Unblocking the Antiblock Mystery, 1998 Polymers, Laminations & Coatings Conference Proceedings

Polyolefins are widely used in thin gauge packaging films. The applications of these films are; carryout bags, packaging food, garbage bags etc. Polyethylene is most widely used polymer , and the blown film is the most common process used by the manufacturers of these materials. Cast and extrusion laminated films are also used for these applications. One of the major problems associated with the thin gauge films is attributed to blocking. Blocking is defined as adhesion of two adjacent layers of film.

The polyolefin industry has made great strides in advent of new families of polymers. In the seventies low-density polyethylene, LDPE, was used widely. The eighties saw the introduction of linear low-density polyethylene, LLDPE, and the nineties have seen new class of polymers made by using metallocene catalysts. The processor has been able to run thinner, faster and hotter as each new generation of polymer has made its entry into the market. Each polymer has its own characteristics and provides different challenges to achieve final property. In this paper the types of antiblock agents used for different polymers will be discussed.