Dow introduces solvent-free silicone release coating designed to minimize misting and improve production
Midland, MI – Dow announced the introduction of solvent-free SYL-OFF™ SL 184 Coating, an energy-efficient alternative that minimizes misting at very high product label production line speeds. A fast-curing silicone that exhibits low release force at both low and high peel speeds, SYL-OFF™ SL 184 Coating maintains overall performance on most existing label coating equipment, including multi-roll lines.
“Release liner producers are investing in high-speed label coating production lines to increase production rates, lower costs, and meet increased demand for reliable product labels,” said Nathalie Gerard, Global Segment Leader for Dow Consumer Solutions. “SYL-OFF™ SL 184 Coating significantly minimizes the misting that occurs in high-speed lines without any performance tradeoffs.”
Mist is an aerosol or ‘fog’ made of silicone droplets that form at the rolls coating head in high-speed release liner operations to form adhesive labels. This causes runnability issues in the curing oven, which leads to more frequent downtimes and higher maintenance costs.
The new coating is solvent-free and more energy efficient because less energy per square meter is required to produce the same quantity of release liners when production lines are running at higher speeds. SYL-OFF™ SL 184 Coating has been designed to comply with FDA and BfR XV food contact regulations, making it suitable for food labeling applications.
During the AWA Global Release Liner Conference and Exhibition on November 17th in Chicago, Lori Dehlin, TS&D Scientist, Dow Performance Silicones, Pressure Sensitive Industries will present the benefits of SYL-OFF™ SL 184 Coating and how it performs in high-speed conditions.
“The bottom line is that new Dow silicone technology makes it possible for release liner producers to move to more profitable high-speed product label operations without compromising performance, cost or sustainability,” said Gerard. “Dow is committed to new innovations that help customers succeed.”