The Benefits of Using pet film release liner

PET release liner is coated with silicone release agent, fluorine release agent or plasma treatment on the surface of PET substrate, so that it has extremely light and stable release force for different pressure-sensitive adhesives. There are the following three categories:

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• Release force: light release, medium release, heavy release, the current release force is from 3 g~ g.
• Structure: adhesive release film, composite type, laser film, no glue.
• Applications: isolation, protection, waterproof, light reflective, printing, tape release film.

PET film has good heat resistance, strength and rigidity, and is widely used as a carrier for transfer printing. The applicable industries can be divided into two categories.

PET release liner-> printed pattern -> adhesive coating->heat and pressure transfer to porcelain, glass, metal, plastic, cotton fabric, leather and other materials. It has the advantages of good compatibility, low cost, accurate color registration, and green environmental protection.

Release liner->printing ink->adhesive coating->inner plastic injection->Ink and plastic bonding->The release film will be automatically separated from the ink after the mold is opened. IMR products have a metal texture with light weight, good light transmittance, bright colors and high brightness. It is used in large-volume, high-value-added products, such as mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3, mouse, DVD panels and cosmetic boxes.

PET release film is the carrier film, coat the color layer on the release layer and vacuum aluminize -> coat the aluminized surface with adhesive and composite with other substrates (paper) and dry -> tear off the release film. It can produce cardboard with metallic texture. Its advantages are non-toxic and odorless, and it is suitable for the packaging of high-end cigarettes, food, medicine, alcohol, gifts, daily necessities, cosmetics, etc.

The process of using PET release film must go through evaporation, multiple coating, compounding, and finally peeling. The temperature of the processing process is mostly 120 ° C ~ 150 ° C, and a few moments can reach up to 190 ° C. Therefore, the flatness, cleanliness, and thermal stability of the film are highly required.

Packaging Strategies recently asked Carl Kanner, vice president, Smith Corona, about the reduced availability of paper-based release liners and why some parties are turning to PET release liners as an alternative.

Paper-based release liner consumption in North America is very high, representing around 87% of total release liner consumption. How have recent events affected the supply and demand of this product?

CARL: Going back about a year ago, there was a major strike in Finland at a company called UPM. Unfortunately, due to this strike, which lingered much longer than originally anticipated, this created a major shortage in both Europe and North America for paper-based release liners. And as a result of that strike and the shortage, many producers were forced to look for alternative technologies for liner. One particular technology was pet release liner, and the demand for that product has substantially increased. The percentage of PET liner – as a total percentage of release liners for the label market – has risen from about 13% two years ago to about 18% now. This has had huge implications for the label market.

Have any other events made it more difficult to secure materials for release liners?

CARL: Yes. Unfortunately, there was also another incident in April of in which one of the major release-liner vendors here in North America – a company called Pixelle which happens to have a mill in Androscoggin, Maine – they regrettably had an incident at their paper manufacturing facility where their pulp digester had an explosion. Thankfully, nobody was killed, but it took out the ability of that mill to produce pulp. Effectively, that was a mortal wound for that mill.

Unfortunately, Maine is an extremely difficult place for logistics and also for energy. As you know, paper mills consume an incredible amount of energy, and traditionally that high energy cost would be offset by the production of pulp. That process generates a considerable amount of power that the paper mill would traditionally use. But, with no longer being able to produce their own pulp, they’ve lost that ability to produce energy, and therefore their energy prices have increased substantially, and Maine has a bottleneck in terms of natural gas pipeline capacity. In Everett, Massachusetts, there is an LNG [liquefied natural gas] import terminal, which makes the situation quite bleak for the mill because, with the situation in Ukraine, their natural gas price effectively is being set in Europe now as opposed to North America.

It is no longer economical to produce paper at that mill. In September they made an announcement that they will be closing the mill in Androscoggin, Maine, and that paper mill represents about 25-30% of the North American release paper production. So will be a very challenging year for label makers and for large brand owners that will be consuming a lot of labels – companies like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc. It could be a considerable challenge in the second half of and into .

