’s thermal transfer portfolio, Optiscan E is a downgauged construction specifically developed for high-volume, cost-sensitive thermal transfer label applications.

Launching alongside Optiscan E is SmartTac, Mactac’s new general-purpose permanent acrylic adhesive.

Developed to support high-speed converting operations, SmartTac provides dependable adhesion across a wide range of applications, making it a suitable adhesive platform for Optiscan E products.

Optiscan E combines a thinner 36# thermal transfer facestock, SmartTac adhesive and a downgauged liner available in either 2.1 mil SCK or Mactac’s Bloom hi.mpact 1.6 mil glassine constructions. The result is a product that delivers more labels per roll, while improving converting performance.

Optiscan E is suitable for a wide range of high-volume labeling applications, including logistics, shipping, warehousing, inventory management, retail and general identification applications.

'Today's converters are under increasing pressure to improve efficiency, control costs and support sustainability objectives, without compromising label performance,' said Donna Lubin, senior product manager for Mactac’s Roll Label Variable Information Products. 'Optiscan E was developed to address all of these challenges at once by delivering the material saving and yield benefits of a thinner construction, while avoiding the converting challenges often associated with downgauged products.'

The Optiscan E name reflects the core value it drives: efficiency gains, economic benefits, environmental impact and convertibility.

Its thinner, optimized construction enables more labels per roll, reducing roll changeovers, increasing production uptime, improving pallet utilization and minimizing warehouse
storage requirements. Designed to improve operational efficiencies, Optiscan E delivers savings at multiple points during production, resulting in a reduction in total delivered cost. By using less material, Optiscan E helps reduce waste, packaging consumption and transportation-related environmental impacts throughout the supply chain. Optiscan E is engineered to deliver reliable converting performance, including high-speed printing and converting, consistent die-cutting and clean matrix stripping. Its optimized construction allows converters to realize the benefits of downgauging while maintaining productivity, efficiency and quality.

Prior to commercialization, Optiscan E was validated through converter trials conducted with multiple Mactac industry partners. Testing demonstrated strong converting performance at line speeds up to 500ft/min, reliable die cutting and matrix stripping, successful flood coating, and high-quality barcode printing results.

Optiscan E is available in two constructions. The first is TTE3532: Optiscan E 36# facestock with SmartTac adhesive and 2.1 mil SCK liner. The second is TTE3552: Optiscan E 36# facestock with SmartTac adhesive and 1.6 mil Bloom hi.mpact glassine liner.