Eastman Chemical Company offers adhesives solutions at ASC 2006

Eastman Chemical Company researchers presented findings to improve adhesives in both deep-freeze packaging and filmic label applications at the Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) Fall Conference and Expo in Nashville, Tenn.

The research papers ‘Resins for Use in Deep-Freeze Packaging Applications’ and ‘Filmic Label Adhesive Applications - Formulating with Resin Dispersions to Improve Peel and Adhesion’ which include performance data and sample formulation tables, are now available at www.eastman.com/ASC.

The ASC is the trade association which sponsors bi-annual conventions and trade shows for the adhesive and sealants industry twice a year, bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, academicians and end-users.

The findings from ‘Resins for Use in Deep-Freeze Packaging Applications’ explains how choosing a resin with limited compatibility in the polymer system can improve low temperature flexibility without sacrificing high temperature strength, leading to better frozen-food packaging.

‘Hydrocarbon resins are frequently used as modifiers for low temperature applications,’ noted the paper's author, Terri Carvagno, Ph.D., principal application chemist for adhesives & polymers.  ‘Pure monomer resins can be used to improve the low temperature performance of adhesives for deep-freeze applications.’

Carvagno, a holder of U.S. and international patents in thin-film adhesion and processing, compared several resins with varying EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) compatibility in a deep-freeze adhesive formulation.

The second paper, ‘Filmic Label Adhesive Applications - Formulating with Resin Dispersions to Improve Peel and Adhesion’, discusses the increasing need for environmentally friendly, waterborne pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) in filmic label applications.

‘Filmic labels are demanding applications that require blush resistance and excellent adhesion to both low and high energy surfaces,’ said author Laura Martin, Ph.D., principal application scientist for adhesives & polymers. ‘By incorporating resin dispersion into the adhesive, the peel and specific adhesion of a filmic grade acrylic latex can be improved without sacrificing clarity.’

Martin's presentation summarized the adhesive performance data of filmic grade 2-EHA acrylic polymers tackified with resin dispersions. She is a specialist in adhesive technology, including structural, hot-melt, solventborne and waterborne pressure sensitive adhesives.

‘Eastman's research and development continues to produce innovations on very challenging packaging and labeling applications,’ said Robb Lovegrove, Eastman's global industry leader, adhesives and packaging materials. ‘Both Dr Martin and Dr Carvagno are on the leading edge of meeting our customer's multifaceted marketplace needs.’