Did you know that…

• Some pens used to check film treatment, only indicate their presence and not the degree of treatment. Always check the specification to be followed in order to avoid wrong readings. Be aware that some methodologies require the help of a stopwatch for the exact compliance of specific analysis stages. Ethylene-glycol – formamide solutions have to be weekly gauged.
• Process factors, such as speed, temperature, inks and adhesive drying, processing and spooling tensions, directly interfere in the final product quality. Observe equipment set-ups before using the different types of films.
• A poor fixation of inks and varnishes to substrates is related to: poor treatment, poor drying, unbalanced formulation and excessive applications. Before processing, check the best before date of films or ask the responsible person for procurement in your company, making sure they are within the term of validity guaranteed by the manufacturer.
• In order to make successful printings, some types of substrate require a previous treatment, such as primer application (fixation varnish). Check the properties of your substrates with the technical support of your supplier.
• Environmental conditions, such as humidity and temperature shall be monitored since they may modify the film properties. Recommendations: air relative humidity = 65% and storage temperature = 25ºC
• Rolls shall preferably be kept in their original packing or supported on trestles. Never place them directly on the floor.
• The shrink film wrapping shall be kept on the rolls, until the final use of the product, also the use instruction labels shall be kept until the last processing stage.
Keeping the film away from sunlight, rain and possible pollutants, (such as oil, grease, dust, etc.), ensures the preservation of the material characteristics thus providing a successful processing.

Special care required by biorented film processing….

1. During material processing, do not pass your hands over the roll, for a question of personal safety and to avoid weakening of corona treatment
2. Pay attention to the treatment side of the film, stated in the identification label.
3. Lateral impacts shall be avoided in any way due to the extensive propagation of BOPP’s tear.
4. Solvent-based adhesive cure takes on average 48 hours. Laminated material shall not be respooled or cut before this period, since roll displacement impairs lamination force.
5. All the necessary inputs for lamination and printing processes have limited useful life, which has to be observed before film conversion.
6. At ink or varnish drying consider exhaustion, in order to avoid solvent saturation at ovens.
7. All substrates and/or structures have a limit working temperature.
8. Extreme temperatures could make packing deformed or melted.
9. BOPP films are susceptible to development of electrostatic charge, in spite of including antistatic additives in their formulation, so it is most important to have the machine grounded and with antistatic bars.