As a direct result of the paper shortage, we’ve seen a rise in PET release liners as an alternative material. Why is this the material people are moving toward?

CARL: PET is a really wonderful product for labels because it’s extremely strong. It’s extremely uniform. It’s very flat. When you apply silicone to it for making the release liner, it takes to it quite well. It creates a premium release. That is, when you remove the label from the backing material, it comes off really easily.

Furthermore, there happens to be a fair bit of capacity in the marketplace for PET film, and it’s very ubiquitous. I can buy PET from here. I can buy it from South America or Europe, and it performs the same, whereas paper from one mill versus another could really have substantial implications for our manufacturing process as well as this release value for our end customer. In high-speed release applications like bottling, where you need that, it performs far superior to paper. Because it’s stronger and because it doesn’t tear, there are fewer equipment malfunctions.

It’s never easy to get customers to try out or accept new products, especially when what they normally purchase isn’t available. How would you describe the reception of PET among label users who normally wouldn’t buy this material?

CARL: Some of our very large customers – those who can take truckload quantities of labels – take to it quite well and are extremely happy with it.

It’s worth noting that the PET product is fully recyclable. The paper product can be re-pulped as well. However, there are some challenges to that in that the silicone on the paper fiber, for certain manufacturers, when they go to re-pulp it, won’t want the siliconized paper, so there are some issues there. Whereas the plastic product can go right back into the plastic stream and be re-used to make whatever new product. So for some of our customers that are more environmentally sustainable, this is a product they’d much prefer.

As far as challenges to it [PET], it could be an issue in terms of calibrating the printers, or when they go to rewind the spool of labels, it could have some challenges releasing from that rewinding spool.

What are some things we should be keeping an eye on in ?

CARL: Labels, particularly our kind of labels – like warehouse and logistics labels – nobody really cares about this product until you don’t have it. If you don’t have it and you’re an Amazon or some high-speed logistics company, you’re going to shut down your factory if you don’t have labels to address your packages or to barcode them. Given that there’s this potential for huge disruption in this product, they’ll have to adapt to different technologies. One of those will be PET – and maybe polypropylene, which is another perfectly usable film for this application.

I think you’ll also see much more imports coming in. Europe probably has an overcapacity of release liner, or certainly mills that could convert to the production of paper that’s suitable for release liners.

There’s a distinction on a product called glassine, which is another type of paper that’s used for paper release liners. In North America, we use a product called CCK, which is a Clay Coated Kraft, and we also use an SCK, which is Super Calendered Kraft, and they’re really used interchangeably. Glassine historically never came into the North American market because it’s a more processed paper. It’s sold at a premium relative to the SCK and the CCK. But, where we are at this price level today for release liners, I think you’re going to start to see more glassine coming into North America.

I think we’ll start seeing some down-gauging. Traditionally, we use a 2.4mL paper release liner in North America, but I think that will start coming down substantially. In Europe, customers use as low as a 1.6 or 1.7mL, and I think there’s no reason why we couldn’t see that here. So I think the hole will be filled.

They always say the cure for high prices is high prices, and as the price level for paper-based release liners increases, we’ll see new entrants to the market. In that regard, the future is bright.

More information on the growing role of PET release liners can be found here: The Unavoidable Shift From Paper to PET Liner - Barcode Blog (smithcorona.com)

There’s more to your labels than what your customers see. Every label is made up of multiple components that play a specific role. While most consumers will see your label material or decorative elements, there’s one key component that makes sure your labels get to where they need to go: the release liner.

What is a Label Release Liner?

To get to the bottom of a release liner’s meaning and role, it’s important to understand how a label is constructed. These are the four main layers of a label from top to bottom.

As you can see, the release liner serves as the base layer for any roll of pressure sensitive labels. This release liner is a thin sheet with a silicone layer that allows adhesive to release the roll so that it can be applied to another surface. If it weren’t for the release liner, also known as a carrier, your labels would simply stick to each other or something else before you could transport it to the next application.

