The worldwide use of flexible packaging converted materials has continued to grow over the last decade. This review concentrates on the adhesives and coatings, and the converting technologies, which enable these materials to be used in increasingly diverse and demanding applications. This publication is therefore essential reading for individuals in the flexible packaging, adhesive and coating supplier industries.

The review is divided into three main sections and starts with a look at flexible packaging adhesives, initially focusing on the two types of dry bond adhesives. When discussing solvent-borne adhesives, the author compares both one-component isocyanate-based moisture curing adhesives and two-component polyol- and isocyanate-based adhesives, whereas water-borne adhesives are described in the context of polyurethane dispersions. An assessment of the properties of first, second, third and fourth generation solventless adhesives for flexible packaging laminating applications is made. The features and promising potential applications of energy curable adhesives (based on ultraviolet and electron beam irradiation) are evaluated, and the section is completed with an overview of the properties of both wet bond adhesives and cohesives.

The second section is devoted to flexible packaging coatings, starting with the performance properties and health and safety issues associated with heat seal coatings and printing inks. A segment on overprint and release coatings outlines their broad range of applications, while a piece on barrier coatings describes their role in food and pharmaceutical packaging. This is followed by a summary of the applications and technologies of primers. Information on speciality coatings (both anti-fog and anti-static coatings) completes the second section.

The final section concentrates on flexible packaging processes, initially noting the two types of lamination: adhesive and extrusion. The author fully describes the properties of each component in the dry bond, solventless, and wet bond laminating processes, with an emphasis on the role of the direct gravure method and overhead drying ovens. The key factors in successful extrusion lamination are noted and a comparison of the features of the various laminating processes tabulated. Solution, emulsion and dispersion coating, as well as extrusion coating are briefly summarised. The two types of printing used in flexible packaging, gravure and flexographic, are noted and their characteristics compared. The equipment used in form, fill and seal operations is given prominence, as are the applications of heat sealing and cold sealing operations.

Tom Rolando is the Technical Director of the Flexible Packaging Adhesives and Coatings Division at the H.B. Fuller Company in St. Paul, MN, USA. He has published articles on laminating adhesives in various trade journals and has filed several patent synopses on water-borne urethanes and crosslinkers for flexible packaging laminating adhesives. He is also the author of Solvent-free Adhesives (Rapra Review Report, number 101, 1998).

This review is accompanied by an indexed section containing over three hundred and fifty references and abstracts from the Polymer Library. These will provide the reader with a valuable reference source for further information relating to flexible packaging.