PHILADELPHIA, Apr 21, 2008 Specialty materials company Rohm and Haas announced today that an innovative new narrow-web flexible packaging film laminating system scheduled for display at Drupa 2008 exclusively uses Rohm and Haas water-based Robond(TM) L acrylic adhesive. "This unique system produces laminations for customers who have very short lead times, and most adhesives we tested take too long to cure," says Johan Schur, president of Scanflex, which helped develop the system. "Robond L demonstrated optimal bond strength and short cure time in an environmentally advanced aqueous formulation. It's the only adhesive this system uses."

A partnership comprising Hewlett Packard, AB Graphics International and Scanflex developed the Digilam 330 film laminating system, available for purchase from AB Graphics. It rapidly produces short runs of narrow, extremely high quality, digitally printed flexible packaging laminations. Unlike typical equipment that laminates films a meter across at speeds topping 250 meters per minute, the Digilam system handles web widths from 200 to 350 mm wide at 60 meters per minute. Structures produced on the machinery, which employs HP Indigo digital printing inks, typically package relatively small lots of novelty food and confectionary items for corporate giveaways, marketing tools and the like.

The equipment offers converters an ideal entree into the rapidly developing, higher-margin packaging market for personalized advertising emblazoned with intense, highly-delineated graphics. "As big laminating jobs are increasingly under price pressure, label converters are realizing that specialized niche markets in flexible packaging carry tremendous opportunities for higher returns," says Christian Touzin, Rohm and Haas account manager for Flexible Packaging, Benelux. "We're thrilled to help label converters stay on top of their game through the Robond L adhesive technology."

Robond L adhesive adheres tightly to the wide variety of substrates the Digilam equipment processes, including OPP, PE and metallized films. The high sheer strength of Robond L gives key productivity advantages like immediate slitting that streamlines the laminating process, lowers inventory and reduces delivery time to customers. The two-component acrylic adhesive has no solvents, eliminating the expense and energy used to recover or incinerate them while also protecting air quality through lower VOCs. Additionally, Robond L adhesive tackles solvent retention concerns as well as preventing primary aromatic amine (PAA) formation.

Rohm and Haas is committed to innovation, and this new flexible packaging film laminating system is just another way the company is making the impossible possible.

Drupa 2008 will be held in Dusseldorf from May 29 to June 11 as a world stage for game-changing flexible packaging technologies. Rohm and Haas will be located in Hall 11 at booth D76 with their Robond L Series of adhesives, along with many other products.