GB2073659A - Flexible Film Laminates and Packaging Manufactured Therefrom - Google Patents

Flexible Film Laminates and Packaging Manufactured Therefrom Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2073659A
GB2073659A GB8111413A GB8111413A GB2073659A GB 2073659 A GB2073659 A GB 2073659A GB 8111413 A GB8111413 A GB 8111413A GB 8111413 A GB8111413 A GB 8111413A GB 2073659 A GB2073659 A GB 2073659A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
vinyl acetate
percent
ethylene
partially hydrolyzed
copolymers
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB8111413A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Millennium Petrochemicals Inc
Original Assignee
National Destillers and Chemical Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by National Destillers and Chemical Corp filed Critical National Destillers and Chemical Corp
Publication of GB2073659A publication Critical patent/GB2073659A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32BLAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B15/00Layered products comprising a layer of metal
    • B32B15/04Layered products comprising a layer of metal comprising metal as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material
    • B32B15/08Layered products comprising a layer of metal comprising metal as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material of synthetic resin
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32BLAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B15/00Layered products comprising a layer of metal
    • B32B15/20Layered products comprising a layer of metal comprising aluminium or copper
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32BLAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B27/00Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin
    • B32B27/06Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material
    • B32B27/08Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material of synthetic resin
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32BLAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B27/00Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin
    • B32B27/32Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin comprising polyolefins
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32BLAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B7/00Layered products characterised by the relation between layers; Layered products characterised by the relative orientation of features between layers, or by the relative values of a measurable parameter between layers, i.e. products comprising layers having different physical, chemical or physicochemical properties; Layered products characterised by the interconnection of layers
    • B32B7/04Interconnection of layers
    • B32B7/12Interconnection of layers using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32BLAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B2439/00Containers; Receptacles
    • B32B2439/70Food packaging

Landscapes

  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)
  • Compositions Of Macromolecular Compounds (AREA)
  • Adhesives Or Adhesive Processes (AREA)

Abstract

A flexible laminate especially adapted for use in food packaging such as in the construction of a retortable pouch comprising at least two adjacent films each of respective different material each selected from aluminum and thermoplastic polymers other than partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and interposed therebetween as a bonding agent for said films a partially hydrolyzed ethylene- vinyl acetate copolymer obtained from the hydrolysis of from about 50 percent to about 85 percent of the vinyl acetate groups of an ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer containing from about 40 percent to about 85 percent by weight of interpolymerized vinyl acetate.

