Extrusion and adhesive lamination

With an array of modern extrusion and adhesive lamination lines, we have the capabilities to produce multilayer packaging films custom-engineered and fine-tuned to meet all of your performance requirements.

By laminating several films together — each with different, specific performance attributes — we’re able to engineer lightweight flexible packaging laminations with barrier, protection, and sealing characteristics on par with much bulkier rigid packaging. We’re also able to provide solutions for downgauging or right-sizing your current flexible packaging.

And with our strict quality processes, rest assured that your flexible packaging laminations will consistently arrive with superior roll profile and machinability.

Adhesive lamination

During the adhesive lamination process, one film material is coated with adhesive and laminated to a second film. The adhesive lamination process can be repeated with multiple layers until the desired film structure is complete, or it can be combined with extrusion lamination to create a hybrid adhesive/extrusion flexible packaging lamination.

Extrusion lamination

Extrusion lamination brings two films together using a layer of molten resin extruded through computer-controlled extruder dies with advanced gauge controls (nuclear gauge monitoring and automatic profile control). The two films and the molten resin form a multilayer flexible packaging lamination.

The extrusion lamination process can be repeated until the final flexible packaging structure is complete, or it can be combined with adhesive lamination to create the final flexible packaging lamination.

The added value of extrusion lamination

Both processes allow us to create custom packaging films to meet specific performance criteria. But extrusion lamination has a distinct advantage when thickness, stiffness, or puncture resistance are key considerations.

This advantage lies in the bulk added by the molten resin. We could, for instance, laminate two webs of 70-gauge film with adhesive, and the finished lamination would be the expected 140 gauge. Or we could extrusion laminate those same 70-gauge films with seven pounds of polyethylene, resulting in a 180-gauge lamination.

If you require greater thickness, the resin used in extrusion lamination is much less expensive than purchasing more — or higher gauge — film. And, of course, we can adjust the thickness of the resin layer depending on your needs.

While many converters have adhesive laminators, fewer converters have extrusion lamination lines due to the higher upfront equipment cost. We’ve invested in several extrusion lamination lines in addition to our adhesive lamination lines because of the value the extrusion lamination process can add to your packaging film.

Benefits of extrusion lamination can include:

• Cost-effectively adding rigidity or thickness
• Enhancing barrier properties (depending on the resin used)
• Greater puncture resistance

We look forward to discussing your next flexible packaging challenge

Sumino Machinery can custom-engineer flexible packaging structures to meet your unique performance requirements — even for challenging applications.