The Different Types of Release Liners

Like label materials, there are different types of release liners available for use. Each of these carriers have different advantages depending on your applicator and other product factors. While there are a variety of options, there are three types of release liners that are common for product labels.

• PET (polyester)
• Calendered Kraft paper
• Polykraft paper

PET release liners

A PET release liner is made with polyester film to create a carrier that’s extremely smooth. A major advantage of PET release liners is that they don’t break as easily as a paper liner. That strength makes PET release liners a great choice for high-speed applicators.

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Another benefit of PET release liners is that they’re great for wet applications. For example, beer cans are typically soaking wet by the time they reach the labeling line, so that added durability is a major positive for any adverse applicating environments. PET is also thinner than the usual release liner papers. As such, a standard 1.2 mm PET release liner will allow you to get more labels on a roll and take up less space during shipping and storage.

Calendered kraft paper release liners

While film release liners have their advantages, paper carries are still extremely common for labels in multiple industries. Super calendered kraft (SCK) papers are typically bleached white and are commonplace in the U.S. as many applicators are made to accommodate papers.

The reason why businesses commonly turn to SCK release liners extends beyond paper being an old standby for label carriers. A paper being “calendered” means that it’s polished, so an SCK is smoother than regular paper liners. That smoothness and the ability to work with the majority of applicators makes SCK a go-to option for product labels.

Polykraft release liners

A polykraft release liner is essentially a mid-point between PET and paper label carriers. Polykraft is a brown, unbleached paper that’s a little thicker and heavier than standard kraft papers. This extra heft and thickness is because polykraft has a very thin layer of polypropylene married to the paper.

The advantage of Polykraft is that the layer of polypropylene makes the material more stable and sturdy. These qualities help with moisture barriers while still allowing companies to invest in paper liners. As such, Polykraft is typically used in wine labeling and other industries that are used to paper release liners, but still need that added stability to deal with moisture.

How to Identify the Right Label Release Liner

While there are multiple label release liners available, there are a few different factors that can impact which one is best for your needs. To identify the right carrier for your labels, you’ll want to weigh the following considerations.

Your label applicator

The biggest factor in which release liner you should use depends on how you’re going to apply those labels. An applicator reads the gap between labels to know when the applicator should dispense a label. Once the sensor reads a gap, it will dispense a label so that it catches a can, bottle, or any other container. However, the wrong release liner can lead to label application issues.

Simply put, some applicators aren’t made to read clear liners. New applicators are built to accept clear release liners, which means PET carriers shouldn’t pose problems. However, you would need to opt for SCK, Polykraft, or some other opaque release liner if your application process isn’t made to handle clear carriers.

Environmental factors

The applicator isn’t the only potential challenge during the application process. You also need to make sure your release liner works with your applicating conditions.

Different application environments pose certain problems for your release liners. Wet conditions are the biggest issue, especially for paper carriers. If a beer can or some other container is soaking wet, that can cause carriers without enough moisture resistance to tear. As such, you’ll need to invest in a PET release liner or another solution that can hold up to your applicating environment.

Clear labels

Some liner issues are less obvious than others. While the carrier is removed before your labels are applied, it can still have a visual impact on clear labels if you’re not careful.

If you want to use clear labels, its best to use some form of film release liner. The reason for this is that running a clear label on a paper liner can make the label look cloudy. This cloudiness occurs because the label adhesive takes the shape of the carrier. Even a super calendered paper has small fibers that can impact the adhesive. Because of this, it’s best to use a PET release liner that has no imperfections and will enable true clarity.

Invest in the Perfect Labels from Top to Bottom

While they don’t end up on your products, different types of release liners play a pivotal part for your labels. That’s why Blue Label strives to provide the perfect labeling solution for your products. Our experts work with you to uncover any opportunities and potential issues to make sure every layer of your label is perfect for your needs.

