A water-based primer might be the secret weapon you’ve been hoping for.
As inflation persists, flexible packaging converters continue to look for ways to cut costs without jeopardizing quality. Due to supply chain shortages and disruptions and stringent regulatory requirements, swapping substrates or extrudates may not always be a feasible option. Many manufacturers are looking for ways to streamline and optimize processes as an alternate way to keep costs at bay.
Water-based primers can often be a secret weapon for improving process efficiency for converters using extrusion coating or extrusion lamination processes.
Here’s how:
Primers can help reduce the occurrence of packaging defects
- The use of primers in the extrusion lamination or extrusion coating processes can significantly reduce instances of delamination. The processing conditions used can play an important role in promoting adhesion. Applying primers can be the "insurance policy" needed to achieve the bonds required.
Primers can help you increase output
- The flexible packaging market continues to grow year over year. Many converters want to increase line speeds to keep up with demand and increase profits but increasing line speeds can often negatively impact the level of adhesion in the extrusion process. In general, the faster the line speed, the less effective adhesion is between the packaging layers. However, the use of primers can improve adhesion by allowing the processing line speeds to be increased, thus increasing output significantly.
Primers can help you downgauge materials
- Choosing the right materials is a vital part of designing an effective package, especially for packages that contain products with a limited shelf-life. However, using thicker layers or more layers to achieve barrier or containment properties can be costly. Applying a thin layer of primer can improve certain functional properties, which can help you create a thinner package that is more cost effective and sustainable to ship.
Thinking about incorporating a chemical primer into your process but aren’t sure where to start? Check out our Guide to Selecting Water-Based Extrusion Primers or contact us. We are always standing by to help you with your toughest adhesion challenges.
For more than 50 years, Mica has been a pioneer and leading supplier of water-based primers and coatings that offer adhesion and other properties to the global converting industry. Mica’s innovative products are used in the manufacture of thin-film, lightweight, biodegradable, compostable, reusable, and recyclable structures. All MICA products are backed by customized support provided by an award-winning technical team.
