Hot Melt CoPolyester Resins and Adhesives
What are Copolyester Resins and Adhesives?
Based on copolyester polymers, they are one of the largest classes of synthetic resins. These polymers enable adhesives as well as their resins to be developed that offer different yet specific physical properties and performance characteristics depending on their composition and architecture.
Bostik’s Hotmelt Copolyester Adhesives
Our range falls into two categories: Hotmelt Copolyester adhesives (also called polyester adhesives) and VITEL resins.
Bostik’s Hotmelt Copolyester adhesives are 100% non-volatile, thermoplastic adhesives that are solid at room temperature, liquefy upon heating and re-solidify with cooling. They can withstand high temperatures and have excellent chemical resistance to plasticizer migration and water. Since Bostik designs and manufactures our own copolyester polymers, we are able to supply hotmelt copolyester adhesives in a variety forms for every type of application process.
Bostik's VITEL Copolyester Resins
VITEL is the trade name for Bostik copolyester resins. Bostik’s VITEL saturated, linear high-molecular weight copolyester resins are used as laminating adhesives, primers, heat seal coatings and ink binders. VITEL resins are extremely versatile, offering a good balance of properties when blended or used alone. Our expertise in standard and unique copolyester monomers enables us to customize many specialty copolyesters. VITEL resins can be amorphous or semi-crystalline:
- Amorphous resins have similar transparency and high solubility in standard solvents as MEK and ethyl acetate but lower heat activation.
- Semi-crystalline resins have limited solubility, geared toward extrusion, higher heat and chemical resistance, gas barriers, and increased toughness.
VITEL resins are also designed to meet the food safety trends in food packaging, as they are regulatory compliant with direct and indirect food contact (FDA). Always confirm specific application, intended use and product fit with your supplier.
Key Copolyester Adhesives and Resins Benefits
Bostik’s Hotmelt Copolyesters offer a range of benefits, including:
- A range of viscosities and open times to improve ease of use
- Multi-substrate adhesion (such as to fabric, foam, leather and PVC) and high tensile strength to increase manufacturing flexibility
- Mono-material format to enhance recyclability
- Fast set speeds to streamline operational efficiencies
- Low VOC emissions to improve workers’ safety
VITEL resins are a high-performance product range of thermoplastic, high molecular weight, linear saturated copolyesters. They can be used for extrusion, coating and lamination or as modifying resins and offer the following benefits:
- Good adhesion to a variety of substrates (such as Copolyester, PE, PP, Vinyl, aluminum, copper and paper…) to increase design options
- High chemical resistance and high electrical resistivity to improve durability
- High pigment binding capabilities to provide stable inks with good printability
- Low Tg systems provide low temperature flexibility for refrigerated and frozen applications and low sealing temperature ( fast packaging throughput)
- Mono-material format to enhance recyclability and sustainability
- Grease barriers to block oil
- Transparency to enable clear packaging
CoPolyester Adhesives and Resins Applications
Bostik offers adhesives featuring chemical resistances and flexibility to meet different application requirements under a wide range of temperature. Easy to process and with good adhesion to polar substrates, hotmelt Copolyester adhesive are used in:
- Textile: Technical Textile Solutions; Footwear Adhesives
- Assembly: Carpet Backing Adhesives; Foam & Mattress Adhesives; Filter Adhesive
- Transportation: Automotive Interior Adhesives
VITEL are Bostik’s saturated copolyester resins suitable for flexible Food & Medical packaging, can coatings, metallized paper packaging. They can also be used as raw material or additives in many flexible packaging applications (such as foil primer, pre-print primer, printing ink, overprint varnish, foil coatings, heat-seal lacquers, interlayer…). In different flexible packaging formulations, VITEL resins can improve properties like printability, adhesion (interlayer), flexibility and hardness.
- Heat seal Adhesive for ovenable lidding film: VITEL heat seal resins on the ovenable lidding film when heat sealed to dual ovenable CPET food trays allow the tray to be placed in a microwave or conventional oven and at the same time, withstand low refrigeration and/or freezing temperatures.
- Anti-Fog Heat Seal Coatings on lidding film: VITEL heat seal resins designed with antifog functionality brings added benefit to lidding films. Lidding films can be heat sealed to APET and r-PET trays and used for packaging fresh soft fruit, cut fruits and salads, raw poultry and fish food trays, all requiring anti-fog functionality.
- Can Coating
Our CoPolyesters Adhesives and Resins Innovations
While Bostik’s copolyesters improve processes and end-use products across a variety of industrial applications, certain innovations in particular help address key trends in the food packaging market.
The trends of the packaging and assembly market are mono material and recyclable. Bostik innovates with its customers to meet these new requirements and provide copolyester adhesive solutions, which are recyclable.
How our solvent based Heat seal lacquer for food packaging stands out?
- Compatibility with sustainable, recyclable tray materials, like polyethylene terephthalate (APET, CPET, RPET)
- Direct application to flexible PET films, paper and metal foil substrates to enhance versatility and to increase design options
- Exceptional clarity and peelable performance with balanced, smooth and secure seal strengths for consumer convenience
- Good chemical and grease barriers but also improve barrier to water vapor to substrates exhibiting poor resistance to humidity
- Antifog functionality to improve aesthetics of packaged food
Bostik VITEL 1200B.F copolyester can be used in multi-layer film applications with Bostik resealable M-Resin technology by dual system. They are 100% solid, pressure sensitive adhesives packaged in a protected, pelletized form that can be extruded on most standard blown and cast extrusion lines and can contribute to reduced weight.
Frequently Asked Questions about Industrial Hot Melt Copolyester Resins and Adhesives
In what form can Bostik Copolyester adhesives be used?
We not only produce special hotmelt copolyester, but also can convert them into powders, granules, film or webs for hotmelt copolyester and convert them into solvent based products for VITEL. The copolyester adhesive are designed to be easily processed with good adhesion in the application assembly, textile, automotive and packaging market.
What is Bostik's Copolyester adhesives position on sustainability in packaging?
Copolyester adhesive leads to a number of advantages in mono component packaging such as good adhesion and chemical resistance, which makes the entire packaging recyclable. VITEL resins are used as a sealing layer and comply with Recyclability Guidelines for Thermoformed PET Trays, therefore, approved for their use in processes and products to be certified under ECOSENSE and RETRAY schemes supported by the Plastic Sense Foundation.
What is Bostik's safety position in can coating application?
Bostik provides high molecular weight copolyester solutions without Bisphenols A, which can cause health concern raised by the scientific community since 2008. Our BPA-free VITEL resin comply with food contact to ensure food safety.