Airflex EF9100 Emulsion Offers Packaging Formulators A Fresh Alternative To Environmental And Cost-Sensitive Market Challenges
Lehigh Valley, PA - The task is to keep oil, grease and water from penetrating paperboard packages to help maintain product freshness, showcase a clean aesthetic appearance, and to do so in an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective manner. If that is the packaging formulator's challenge, then Airflex EF9100 emulsion is the formulation solution. Airflex EF9100 emulsion is one product in Air Products Polymer, L.P.'s family of barrier coatings being introduced to the worldwide packaging market for use as a coating for grease-resistant paper applications.
Barrier coatings are coatings or finishes that are applied to a surface to prevent penetration of liquids or gases from one side of the surface to the other. A barrier coating can serve two purposes: it can either serve to protect or shield the encased material from substances which will alter the material's properties; or it can prevent components of the encased material from migrating through and altering the graphics printed on the outside of the surface or packaging.
"This product keeps unwanted elements out of your end-use product," said Marna Schmidt, market development manager for Air Products Polymers. "Airflex EF9100 emulsion films are both hydrophobic and oleophobic, making them uniquely suitable for barrier coating applications. The properties of this product keep water from intruding, grease from getting through your printed packaging, or oil from creating stains. This is important when you are talking about packaging for a wide range of products that are handled daily by consumers."
Air Products' emulsions for use in barrier coatings are readily available and can be used in food contact applications. The website, www.airproducts.com/FDAletters, links to product status for direct and indirect food contact. Airflex EF9100 emulsion features include the prevention of wetting and wicking of oils, and the ability to be applied on a paper machine and to ordinary paper with no extra refining required. It can be formulated and applied by most common coating application methods.
Airflex EF9100 emulsion film is breathable and allows moisture vapor to escape from the package. The waterborne product is also resistant to solvents such as turpentine and various alcohols used in the printing process. Airflex EF9100 emulsion is an environmentally-friendly technology with low VOC content and low formaldehyde levels. "Airflex EF9100 emulsion film is repulpable, meaning that these cellulose fibers can be recycled and reused. This repulpability also makes it an attractive alternative to wax and polyethylene in applications like frozen food packaging, aseptic packaging and produce containers, which are not repulpable," said Ron Jones, lead applications chemist for Air Products Polymers.
Air Products recently introduced a "Barrier Products Learning Center" web site at www.airproducts.com/barriers to assist customers in learning more about the company's family of barrier product offerings. This information includes electronic brochures and listings of the family of barrier product offerings and capabilities, environmental information, video and other presentations about the products, news releases, technical papers, and a frequently asked questions feature. The site also includes links to other Air Products chemicals and customer information web pages, and customer contact information.
SOURCE: Air Products