Description

SPECIFICATION Flexible Film Laminates and Packaging Manufactured Therefrom This invention relates to flexible film laminates and packagaging and, in particular, retortable pouches for food manufactured therefrom.
Metals and plastics coated with partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers are well known. U.S. Patent No. 2,490,550 describes the use of partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as a heat sealing composition for use on flexible sheet materials such as paper, metal foil, regenerated cellulose film, cellulose acetate, ethyl cellulose and other transparent films. U.S. Patent No.
3,382,092 describes metallic plate protectively coated with a hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. According to U.S. Patent No. 3,549,727, both the vinyl ester content of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer and the degree to which the copolymer is hydrolyzed influence the lap-shear and peel properties of the hydrolyzed resin. The hydrolyzed resins described therein are said to be useful for bonding polymeric films, metal foils, leather, cellulosic surfaces, etc. U.S. Patent No. 3,562,234 teaches the use of partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as a heat-sealing material for textiles, as an adhesive for bonding paper, wood and plastics, and as a coating for articles, in particular, of metal. U.S.Patent No. 3,585,177 discloses the use of partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer as a barrier coating applied to such substrates as paper, corrugated board, laminated paper products, polymer films and related materials. Similarly, in accordance with U.S. Patent No.3,595,740 partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is applied as a barrier coating to a base thermoplastic resin such as polyolefin; polyester, polyamide, and the like, employing as a bonding agent an ethylene polymer or copolymer.
In contrast to the coated metals and plastics referred to supra, none of which interposes a partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate between two films, or foils, of different materials such as, for example, aluminum and polyester, aluminum and polyolefin, and polyester and polyolefin, the flexible laminate of the present invention comprises at least two adjacent films of respective different materials each selected from aluminum and thermoplastic polymers (other than a partially hydrolyzed ethylenevinyl acetate copolymers) having interposed therebetween as a bonding agent for said films a partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer obtained from the hydrolysis of from about 50 percent to about 85 percent of the vinyl acetate groups of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing from about 40 percent to about 85 percent by weight of interpolymerized vinyl acetate.
The latter laminates, especially those possessing an aluminum film component, in exploiting the superior bond strengths of partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate resin of the aforesaid type for mutually bonding dissimilar materials, make it possible to utilize the particular properties of different types of materials to.good advantage, especially for food and beverage packaging applications.
Retortable pouches which permit foods to be stored without refrigeration have been recently introduced into the marketplace (viz., Peters, J. W., "Retail Debut of Retort Pouch Earns Consumer Acceptance", Food Product Development, March 1975; Gerrish, S. L., "Retortable Pouches Get their Chance Here", Modern Packaging, February 1975; "FDA Evaluating Morton Chemical Adhesive; Approval of Retortable Pouch Nears", Food Engineering, February 1976; "Alternate pouch zips by FDA, USDA, as food firms eye its potential", Food Engineering, July 1977; and, "Food Packaging and Labeling", Food 8 Nutrition Press Newsletter,, August 1 977).
In a common type of construction, the retortable pouch is fabricated with a three-ply laminate of polyester film as the outer layer, aluminum foil as an intermediate component and a stable inert thermoplastic resin such as polybutene or polyethylene as the inner layer employing a thermosetting polyurethane or epoxy adhesive to bond the layers.Food inserted in the pouch and sealed therein is sterilized by retorting by much the same procedure used for canned foods, e.g., from about 10 minutes to about 30 minutes or more at temperature on the order of from about 250 to about 2700 F. Under these conditions, it has been observed that adhesives currently used to bond the individual laminate components have a tendency to migrate through the inner thermoplastic resin layer and into the food contained in the pouch giving rise to doubts regarding the safety of these packaging devices.However, since partially hydrolyzed ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers are non-toxic and have been cleared for use in food packaging, and indeed have been so used for several years, and minor amounts of the copolymers which may migrate into the interior of the pouches of this invention are no cause for concern.
The laminates herein possess at least two adjacent layers of different materials one of which can be aluminum and the other or which can be a thermoplastic polymer, or both adjacent layers can be thermoplastic polymers of dissimilar kinds. The thickness of each layer can vary over fairly wide limits, with thicknesses of from 0.1 mils to about 10 mils or greater being entirely suitable.Among the thermoplastic resins which can be used are olefin homopolymers and copolymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polybutadiene, ethylene-propylene copolymer; ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers, especially ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; ionomer resins; polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate; polyamides (nylons); polycarbonates; copolymers or ethylene and acrylate esters such as methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate; polyvinyl halides, especially polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl fluoride and polytetrafluoroethylene; polysulfones; polyphenylene oxide; thermo-plastic polyurethanes; and, copolymers and blends of the foregoing.
The partially saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers which are useful herein are obtained from the hydrolysis of from about 50 percent to about 85 percent, and preferably from about 60 percent to about 75 percent, of the vinyl acetate groups of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing from about 40 percent to about 85 percent by weight, and preferably from about 50 percent to about 75 percent by weight of interpolymerized vinyl acetate. Any of the methods of hydrolyzing ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer heretofore known can be used in the preparation of the partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer bonding agents herein.Usually, the hydrolysis of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is accomplished by the process of alcoholysis or transesterification in an alcoholic medium in the presence of an acid or basic catalyst Hydrolysis can be accomplished in solution, in the swollen solid phase or by saponification.
The laminates herein can be produced in various known and conventional ways with coextrusion of the thermo-plastic layers and the adhesive and melt extrusion of a thermoplastic layer and adhesive upon aluminum being particularly convenient.
By way of demonstrating the superior bond strength provided by the partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer bonding agents herein for various substrates, comparison was made betweeh the bond strengths of several fully hydrolyzed copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate and the bond strengths of various partially hydrolyzed copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate applied to identical substrate specimens.The results were as follows:
T-Peel Bond Strength Bond Strength (pounds per linear inch of width) Substrate Original Weight Substantially Partially Percent oflnter- Fully Hydrolyzed Hydrolyzed polymerized Vinyl Copolymer Copolymer Acetate (12-13 weight per cent residual interpoly merized vinyl acetate) Aluminum 26 0.6 30 1.4 11.8 40 2.6 18.8 50 7.8 23.9 Polyamide 28 ~ 0.76 40 0.37 2.6 50 1.2 9.2 60 0.15 13.3 Polyester 28 - 0.75 40 0.6 2.7 50 0.9 10.5 60 < 0.3 13.2 As the above data show, a very substantial increase in bond strength is observed with partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer prepared from a copolymer of at least 40 weight percent interpolymerized vinyl acetate content.

