Collation shrink films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10287074-B2
Application number	US-201314395093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2013
Priority date	Apr 18, 2012
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A process for collation shrink wrapping an object that may include a number of individual product containers, preferably substantially identical product containers. The process may include the steps of (i) obtaining a collation shrink film that may include a multimodal linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), the film being a stretched film that is uniaxially oriented in the machine direction (MD) in a draw ratio of at least 1:3, (ii) wrapping the object in the film, and (iii) heating the object wrapped in the film in order to collation shrink the film around the object.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process for collation shrink wrapping an object which comprises a plurality of individual product containers, preferably substantially identical product containers, comprising:
(i) obtaining a collation shrink film comprising a multimodal linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), said film being a stretched film which is uniaxially oriented in the machine direction (MD) in a draw ratio of at least 1:3;
(ii) wrapping said object in said film; and
(iii) heating said object wrapped in the film in order to collation shrink said film around said object.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
(i) obtaining a collation shrink film comprising a multimodal linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), said film being a stretched film which is uniaxially oriented in the machine direction (MD) in a draw ratio of at least 1:3 on a spool;
(ii) dispensing film from said spool and cutting the film into an appropriate length to wrap around said object;
(iii) wrapping said object in said film; and
(iv) heating said object wrapped in the film in order to collation shrink said film around said object.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 , whereas said collation shrink film has a thickness of 15 to 40 microns.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the object wrapped in the film is heated to a temperature of 170° C. or less.

5. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said multimodal polyethylene is formed from a lower molecular weight homopolymer and a higher molecular weight copolymer or a lower molecular weight copolymer and a different higher molecular weight copolymer.

6. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said collation shrink film is free of HDPE and LDPE.

7. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said collation shrink film comprises a unimodal LLDPE.

8. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the collation shrink film is a monolayer film.

9. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said collation shrink film comprises a multilayer film having at least two layers A and B.

10. A process as claimed in claim 9 wherein layer (A) comprising a unimodal LLDPE and a multimodal LLDPE.

11. A process as claimed in claim 9 , wherein layer (B) comprises a multimodal LLDPE.

12. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said collation shrink film is free of LDPE.

13. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said collation shrink film comprises a multilayer film having at least three layers ABC.

14. An object which comprises a plurality of individual product containers collation shrink wrapped by a collation shrink film comprising a multimodal linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), said film being a stretched film which is uniaxially oriented in the machine direction (MD) in a draw ratio of at least 1:3.

15. A collation shrink film comprising a multimodal linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), said film being a stretched film which is uniaxially oriented in the machine direction (MD) in a draw ratio of at least 1:3 and which shrinks by at least 50% in the machine direction at a temperature of 170° C. or less and preferably has a thickness of 50 microns or less.

Assignees

• Borealis Ag

Inventors

• Niedersuess Peter
• Aarnio-Winterhof Minna
• Cavacas Paulo

Classifications

• C08L23/0815

  with aliphatic 1-olefins containing one carbon-to-carbon double bond · CPC title

• B65B11/00

  Wrapping, e.g. partially or wholly enclosing, articles or quantities of material, in strips, sheets or blanks, of flexible material (bundling articles by applying narrow strips or bands of flexible material B65B13/00) · CPC title

• B65B21/245 Primary

  in flexible wrappers, e.g. foils (B65B21/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08J2323/06

  Polyethene · CPC title

• C08J5/18

  Manufacture of films or sheets · CPC title