PS&ChE Coating & Laminating in Packaging Applications

Starts:  Jun 8, 2023 08:00 (CT)
Ends:  Jun 9, 2023 16:00 (CT)

Coating and Lamination in Packaging Applications

This course is designed for those working in paper converting, coating, printing and flexible packaging.

The content will be particularly beneficial to engineers, technicians, chemists, scientists, sales representatives, and customer service representatives. Representatives of companies that supply adhesives, inks, silicones, papers, plastic films and aluminum foils will also find this curriculum very useful.

Participants will spend the morning in lecture and the afternoon in a hands-on lab experience on state-of-the-art equipment. Lunch and morning refreshments will be included on both days.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand coating and lamination fundamentals and their applications
  • Recognize the various types of coaters and laminators and their applications
  • Understand workflow and unit operations
  • Recognize the raw materials and their properties, and learn their influences on the final products
  • Understand test basics
  • Apply the knowledge in operation and quality control

Course Topics

  • Multiple layer strategies
  • Raw materials: paper, plastic, bio-based and petrol-based plastic film, aluminum, adhesive
  • Substrates surface properties and modification
  • Liquid coating formulation and rheology
  • Adhesion science
  • Facilities: coater and laminator, unit operations, surface treatment
  • Defects identification and troubleshooting
  • Test and evaluation

Course Outline

Materials and Properties

  • Package type
  • Monolayer and multilayer packaging materials
  • Function of each layer, such as strength layer, ink carrier layers, barrier layers, sealant layers, adhesive layers
  • Surface properties, contact angle, lab test method, surface tension, surface modification
  • Corona treatment (air or non-air), flame treatment
  • Adhesion theory including electrostatic forces and wettability diffusion, mechanical interlock, acid-base attractions, covalent bonding
  • Adhesive materials, polyurethanes, acrylics, EVA, LDPE
  • Liquid coating formulation (components and their function, formula) and rheology

Coating and Lamination Methods

  • Process for multilayer packaging materials including extrusion, coating and lamination; coextrusion will be mentioned
  • Extrusion: extruder, die for cast film and blown film
  • Roll liquid coating: mechanism of extrusion coating, liquid coating
  • Vacuum deposition
  • Lamination: method, dry and wet laminating

Unit Operation

  • Winding and unwinding, sheet-fed and web-fed
  • Extruder part
  • Liquid coating schematics, roll (gravure/flexo) coating, Mayer bar, air knife, curtain coating
  • Drying
  • Curing, heating, cooling
  • Slitting

Defects and Troubleshooting

  • Test viscosity, thickness, coating weight, odor test
  • Adhesive bond test, delamination, tensile, green tack (right after lamination test), curing test curve, peelable bond test vs destruct test
  • Un-laminated, delamination, decal, air/gas bubble
  • Screening (gravure pattern), tunneling (cross-direction wrinkle)
  • Low bond, wrinkle in lamination, curl, pleating, starring
  • Soft edge vs hard edge
  • Telescope roll

Hands-On Trial

  • Multiple coating
  • Lamination
  • Surface treatment
  • Test on-site practice ​

What Previous Participants Said

"Overall, this is a good introduction of lamination and coating for people in the papermaking industry working on converting/packaging. I am a research scientist in product development. My background is chemical engineering and paper making. I found this course useful and helpful for my project and helps to generate new ideas in product development."

— L. Xiao, Georgia-Pacific

"Dr. Roland Gong comprehensively covered the materials and processes of packaging coatings and laminations. This was done in a successful manner which has appropriately increased my value to my customers and my knowledge of their operation and end use needs."

— K. Helein, Daikin-America