Stretch-Oriented PET Film for Heat-Resistant Oven Board

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing polymer-coated oven boards face challenges in achieving sufficient heat resistance and gas barrier properties while avoiding cracking and reducing polymer material thickness, as they require thick PET layers for bonding with PA layers, which are not heat-resistant and prone to cracking.

Innovation Solution

A method involving extrusion lamination of a stretch-oriented PET film with a premade solid film and an adhesive PA layer, where the PA layer acts as a bonding medium, allowing for a thinner PET coating and improved crystallization for enhanced strength and barrier properties, and optionally incorporating PETG for better moldability and sealing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a thick PET coating layer is used to ensure heat resistance and bonding strength, then the heat resistance and bonding are improved, but the polymer material usage increases and the layer becomes prone to cracking at bends and corners

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat resistance and bonding strengthVSAvoidpolymer material usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical state parameter of the PET coating from amorphous (extruded) to crystalline (laminated on pre-stretched film). This crystallization transforms the material properties, enabling thinner layers to achieve the same or better heat resistance and bonding strength without cracking, thus reducing polymer material usage by up to 50%.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The PET film is pre-stretched and crystallized before lamination to the board base. This preliminary action of stretching and crystallizing the film beforehand allows the final coating to be thinner while maintaining structural integrity and heat resistance, avoiding the need for thick amorphous extruded layers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of manufacture

If an amorphous extruded PET coating layer is used, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the gas barrier properties are insufficient and the layer does not crystallize

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing process simplicityVSAvoidgas barrier properties
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The manufacturing process is segmented into two independent stages: (1) production of pre-stretched crystalline PET film, and (2) lamination of this pre-prepared film to the board base with PA adhesive. This segmentation allows the film to be crystallized and optimized for gas barrier properties before application, while keeping the lamination process simple and efficient.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of substance

If the PET coating layer is made thinner to reduce material usage, then polymer material consumption decreases, but the bonding strength and heat resistance may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepolymer material consumptionVSAvoidbonding strength and heat resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a composite structure where a thin crystalline PET film is laminated onto a board base with a PA adhesive layer. The combination of pre-stretched crystalline PET (providing heat resistance and gas barrier) with PA adhesive (providing strong bonding) enables thin coating layers to achieve sufficient bonding strength and heat resistance without compromising performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach reduces polymer material usage by up to 50% and prevents cracking, providing a heat-resistant, gas-tight, and oxygen-impermeable coating suitable for dual-ovenable food packaging with improved mechanical strength and barrier properties.

Implementation Method 1

an adhesive layer comprising polyamide (PA) is extruded between the heat-resisting film and the board base

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesive bonding: Adhesive

Implementation Method 2

Stretching brings about crystallization and thereby increased strength and improved gas barrier properties

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCrystallization: Crystallisation

Data Source

PatentEP3131756B1A method of producing a heat-resistent polymer-coated oven board, an oven board obtainable by the method, a food tray and a food package
Publication Date: 2020.12.16 STORA ENSO OYJ
  • EP3131756B1 patent drawingFigure 1~6

AI summary

The invention covers a method of producing a heat- resistant polymer-coated oven board, the resulting oven board, a food tray and a food package, which comprise such board and withstand heating in a range or microwave oven. According to the invention the coated oven board (1 ) is made by adhering a premade heat-resisting film (4) comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or its derivate, such as glycol-modified PET known as PETG, to a board base (2) by extrusion lamination, in which an adhesive layer (3) comprising polyamide (PA) is extruded between the heat-resisting film and the board base. To improve the strength and barrier properties, the film (4) may be an extruded multilayer film and/or the film may be stretch-orientated to bring about crystallization in PET.