Frankfurt -- LPT 5901, a polyurethane hot-melt adhesive film from Epurex Films, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayer MaterialScience based in Bomlitz, Germany, is already in use in protective clothing. Unlike composite materials produced using thermoplastic films, composites made with latent-reactive film cannot be separated with heat. Epurex Films is presenting the innovative hot-melt adhesive film to the market for the first time at the TechTextil 2011 international trade fair.

LPT 5901 is supplied on a paper substrate. It is impervious to moisture and is not sticky at room temperature. Temperatures starting as low as 70 °C during processing in the laminator or pressing tool are sufficient to bond the film to the textile fabric and initiate a chemical crosslinking reaction. After crosslinking, the composite is extraordinarily thermally robust. "Polyurethane hot-melt adhesive films are therefore also well suited for the permanent application of names or emblems to firefighting suits or similar thermal protective clothing," says Rüdiger Heins of Epurex Films. He is head of a project team on latent-reactive films with participation of experts from Bayer MaterialScience.

Besides LPT 5901 and the established Platilon line of high-performance films, Epurex Films is also presenting another new development at TechTextil - films made with aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane that do not yellow under UV radiation. This is an important property for the production of awnings, life vests and other outdoor fabrics. The films are permanently transparent and make textile fabric waterproof and resistant to abrasion. "These properties also open up numerous opportunities for the films on non-textile substrates, for instance as a coating for wind turbine rotors," says Nicole Hargarter, head of product and application development at Epurex Films. For use on textiles, it is very important that the TPU films can withstand bending and are haptically appealing, meaning that they are pleasantly soft to the touch.

Source: Bayer MaterialScience