New Materials for the Converting Industry, PFFC, June 2004
- Published: May 31, 2004
Substrates, Inks, Adhesives, Polymers...
Analyze Many Thin Films
Thin Film Analysis, San Jose, CA; 408/238-6351; tfainc.com
Laboratory offers Rutherford Backscattering analysis, Hydrogen Forward Scattering analysis, and Channeling analysis. Areas of specialty include barrier materials, Low K films, silicide materials, crystal optical films, and superconductors. Addresses concerns about QA and QC, process control, process development, and much more.
Films Fight Counterfeiters
CPFilms, Martinsville, VA; 276/627-3332; 888/273-4567;
cpfilms.com
Technology for films as thin as 1 mil is available for security markets. Film impregnation allows for luminescent materials activated at particular wavelengths and fluorescent and phosphorescent compounds that emit visible light when irradiated by UV. The combination of dyeing, printing, and organic and vacuum coating is said to provide a powerful tool to counteract counterfeiters.
Sputtered Films Have Many Uses
Techni-Met, Windsor, CT; 860/688-2300; techni-met.com
Sputtered Films Have Many Uses
Single- and multiple-layer thin film depositions are designed to provide specialized conductive, shielding, electroluminescent, optical, reflective, and protective properties in electronic, medical, and industrial applications. Sputtered coatings are produced on a broad range of PET, PEN, polyimide, and other flexible substrates in widths from 6-62 in. and gauges of 0.25-20 mils. Maximum coating thickness is 5,000 Angstroms.
Thin Films Offer Barrier, Sealability
Klöckner Pentaplast of America, Gordonsville, VA; 540/832-3600; kpfilms.com>
Barex acrylonitrile copolymer thin films reportedly offer oxygen barrier, chemical resistance, flavor and fragrance retention, and excellent sealability. Films allow customers to use one film, rather than several different polymers, to cover the same range of properties. Available in gauges from 1.25-5 mils, films are gamma, E-beam, and EtO sterilizable.
Extruded Thin Films
Argotec, Greenfield, MA; 413/772-2564; argotecinc.com
Company offers films as thin as 0.2 mils for a number of applications. Cast-on carrier capability allows films to be extruded onto a variety of flexible substrates, including PE, paper, and polyester.
Metallized OPP Is Thin and Strong
Toray Plastics (America), North Kingston, RI; 401/294-4511; torayfilms.com
PCF-2 ultra-thin, metallized OPP film is said to provide exceptional moisture and oxygen barrier durability and improved economics over traditional foil. Company says this 45-ga film maintains strong package processing characteristics, and increased footage enables converters to reduce the number of required roll changes, reducing scrap and providing cost savings.
Calculate Thin Film Properties
Thin Film Center, Tucson, AZ; 520/322-6171; thinfilmcenter.com
Company uses the Essential Macleod to provide the complete set of computing tools for optical coatings. Core Module calculates the full range of properties from scratch, investigates errors, extracts optical constants from spectral data, and maintains extensive databases of material properties.
Ink System Suited for Retort Use
Sicpa North America, Brooklyn Pk., MN; 763/525-7600; sicpa.com
Sicpafilm P solvent-based flexo ink system is said to stand up to retort and autoclave packaging lines at temperatures approaching 140 deg C with no ink-related lamination failure. According to company, ink components, including pigments, provide very low extractable levels, and ink provides high bond values on a wide variety of substrates and structures, including all types of PET, OPP, nylon, and some PVDC-coated films.