Claims (7)

Claims
1. A flexible laminate which comprises at least two adjacent films each of respective different materials each selected from aluminum and thermoplastic polymers other than partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and interposed therebetween as a bonding agent for said films a partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer obtained from the hydrolysis of from about 50 percent to about 85 percent of the vinyl acetate groups of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing from about 40 percent to about 85 percent by weight of interpolymerized vinyl acetate.
2. A laminate according to claim 1 in which an aluminum film is bonded on at least one side of a thermoplastic polymer film by such bonding agent.
3. A laminate according to claim 2 wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyolefin.
4. A laminate according to claim 1, 2 or 3 in which two different thermoplastic polymer films are mutually bonded by such bonding agent.
5. A laminate according to any of claims 1 to 4 in which the or each thermoplastic polymer is selected from olefin homopolymers and copolymers, ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers, ionomer resins, polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonates, ethylene acrylate ester copolymers, polyvinyl halides, polysulfones, polyphenylene oxides, and thermoplastic polyurethanes.
6. A laminate according ta any of claims 1 to 5 in which the partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl ester is obtained from the hydrolysis of from about 60 percent to about 75 percent of the vinyl acetate groups of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing from about 50 percent to about 75 percent by weight of interpolymeriged vinyl acetate.
7. A retortable pouch fabricated with a flexible film according to any of claims 1 to 6.
GB8111413A 1980-04-15 1981-04-10 Flexible Film Laminates and Packaging Manufactured Therefrom Withdrawn GB2073659A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US14051080A 1980-04-15 1980-04-15

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2073659A true GB2073659A (en) 1981-10-21

Family

ID=22491565

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8111413A Withdrawn GB2073659A (en) 1980-04-15 1981-04-10 Flexible Film Laminates and Packaging Manufactured Therefrom

Country Status (12)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS56161154A (en)
BE (1) BE888418A (en)
BR (1) BR8102209A (en)
DE (1) DE3114183A1 (en)
DK (1) DK168781A (en)
FI (1) FI811177L (en)
FR (1) FR2480180A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2073659A (en)
IT (1) IT1137341B (en)
LU (1) LU83295A1 (en)
NL (1) NL8101810A (en)
NO (1) NO811292L (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7997654B2 (en) 2001-08-09 2011-08-16 Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited Seating system and a passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3410717A1 (en) * 1984-03-23 1985-10-03 Liquid Containers BV, Aalten Bag for receiving liquids
JPS62159627U (en) * 1986-03-31 1987-10-09
US5746956A (en) * 1996-11-01 1998-05-05 National Science Council Process and apparatus for manufacturing aluminum laminally filled plastic pellets for shielding electromagnetic interference

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2490550A (en) * 1947-08-13 1949-12-06 Du Pont Moistureproof heat sealing composition
FR1532985A (en) * 1966-07-29 1968-07-12 Bayer Ag Preparation of granules with determined particle size from saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers
NL159681B (en) * 1967-03-13 1979-03-15 Air Prod & Chem METHOD OF ASSOCIATING AN ARTICLE WITH A SUBSTRATE USING AN ADHESIVE CONSISTING OF AN AQUICAL EMULSION CONTAINING VINYL ACETATE ETHENE COPOLYMER.
US3616191A (en) * 1967-11-29 1971-10-26 Morton Int Inc Low temperature extrusion primer
US3923757A (en) * 1971-12-23 1975-12-02 Monsanto Res Corp Transparent adhesive
JPS5141157B2 (en) * 1972-08-08 1976-11-08

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7997654B2 (en) 2001-08-09 2011-08-16 Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited Seating system and a passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle
US8313059B2 (en) 2001-08-09 2012-11-20 Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited Seating system and a passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle
US8720821B2 (en) 2001-08-09 2014-05-13 Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited Seating system and passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle
US9403597B2 (en) 2001-08-09 2016-08-02 Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited Seating system and a passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BR8102209A (en) 1981-11-24
IT1137341B (en) 1986-09-10
JPS56161154A (en) 1981-12-11
LU83295A1 (en) 1981-12-01
FI811177L (en) 1981-10-16
FR2480180A1 (en) 1981-10-16
DE3114183A1 (en) 1982-03-25
BE888418A (en) 1981-10-14
DK168781A (en) 1981-10-16
NL8101810A (en) 1981-11-02
NO811292L (en) 1981-10-16
IT8121119A0 (en) 1981-04-13

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WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)