In heavy-duty shipping sack and cross-border mailer conversion, ATTANE NG 4701G is inserted as the sealing ply because the octene-1 comonomer distribution lowers seal plateau onset relative to butene-LLDPE grades. The resin is specified with a nominal density of 0.908 g/cm³ per ASTM D792 and a melt index of 0.8 g/10 min per ASTM D1238 at 190°C/2.16 kg. For a three-layer sack film, the starting formulation is: outer skin 35 wt% LDPE, core 40 wt% butene-LLDPE, and sealing layer 25 wt% ATTANE NG 4701G; alternatively, the sealant web can be run at 80 wt% ATTANE NG 4701G plus 20 wt% LDPE for reduced stiffness. The sealant layer is dosed with 1.5–2.0 wt% of a 50% synthetic silica antiblock masterbatch and 0.8–1.2 wt% of a 5% erucamide slip masterbatch. Erucamide active content above 1.5 wt% is not recommended because bloom can lower seal interlayer adhesion. Extrusion is performed on a grooved-feed blown film line with a 250 mm die, a barrier screw with L/D 25:1, die gap 1.8–2.2 mm, blow-up ratio 1.8–2.3, and melt temperature 195–220°C. Output is normally limited by bubble stability rather than screw recovery. With internal bubble cooling, the 12–15 µm sealant layer is maintained inside a 70–100 µm total gauge. If silo storage exceeds 60% RH, hopper drying at 40°C for 2 h prevents feed-throat bridging, though pre-drying is not normally required. Food-contact compliance relies on FDA 21 CFR § 177.1520 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011; industrial sacks additionally require a REACH declaration and 94/62/EC heavy-metal limits. Terminal products are 25 kg petrochemical sacks and 50 kg resin bags with folded side gussets.

When Seal Initiation Temperature Drops Below 95°C, Vertical Form-Fill-Seal Lines Gain Headroom

Because the sealant layer of a vertical FFS pouch must generate load-bearing melt strength while product dust and fats contaminate the seal interface, standard butene-LLDPE often forces a wider hot-tack window and lower packaging speed. In ATTANE NG 4701G trials on a three-layer coextrusion line with a 300 mm die and internal bubble cooling, the sealant web is set at 12–20 µm within a total film of 55–70 µm. The structure is: outer layer 20 wt% HDPE/LDPE blend, core 60 wt% LDPE, and sealant layer 20 wt% ATTANE NG 4701G. Some converters run the sealant layer at 100% ATTANE NG 4701G with 1.0–1.5 wt% antiblock masterbatch and 0.8–1.2 wt% slip masterbatch. Die gap is set at 1.6–2.0 mm, blow-up ratio at 2.0–2.4, and frost line at 1.5–2.5 die diameters. Melt temperature is held at 185–210°C to limit oxidation of octene branches. Hot tack is measured per ASTM F1921 on 25 mm wide specimens at 85–120°C seal bar temperature, 0.275 MPa seal pressure, and 0.5 s dwell. Seal strength is measured per ASTM F88 after 24 h conditioning. For food-contact packaging, the film is covered by FDA 21 CFR § 177.1520 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011; the converter must confirm overall migration under EN 1186 for the intended food simulant. The terminal articles are 250 g dry-snack pillow pouches and 500 g coffee valve bags produced at 110–140 packs/min. Published seal-initiation curves for this exact multilayer structure are limited, so line qualification should verify a minimum seal strength of 4 N/15 mm at 120°C.

