Adhesive packaging

Abstract

A method for packaging hot melt adhesive, in particular sticky hot melt adhesive or substances that are tacky at ambient temperature as a material to be packaged in a plastic film, comprising the steps: (a) fusing the material to be packaged; (b) metering the fused material onto a cooling belt in portions and cooling the material to below its fusion point; (c) removing the material portions from the cooling belt, and (d) packaging the material portions in the plastic film, the cooling belt having a textile carrier with threads which form heat conducting threads with which heat from the one flat side of the cooling belt can be transferred to the opposite side, and the carrier being embedded into a polymer matrix such that the heat conducting threads are covered as far as possible, at least on the side coming into contact with the material to be packaged.

1 . A method for packaging hot melt adhesive, in particular sticky hot melt adhesive or substances that are tacky at ambient temperature as a material to be packaged in a plastic film, comprising the steps:
 (a) fusing the material to be packaged;   (b) metering the fused material onto a cooling belt in portions and cooling the material to below its fusion point so as to form material portions;   (c) removing the material portions from the cooling belt, and   (d) packaging the material portions in the plastic film,   
       the cooling belt having a textile carrier with threads at least part of which form heat conducting threads with which heat from the one flat side of the cooling belt can be transferred to the opposite side, and the carrier being embedded into a polymer matrix such that the heat conducting threads are covered as far as possible, at least on the side coming into contact with the material to be packaged. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the heat conducting threads of the cooling belt are made at least partially of metals or metal alloys which are selected in particular from carbon, iron, steel, copper, aluminium, silver, brass, bronze and the like. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the textile carrier comprises a fabric in plain weave in which the heat conducting threads at least partially form warp threads. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the textile carrier has weft threads or cross threads made of a material selected from coated and/or non-coated polymer, carbon and/or metal fibres, multifilaments or monofilaments. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the polymer matrix is selected from elastic polyacrylate, silicone and fluoro- and/or fluorosilicone elastomers. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that at least sections of the cooling belt are cooled on one or both sides by means of a cooling device, preferably at least on the side which lies opposite the side coming into contact with the material to be packaged. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the material to be packaged is sticky at ambient temperature, in particular at 10° C. or even at 0° C., and the material portions are preferably removed from the cooling belt in the sticky state and packaged in the plastic film. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the material to be packaged is a hot melt adhesive that contains a polymer component which is selected from polyolefins, in particular polyethylene, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, polyamides, polyesters and polyester elastomers, polyurethanes and/or styrene copolymers or block copolymers or mixtures of the latter. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the hot melt adhesive contains auxiliary materials selected from anti-foaming agents, wetting agents, colorants, stabilisers, softening agents, preservatives and/or resins providing stickiness, in particular colophony resins. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the plastic film is suitable for fusing synchronously with the hot melt adhesive and/or the plastic film has a fusion temperature of 25 to 100° C., in particular 30 to 70° C., preferably 35 to 65° C. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the plastic film contains polymers selected from polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, polyamides, polybutadiene, polyesters, polycarbonates, atactic poly-alpha-olefins, thermoplastic polyacrylamides, polyacrylonitriles, polymethylpentenes, polyphenylene sulfides, aromatic polyurethanes, polystyrene acrylonitriles, polyethylene terephthalates and co- and terpolymers of the latter, in particular ethylene vinyl acetate. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the plastic film comprises at least 5% by weight ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, for example more than 10% by weight, preferably more than 25% by weight, particularly 35% by weight or more. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the plastic film is provided as bags or a film tube and/or the plastic film has a thickness of 5 to 200 μm, in particular of 10 to 100 μm. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the plastic film is sealed after packaging the material portions and, if so desired, the air is removed as far as possible while at the same time shaking. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the plastic film and/or the material portions have no surface treatment with anti-adhesive substances, such as with silicone oils, tensides or the like. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 2 , characterised in that the textile carrier comprises a fabric in plain weave in which the heat conducting threads at least partially form warp threads. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 2 , characterised in that the textile carrier has weft threads or cross threads made of a material selected from coated and/or non-coated polymer, carbon and/or metal fibres, multifilaments or monofilaments. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 3 , characterised in that the textile carrier has weft threads or cross threads made of a material selected from coated and/or non-coated polymer, carbon and/or metal fibres, multifilaments or monofilaments. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 2 , characterised in that the polymer matrix is selected from elastic polyacrylate, silicone and fluoro- and/or fluorosilicone elastomers. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 3 , characterised in that the polymer matrix is selected from elastic polyacrylate, silicone and fluoro- and/or fluorosilicone elastomers.