Straw application

Closures and straws must be easy to remove as well as reliable. And just like beverage cartons, they are available in a very wide variety. Consumers are therefore provided with a broad range of different flip and screw caps, as well as different designs of drinking straws to suit every taste. Adhesives play an important role in facilitating an appealing exterior appearance and easy handling of the packaging, cap, and straw. Due to the special challenges in the manufacturing process, they have to meet high requirements. The bonding operations of caps as well as straws are characterised by constantly increasing line speeds and a rising variety of different materials. Therefore, the adhesives have to ensure a high initial strengths as well as a good adhesion to different substrates with low application amounts. High resistances of the adhesive to ambient conditions like heat, low temperatures, and water are also necessary to ensure optimum and permanent adhesion after hot filling and subsequent cooling processes. Another requirement of paramount importance: compliance with food contact regulations.

Due to the multitude of straw designs and different surfaces of the foil wrap, the requirements for the adhesives used in this application are high. In addition, the adhesives have to be transparent, facilitating a clean application to ensure a fl awless appearance of the beverage carton. They also have to provide a secure and permanent bond that can resist high mechanical stress in downline packaging processes as well as during transport and handling by the consumer.