Example Applications

waterproof packaging

Paper is often preferred over plastic for packaging due to its biodegradability, renewability from sustainable forests, lower carbon footprint, recyclability and reduced litter and wildlife impact. However, to provide the functionality of plastic, paper needs to be treated with a coating that makes it waterproof or greaseproof. This can be difficult to achieve with conventional coaters.

Powerdrop can apply nearly all food-safe barrier coatings and enables paper to replace plastics for most packaging applications.

industrial coatings

Typically, industrial coatings may be applied by roller, spray or curtain coating. Roller methods suffer from a limited range of materials that can be used, coat weight control is a constant challenge, and they are completely unsuitable for delicate substrates. Spray coating can be used for delicate surfaces, but creates problems with overspray, and may necessitate the installation of air extraction systems. It is also incapable of applying patterned coatings. Curtain coaters also cannot pattern, and are relatively expensive and require close attention to control the coat weight.

Powerdrop technology handles all of these issues with ease. While the capital cost is a little higher than a simple roller system, advantages are seen across the board. High quality coatings, including patterned coatings, can be applied with even high viscosity materials such as paints or varnishes. High speed, controllable, reliable coatings are the result.

agricultural chemicals

Crop spraying is currently the only practical method for applying pesticides and fertilisers in the field. Overspray is a huge problem, causing expensive loss of material and potentially environmental hazards. Spraying also tends to be unreliable and is limited in its materials range.

Powerdrop enables very precise amounts of liquid chemicals to be applied as needed at precise locations.

viscous adhesives

Viscous adhesives tend to be applied by techniques such as slot coaters or gravure printing systems. As a contact printing method, gravure is unable to cope with delicate substrates, and can suffer from ‘stringing’, where the applied material fails to let go as the roller moves away, causing poor evenness of coating. Slot coaters are somewhat better in this respect but being a mass coating method, patterned application is not possible.

Powerdrop technology copes with all these issues and the ideal method for applying controlled quantities of the highest viscosity materials.