Machine direction oriented polymeric films and methods of making the same

• US RE46,911 E1
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Henderson, Kevin O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kugel, Timothy J.
• Application Number:
  US14/950,596
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 428516
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/32 comprising polyolefins comprising vinyl (co)polymers or acrylic (co)polymers B32B27/30
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2323/10 Homopolymers or copolymers of propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/18 Manufacture of films or sheets
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0815 Copolymers of ethene with aliphatic 1-olefins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/10 Homopolymers or copolymers of propene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/12 Polypropene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/142 at least partially crystalline copolymers of propene with other olefins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/16 Elastomeric ethene-propene or ethene-propene-diene copolymers, e.g. EPR and EPDM rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/06 Homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated hydrocarbons; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 2203/334 as a label
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 2423/006 in the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 7/241 Polyolefin, e.g.rubber
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 7/29 Laminated material metallised plastics C09J7/22
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/901 Printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249953 Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/28 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and having an adhesive outermost layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2848 Three or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31913 Monoolefin polymer

Abstract

This invention relates to a film comprising a machine direction oriented polymeric film prepared from (A) at least one propylene homopolymer or copolymer or lend of two or more thereof, wherein (A) has a melt flow rate from about 6 to about 30 and (B) an olefin elastomer having a melt flow rate of 0.5 to 10. In one embodiment, the film also contains a nucleating agent. In one embodiment, these films are clear. The films have good stiffness and clarity with low haze. These films are useful in preparing labels and may be used as a monolayer film or in a multilayer film. In one embodiment, the films are printable. Die-cut labels are also described which comprise a composite comprising the extruded, machine-direction oriented polypropylene copolymer films of the present invention in combination with an adhesive associated with said copolymer films for adhering said label to a substrate. Multilayer composites also are described which comprise as label facestock material comprising an extruded oriented multilayer film of the present invention, an adhesive layer associated with said facestock material, and a release-coated liner or carrier. Combinations of the labels of the present invention joined with layer of adhesive to a substrate such as glass bottles also are described.

Claims

1. An adhesive containing labelstock for use in adhesive labels which comprises

(A) a machine direction oriented polymeric film having an upper surface and a lower surface, comprising (A-1) at least one propylene homopolymer, copolymer or blend of two or more thereof wherein (A-1) has a melt flow rate, according to ASTM D1238 (230°

C./2.16 kg), of from about 8 to about 40 g/10 min., and (A-2) at least one olefin elastomer, wherein the film is oriented in the machine direction only at a stretch ratio of about 4;

1 to 9;

1 and the film has a tensile modulus in the cross direction that is less than about 0.75 times the tensile modulus in the machine direction and

(B) an adhesive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the upper surface of the adhesive layer is adhesively joined to the lower surface of the film (A).

2. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer is a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer.

3. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-1) has a melt flow rate of from about 8 to about 32.

4. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-1) is a propylene homopolymer.

5. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-1) is a propylene copolymer prepared from propylene and an olefin having 2 or 4 to about 12 carbon atoms.

6. The labelstock of claim 5 wherein the propylene copolymer is a copolymer of propylene and one or more of ethylene, butylene, hexene, heptene, octene, nonene or decene.

7. The film labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-1) is a propylene ethylene copolymer or propylene butylene copolymer.

8. The film labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-2) is an ethylene homopolymer or copolymer, propylene homopolymer or copolymer, or mixtures of two or more thereof.

9. The film labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-2) is a an ethylene-butene copolymer, ethylene-octene copolymer, ethylene-hexene copolymer, ethylene-hexene-butene terpolymer, or mixtures of two or more thereof.

10. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-1) or (A-2) contains a nucleating agent.

11. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-1) is prepared using a metallocene catalyst.

12. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein (A-2) is prepared using a metallocene catalyst.

13. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer is a heat-activated adhesive layer or a hot-melt adhesive layer.