Ready to invest in the right labels for your products? Contact us today to talk about your next label project.

We’ve all felt the pain of supply chain disruption, even within the label and packaging industry. Unfortunately, paper is the latest casualty in an already tight market.

Lead times on paper are ballooning. This is partly due to constraints on global mills and an ongoing strike at a major supplier. And these events impact a part of your label that’s easy to forget: the release liner.

Since release liners don’t end up on your products, they often get overlooked. Even though they don’t adhere to your product, they play a pivotal role in label application. And if you’re a long­time user of paper liners, it’s important for you to understand how current events affect your paper supply.

Right now, paper liner lead times stretch through mid-– with no guarantees against further delays. The shortage is unavoidable, and companies that depend on this product can’t afford inaction without risking label inventory, long supply lead times and potential stockouts.

The good news? You’ve got options, and we’re here to help.

Switching from paper liners to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) liners can secure your long-term label supply chain. Compared to paper liners, PET’s current lead time is just a few weeks. PET liners have already been in use for years and offer benefits like increased productivity, long-term cost efficiency and enhancement of sustainability initiatives.

Given the current situation, now may be the best time to consider a change. Below we have outlined the top benefits of PET release liners and how to adopt a change without disrupting your business.

PET’s 3 big benefits: productivity, efficiency and sustainability

When it comes to durability, PET is a clear winner. Its polyester construction is highly durable and can withstand more stress, moisture and heat than paper. In most cases, Resource Label Group uses 1.2-gauge liner– and unlike thinner PET or paper liners, it is less likely to tear, nick or burst under increased tension in high-speed applications. This promotes higher throughput and performance by eliminating unnecessary downtime on bottling and production lines due to web breaks.

In layman’s terms? Depending on your equipment, your operation may be able to run PET up to twice as fast as paper release liners. That means your facility’s overall efficiency goes up. And unlike paper liners, PET liners promote a dust-free environment-highly incumbent in GMP­approved labs for dietary supplements, cosmetics, pharma, and food or beverage products.

Because PET is thinner than most paper liner, you can expect to fit 25-30% more labels on each roll depending on which liner you choose. This results in fewer roll changes and longer, more efficient application runs.

Depending on the size and scale of your operation, PET may be an easy way to support sustainability initiatives your organization may already be considering. With the right partner, PET liners are fully recyclable; because of its density, it’s more durable and easier to recover, and industry partnerships to support PET liner recycling are increasing. Plus, when it’s time to reorder, many lines of PET are made of 30% recycled materials.

How to make your shift from paper to PET painless

Converting from paper to PET doesn’t have to be difficult. As your partner, we can help you plan, evaluate your facility’s readiness, organize your label logistics and ultimately ease the transition.

PET liners do require your label supplier to purchase a new die due to the thinner material in PET. The tolerances and depth of the die must be adjusted to ensure a clean and accurate cut. Ordering new dies is an everyday practice across each of our locations and can be achieved in a matter of days and is cost effective.

In addition, label applicators may require different tensions and sensor settings to run PET, so these must be adjusted according to your manufacturer’s guidelines. When it comes to sensors, you probably won’t need to replace them – unless you’re applying a clear label. If that’s the case, you should consult your manufacturer for help installing ultrasonic sensors.

Partner with a label provider you can trust with this crisis

With wide application ranges, adhesives options and facestock compatibilities, PET is an ideal alternative for future-proofing your labels. Aside from potentially requiring a new die, it requires no other changes for your label regarding graphics or enhanced design elements like stamping, embossing and foiling.

Whether you’re a new or existing customer, Resource Label Group is ready to help you navigate the shift from paper to PET liner. Our expert team will collaborate with you to examine your current processes and develop a clear action plan for ensuring your success.

This includes:

• A one-on-one consultation to evaluate your current supply and necessary next steps
• Guidance regarding your existing applicator set-up

Resource Label Group has already mobilized a response to the global paper shortage, including securing PET liners from key suppliers.

Start the conversation today to ensure your label supply.