Uteco-SunChemical webinar on December 2nd
In this particular moment, being it not possible to take part at exhibitions, Uteco has organized the first of a series of Webinars which will focus on the presentation of the latest developments in various fields. The first Webinar will be held on December 2nd on the new coater/laminator Dualam.
The Webinar will take place at the Uteco technological center ConverDrome, located at our company Headquarters, and will be broadcasted through Youtube in two different sessions, the first one at 9.00 a.m., and the second one at 5.00 p.m. It will be possible to ask real time questions to the speakers during the presentation. The participation will be confirmed after signing up at the following link:
https://www.uteco.com/eng/webinar/dualam-lamination-solvent-free-sun-ch…
The Dualam system is an innovative, eco-friendly laminating solution that performs as well as solvent-based adhesive technology, while being voc free.
The system, which includes a laminating machine of the same name, developed by a special Team coordinated by Luigi Bertagna” historical” founder Member of Uteco and Chief of the Special Machines Division will be showcased during the last quarter of 2020 at Uteco’s Plant in Verona, Italy.
The machine is composed of two coating groups, one is a solventless unit for coating the NC0 component a second unit is the semiflexo unit with a closed chamber doctor blade for coating the OH component and one laminating unit.
The solventless unit is also equipped with an automatic washing system for cleaning all the rollers, using special spray nozzles integrated into the machine. This washing system uses a total green, non-flammable and non-toxic detergent, able to remove any trace of adhesive after the lamination process. The quantity of detergent is about 3 liters. This operation requires about 3 minutes and guarantee the rollers’ cleaning. The automatic cleaning system ensures the operator safety. The unit is completed by a fume suction box positioned above coating cylinders for elimination of the harmful emission, it is connected by an efficient suction fan.
The semiflexo unit with a closed chamber doctor blade consists of three cylinders of which:
- a motorized adhesive coating gravure roller with our patented system “Thermilox” sleeve, which has the advantage of keeping at the pre-set temperature, the coating adhesive constant during the entire production process, the temperature is controlled by a independent thermoregulation.
- a motorized pressure rubber sleeve roller with independent pneumatic pressure system
- a steel counterpressure cylinder which has the function of keeping the tension of the film controlled and constant.
- a special heated closed chamber doctor blade with independent thermoregulation
- a heated tank, with an independent thermoregulation unit, complete with gear pump controlled by inverter motor.
The new coating technology developed with the semi-flexo unit enables the homogeneous application of minimal amounts of adhesive over the whole material surface.
We would like to summarize main features of the Dualam adhesives, we can refer to:
Ø Long pot life and Super fast bond development that means high initial cohesive strength and short curing. The reaction between components begins immediately after the lamination Nip and continues further allowing the laminate to be slit after 2-3 hours and full processed after 24 hours.
Ø Rapid decay of primary aromatic amines.
Ø Very long pot life of the adhesive since the two components get mixed only during the lamination process. Ø Reduced coating weight of adhesive applied (1.6-1.8 g / m2) even on high print coverage Easy cleaning of the machine at the end of the work
Ø High lamination flexibility (triplex after 2-3 hours) Ø High wettability of the adhesive system immediately off press which makes it similar to a solvent based system. Ø Constant coat weight in line monitoring for quality control and wastage reduction.
Dualam is equipped with a new infrared technology developed by Synaptik in order to check the quantities and the uniform application of adhesive on the entire surface of the material. The system records the grams per square meter of coated adhesive, so as to control the entire lamination process.
“Sustainability has always been a key emphasis for our company, as demonstrated by our significant reuse of energy as well as our ongoing efforts to improve plant efficiency, which includes the adoption of the Industrial Internet of Things system. Our R&D development team works every day to develop printing and converting machines, focusing on packaging production that have the lowest polluting impact and use a high level of compostable and / or recyclable materials. Thanks to this consolidated technological partnership, the DUALAM machine meets emerging market needs for production efficiency, cost reduction, and, of course, sustainability”, commented Aldo Peretti, Group President and CEO Shareholder,Uteco Converting.
The DUALAM system will be available across Europe, Latin America and the North America Region through the sales networks of Uteco, Sun Chemical and Synaptik from Q1 2021.