14. An in-mold label die-cut from the labelstock of claim 13.

17. A pressure-sensitive adhesive label die-cut from the labelstock of claim 2.

38. The labelstock of claim 1 wherein the olefin elastomer has a density of about 0.82 to about 0.91 g/cc.

15. An adhesive containing labelstock for use in adhesive labels which comprises

(A) a base layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, said base layer comprising a polyethylene having a density of above about 0.940 g/cm³, a propylene homopolymer or copolymer, or a mixture of two or more thereof,

(B) a first skin layer comprising (B-1) at least one propylene homopolymer, propylene copolymer or a blend of two or more thereof wherein (B-1) has a melt flow rate of from about 8 to about 40 g/10 min, and (B-2) at least one olefin elastomer, wherein said first skin layer overlies the upper surface of the base layer,

(C) a second skin layer having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the upper surface of the second skin layer underlies the lower surface of the base layer, wherein the second skin layer comprises (C-1) at least one propylene homopolymer, propylene copolymer or a blend of two or more thereof wherein (C-1) has a melt flow rate of from about 8 to about 40 g/10 min, and (C-2) at least one olefin elastomer, provided the compositions of the skin layers are different from the composition of the base layer, and

(D) an adhesive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the upper surface of the adhesive layer is adhesively joined to the lower surface of the second skin layer.

16. The labelstock of claim 15 wherein the adhesive layer is a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer.

18. A pressure-sensitive adhesive label die-cut from the labelstock of claim 16.

19. The labelstock of claim 15 wherein the base layer (A) comprises a propylene homopolymer or copolymer, or a mixture of two or more thereof, the base layer (A) has a melt flow rate of at least 4 g/10 min, and layers (A), (B) and (C) are oriented in the machine direction.

20. The labelstock of claim 19 wherein the layers are oriented by stretching in the machine direction at a stretch ratio of about 2:

1 to about 9;

1.

21. The labelstock of claim 15 wherein the adhesive layer is a heat-activated adhesive layer or a hot-melt adhesive layer.

22. An in-mold label die-cut from the labelstock of claim 21.

23. An adhesive containing labelstock for use in adhesive labels which comprises:

(A) a machine direction oriented multilayer film comprising;

(A-1) a base layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, and comprising a propylene homopolymer, a propylene copolymer, or mixtures of two or more thereof,

(A-2) a first skin layer comprising (A-2a) at least one propylene homopolymer, copolymer or blend of two or more thereof wherein (A-2a) has a melt flow rate, according to ASTM D1238 (230°

C./2.16 kg), of from about 8 to about 40 g/10 min and (A-2b) at least one olefin elastomer wherein said skin layer overlies the upper surface of the base layer, provided the composition of the first skin layer is different from the composition of the base layer, and

(B) an adhesive layer having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the upper surface of the adhesive layer is adhesively joined to the lower surface of the base layer.

24. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the base layer comprises a propylene homopolymer.

25. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the base layer comprises a propylene copolymer.

26. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the base layer or first skin layer, or both, also contain a nucleating agent.

27. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the olefin elastomer (A-2b) is an ethylene homopolymer or copolymer, propylene homopolymer or copolymer, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

28. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the olefin elastomer (A-2b) is an ethylene copolymer.

29. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the olefin elastomer (A-2b) is an ethylene-butene copolymer, ethylene-hexene copolymer, ethylene-hexene-butene terpolymer, ethylene-octene copolymer or a mixture of two or more thereof.

30. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the elastomer (A-2b) is prepared using a metallocene catalyst.

31. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the multilayer film (A) is oriented in the machine direction only.

32. The labelstock of claim 31 23 wherein the multilayer film is oriented by stretching in the machine direction at a stretch ratio of about 2:

1 to about 9;

1.

33. The labelstock of claim 23 wherein the multilayer film (A) comprises a second skin layer having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the upper surface of the second skin layer underlies the lower surface of the base layer, and the upper surface of the adhesive layer (B) is adhesively joined to the lower surface of the second skin layer.

34. The labelstock of claim 33 wherein the composition of the second skin layer is different from the composition of the first skin layer.

35. The labelstock of claim 33 wherein the adhesive layer is a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer.

36. The labelstock of claim 33 wherein the adhesive layer is a heat-activated adhesive layer or a hot-melt adhesive layer.

37. The labelstock of claim 33 wherein the film is oriented in the machine direction.