Because the double-bubble process separates quench and orientation, collation shrink film made from ATTANE NG 4701G exhibits low shrink force at 110–120°C and resists edge fusion in hot-air shrink tunnels. The starting formula is 65 wt% ATTANE NG 4701G, 20 wt% LDPE, and 15 wt% hexene-LLDPE; the LDPE raises bubble stability and the hexene-LLDPE contributes dart impact. The first bubble is extruded at 190–210°C with die gap 1.8–2.2 mm, blow-up ratio 1.5–2.0, and water quench at 12°C. The second bubble is reheated to 100–115°C and oriented at 3.0–4.5:1 in machine direction and 3.5–5.0:1 in transverse direction. Shrinkage is measured per ASTM D2732 after 10 s immersion in 110°C water. Commercial targets are commonly 15–25% shrinkage in both machine and transverse directions. Compliance follows FDA 21 CFR § 177.1520 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 where the film is used around packaged foods; for bottle bundles the film is food-related but not direct food contact. The terminal article is a 6-pack bundle of 1.5 L PET bottles with open ends and a printed shrink sleeve.

What Limits the Use of Standard LLDPE in Frozen Food Film Sealant Layers?

Frozen food pillow pouches for IQF vegetables and seafood are folded at −25°C to −18°C, and standard butene-LLDPE sealant webs often crack along fold lines because of higher brittle temperature and less effective tie-chain formation. ATTANE NG 4701G is evaluated in a 70 wt% blend with 30 wt% metallocene hexene-LLDPE for the seal layer; the outer layer is 25 wt% LDPE-HDPE blend and the core is 45 wt% LDPE. The film is blown at a die gap of 2.0 mm, blow-up ratio 2.2–2.6, melt temperature 190–205°C, and sealant layer thickness 15–20 µm in a 70 µm web. Low-temperature dart impact is run per ASTM D1709 Method A after 48 h conditioning at −18°C. Puncture resistance is measured per ASTM D5748 at 2.5 mm/s. Heat-seal performance is checked per ASTM F88 at 95–120°C and 0.275 MPa. Food-contact compliance requires FDA 21 CFR § 177.1520 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011; the converter must also verify organoleptic neutrality with EN 1230 sensory testing. The terminal article is a 750 g IQF vegetable pouch with side gussets and a back fin seal.

On pallet-hood lines running at 120–180 cycles/h, a stretch hood film must survive 15–20% elongation over sharp pallet corners while maintaining cling without transfer to the load surface. ATTANE NG 4701G is blended at 85 wt% with 10 wt% hexene-LLDPE and 5 wt% of a 10% polyisobutylene cling concentrate. The low crystallinity of the VLDPE contributes surface tack, while the concentrate adjusts unwind roll noise. Cast film extrusion is operated with a 700 mm die, die gap 0.8 mm, air gap 150 mm, chill roll at 15°C, and line speed 200–250 m/min. Total gauge is 80–120 µm. Puncture resistance is tested per ASTM D5748, tensile properties per ISO 527-3 at 500 mm/min, and cling per ASTM D4649 if required. The film is not intended for direct food contact; industrial compliance follows REACH and 94/62/EC. The terminal product is a stretch hood for 1.0–1.5 t pallets of glass bottles or bagged resins.

Extrusion Coating and Lamination for Liquid Packaging Inner Seal

In bag-in-box and stand-up pouch lamination, ATTANE NG 4701G can be extrusion coated as the inner seal layer onto 9 µm aluminum foil or 12 µm PET at 10–15 g/m². The coating compound is 90 wt% ATTANE NG 4701G plus 10 wt% LDPE to reduce neck-in and improve draw down. A monolayer extrusion coating head with a 1200 mm die, die gap 0.5 mm, air gap 150 mm, melt temperature 270–285°C, and line speed 120–180 m/min is used. The low seal-initiation threshold of the VLDPE permits fin-seal operation at 105–120°C, reducing heat load on the lamination. Seal strength is tested per ASTM F88 at 110°C; pinhole detection is performed per ASTM D3078 vacuum leak method. Food-contact compliance is based on FDA 21 CFR § 177.1520 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, with total migration testing under EN 1186. The terminal article is a 3–10 L bag-in-box liner for liquid food concentrates. Published data for this exact coating configuration is limited; converters should pre-run a 200 m trial before full commercial order.