DuPont™ Nucrel® ethylene-acid copolymer resins
Grade Selection Guide
CONSIDER NUCREL® FOR YOUR PACKAGING, INDUSTRIAL, AND CONSUMER APPLICATIONS.
DuPont™ Nucrel® is a family of ethylene-acid copolymer resins that provide outstanding, chemically-resistant bonds to metal and other materials. Nucrel® can be extruded, coextruded, or laminated on equipment designed to process polyethylene. DuPont is the only manufacturer of both ethylene-methacrylic acid (EMAA) based copolymers and ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA) based copolymers, creating the broadest product offering to enable a variety of applications.
PACKAGING APPLICATIONSNucrel® is a perfect choice where a strong bond to foil is required during extrusion coating or a strong bond to nylon is required during coextrusion. In addition, these resins offer heat sealability, hot tack strength, and ease of processing. DuPont™ Nucrel® resins are widely used in packaging applications including food and beverage, healthcare and personal care products. Examples of applications include aseptic packaging for liquids, condiment packaging, snack packaging, toothpaste laminates and pharmaceutical sachets.
INDUSTRIAL AND CONSUMER APPLICATIONSNucrel® can also be used in a variety of non-packaging applications, providing benefits similar to those found in packaging. Key industrial/consumer markets include wire and cable, mining, and footwear. Examples of industrial/consumer applications include adhesives for foil in cable jackets, stiffeners for the toe and heel areas in shoes, and adhesives in shock tubes in explosive detonator systems.
PROPERTIES OF NUCREL®
Adhesion• Offers excellent adhesion to foil, paper and other polar substrates, often eliminating the need for a separate primer
Product (Chemical) Resistance• Resists delamination and seal failure even in harsh (acidic) environments • Provides outstanding chemical resistance, which can result in longer shelf life• Offers good grease resistance
Heat Seal and Hot Tack Properties (Note: Higher acid content copolymers are preferred for better heat seal performance.)• Enables low seal initiation temperatures • Offers very good hot tack strength• Offers better sealing through contamination
Flexibility and Improved Processing• Allows for high speed extrusion coating and lamination due to higher melt strength• Can be pigmented, painted, or plated• Can be UV-stabilized for exterior applications• Can be used as a modifier and concentrate carrier• Can be foamed• Can be ground into powder for glass and metal coating applications
DuPont™ Nucrel® ethylene-acid copolymer resins
SPECIALIZED GRADES
DuPont offers specialized grades of Nucrel® resins that are formulated to improve important properties in both processing and product appearance:
• Nucrel® HS (High Stability/High Speed) grades allow for high-speed processing due to improved thermal stability and are capable of running at thinner coating thicknesses.• Nucrel® HC (High Clarity) film grades provide very low haze and high gloss for applications where transparency is important. • Nucrel® AE (Adhesion Enhancer) can be blended at 15-30% into LDPE, providing better metal adhesion or higher line speeds.
ETHYLENE METHACRYLIC ACID (EMAA) BASED COPOLYMERS
Grade Melt Index,
dg/min
Tm (C)
Tf (C)
Vicat (C)
Acid Level and Type
Listed in DMF
Processing Method
Adhesion to Product Resistance
Seal Performance
Other Important Properties
Application Examples
Foil PE
ASTM D1238
ASTM D3418
ASTM D3418
ASTM D1525 %
0403 3 104 92 95 4 MAA BF/Cast N/A High N/A N/A
Tie layer between
polyethylene and Surlyn®,
bacon packaging
0407HS 7.5 110 85 90 4 MAA EC Medium High Low Good
Moist towelettes,
alcohol swabs
0411HS 11 109 87 90 4 MAA Yes EC Medium High Low Good
Moist towelettes,
alcohol swabs
0609HSA 9 104 83 88 6.5 MAA EC Medium High Medium Good Juice
packaging
0903 2.5 101 83 81 9 MAA BF Medium-
High High Medium-High Very Good Heat sealing
to foil
0903HC 2.5 102 84 81 9 MAA BF Medium-
High High Medium-High Very Good
Superior optical
propertiesShampoo
bottles
0908HS 8 100 82 80 9.2 MAA EC Medium-
High High Medium-High Very Good Juice
packaging
0910 10 100 82 81 8.7 MAA Yes EC Medium-
High High Medium-High Very Good
Cup snacks, powdery
foods, medical sachets
0910HS 10 103 84 86 8.7 MAA Yes EC Medium-
High High Medium-High Very Good
More thermally
stable
Applications requiring high melt
stability like coextrusion to aluminum foil
