We manufacture different formulations of our Ibeslab© sleeve adhesive for the formation of shrink sleeves depending on the type of plastic film used such as PET, PVC, OPS, PP and PLA. We have references that are suitable for different types of material, being very convenient to unify in one or two types to reduce inventory and machine changeovers.
The adhesive is designed to dry at the speed of automatic sleeve forming equipment produced by leading manufacturers such as DCM, Accraply, Enprom, Karville and others. Our products work well on the different application systems that manufacturers incorporate in their formers such as needle, cannula, roller and others.
The Ibeslab© sleeve adhesive range will depend on the type of plastic, the processing speed and the thickness of the plastic film. As film thicknesses of less than 50 microns are becoming increasingly thinner, we have developed new formulations to prevent the adhesive from penetrating the thin film layer.
The small amount of product to be applied, as well as the width of the seam, may vary depending on the label design and the performance of the converting equipment. For each installation it is advisable to test the adhesive and adjust the evaporation rate if necessary.
Our Sleeve adhesive incorporates a special additive to automatically inspect the correct application of the product.
This additive is invisible to the human eye and works as an optical marker when exposed to a special ultraviolet light. Most of the sleeve forming machines on the market incorporate this system which allows the inspection of the film seam after processing.
The success of the film sealing process depends on variables that the machine operator must control for each type of film used to make the sleeve. Sometimes the type of machine or plastic substrate used can limit the speed of the machine and it may be necessary to use a different type of Ibeslab© sleeve adhesive formulation. For this reason we have products with a different drying speed that allows the sealing to be stable.
The machines allow to regulate the dosage of the product, as well as the speed, but when these variables are not enough to ensure a good bonding, the faster or slower drying speed of the product in some cases can help to obtain a good result.
The degree of evaporation of solvents has been set on a range of 1 to 10, with 1 being slow drying and 10 very fast.
The choice of printing system depends on the print run and productivity: Rotogravure, Flexography, Offset and Digital Printing are the most appropriate systems. The print quality is very high in all four technologies and it is hard to appreciate the differences without a trained eye. UV-curable, solvent or water-based inks can be used.
For high seam strength it is recommended that the film surfaces where the gluing seam is to be made have a “print reservoir” where there is no ink that could interfere with the gluing process. We have formulations that work in situations where there is a primer or inks, but a previous test is recommended in each case.
Another recommendation is that the film is free of additives or compounds used in the extrusion process that may interfere with the proper functioning of the adhesives.
Our “ready to use” formulations ensure a stable mixture, (as long as proper storage and handling advice is respected) allowing our customers to avoid handling and mixing of flammable and hazardous chemical compounds. Our R&D department develops products that are friendly to occupational health and the environment.
Yes, the ibeslab ID055 reference has been tested with the .030 primer, which is very popular in these machines for printing films, and it works properly.
If it is not possible to reduce the dosing quantity, the solution would be to use an adhesive adapted to thin films (less than 45 microns) such as the Ibeslab© ID067 or LP357 sleeve adhesive references developed for PET and PVC.
Yes, because the film manufacturer must control the quality of the recycled material used and the percentage used in the extrusion process.
Yes, we have products that work with different types of material.
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