At the recent Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) 2012 spring convention, Bostik experts discussed the increasing use and availability of new olefin catalyst technologies, which have resulted in a widening variety of olefin-based hygiene adhesives. According to Christophe Morel-Fourrier, global technical marketing manager in the Global Nonwovens Division of Bostik, innovative formulation remains key to harnessing the benefits the new grades offer.
 
“Olefin-based adhesives are not a new concept,” explains Morel-Fourrier. “They’re widely used in absorbent hygiene products. However, historically, these products had limitations in terms of performance and process friendliness.”

The evolution in catalyst technology brought an increase in polyolefin offerings, with more on-purpose grades proposed for adhesive formulation. Still, according to Morel-Fourrier, these adhesives have had limitations in terms of performance, aging, durability and process friendliness.
 
“At Bostik, we know it is absolutely possible to achieve both outstanding performance and excellent processability with these newer catalyst technologies,” says Benjamin Funk, senior applied technology chemist in the Global Nonwovens Division of Bostik. During the education session, he told attendees that “formulation and application know-how is essential to successfully implementing the new olefin-based adhesives in the market…an area where Bostik is way ahead of our competitors.”
 
Bostik already offers the industry’s premier olefin-based adhesive, Relyance. Morel-Fourrier and Funk indicated that an expansion of the Relyance platform would be announced in the near future.