Solving Food Packaging Problems Using High Strength Linear Low Density Polyethylenes and Extra Low Density Polyethylenes, 1998 Polymers, Laminations & Coatings Conference Proceedings

The food packaging market includes many rapidly developing, increasingly demanding tihn applications. Important characteristics for food packaging are heat seal and hot tack properties, puncture resistance, and low temperature properties. Each type of polyethylene has unique strengths and weaknesses that contribute to the overall property balance and define specific markets in which the polyethylene can effectively compete. As consumer demands increase, food packaging suppliers search for polymers or combinations of polymers that will economically provide the best combination of properties. Two new families of polymers, when used alone, in blends, or in co-extruded structures, provide alternatives to vinyl acetate copolymers, conventional metallocene (single-site) and linear low density polyethylenes. These new polymers combine low seal initiation temperatures, broad hot tack windows, and overall toughness to meet the challenging demand of today’s packaging applications.