1202HC 1.5 99 77 75 11.5 MAA BF N/A Medium N/A Very Good Heat sealing
Note: BF = Blown Film; DMF = Drug Master File; EC = Extrusion Coating; Tf = T freeze point; Tm = T melt point
Table 1: EMAA-based Nucrel® Grades for Packaging Applications
Grade Melt Index,
dg/min
Tm (C)
Tf (C)
Vicat (C)
Acid Level and Type
Listed in DMF
Processing Method
Adhesion to Product Resistance
Seal Performance
Other Important Properties
Example Applications
Foil PE
ASTM D1238
ASTM D3418
ASTM D3418
ASTM D1525 %
599 450 98 69 65 10 MAA EC/Cast film N/A N/A N/A Very Good Adhesion
to fabricIndustrial grade - fabric stiffening
699 95 94 80 65 11 MAA Compounding N/A N/A N/A N/A Specialty Color
compounding
925 25 92 74 67 15 MAA Various N/A N/A N/A N/A Specialty
Versatile grade for property modifcation
960 60 91 73 62 15 MAA Various N/A N/A N/A N/A Specialty Compounding/
blendingNote: DMF = Drug Master File; Tf = T freeze point; Tm = T melt point
Table 2: EMAA-based Nucrel® Grades for Industrial and Consumer Applications
Grade Melt Index,
dg/min
Tm (C)
Tf (C)
Vicat (C)
Acid Level and Type
Listed in DMF
Processing Method
Adhesion to Product Resistance
Seal Performance
Other Important Properties
Example Applications
Foil PE
ASTM D1238
ASTM D3418
ASTM D3418
ASTM D1525 %
30707 7 102 85 84 7 AA Yes BF/EC High High High Good
Toothpaste tube laminate,
thermal lamination for cable shielding
30907 7 98 83 77 9 AA BF/EC High Medium Very High Very GoodToothpaste
tube laminate, band-aids
31001 1.3 99 80 79 9.5 AA BF N/A Medium N/A Very Good Heat sealing
3990 10 97 78 79 9.5 AA Yes EC High Medium Very High Very Good
Condiment packaging,
snack packaging, tea bags, thermal lamination for cable shielding
AE 11 105 85 79 terpoly-mer EC Low-
Medium High Very Low N/A
Designed for
blending with
LDPE
Extrusion lamination
- snack packaging
Note: BF = Blown Film; DMF = Drug Master File; EC = Extrusion Coating; Tf = T freeze point; Tm = T melt point
ETHYLENE ACRYLIC ACID (EAA) BASED COPOLYMERSTable 3: EAA-based Nucrel® Grades for Packaging Applications
DuPont™ Nucrel® ethylene-acid copolymer resins
FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.NUCREL.DUPONT.COM
The technical data contained herein are guides to the use of DuPont resins. The advice contained herein is based upon tests and information believed to be reliable, but users should not rely upon it absolutely for specific applications because performance properties will vary with processing conditions. It is given and accepted at user’s risk and confirmation of its validity and suitability in particular cases should be obtained independently. The DuPont Company makes no guarantees of results and assumes no obligation or liability in connec-tion with its advice. This publication is not to be taken as a license to operate under, or recommendation to infringe, any patents.
FDA Status: Please be advised that EMAA and EAA are not covered by the same regulation. Ethylene methacrylic acid resins conform to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, paragraph 177.1330, covering their use as a food contact surface subject to the extractives limitations on the finished food contact articles as described in the regulation. Ethylene acrylic acid resins conform to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, paragraph 177.1310, covering their use as a food contact surface subject to the extractive limitations on the finished food contact articles as described in the regulation.
Europe: Nucrel® resins are in compliance with all European food contact regulations and hence can freely be used for the manufacture of material and articles intended to come into contact with food-stuffs subject to the migration and organoleptics limitations given. Nucrel® resins containing additives have to be examined on a case-by-case basis. Please contact your DuPont representative, who can supply to you the necessary regulation statement.
Copyright © 2015 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont, and Nucrel® are registered trademarks or trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. Doc. Reference No. K28908
AmericasDuPont Company, CRP730/4225-8974 Centre RoadWilmington, DE 19805 U.S.A.Telephone +1 302 996 7911Toll-free 800 438 7225
DuPont do Brasil, S.A.Alameda Itapecuru, 50606454-080 Barueri, SP BrasilTelephone +55 11 4166 8000Toll-free 0800 17 1715Fax +55 11 4166 8736
Asia PacificDuPont China Holding Co., Ltd.Bldg. 11, 399 Keyuan RoadZhangjiang Hi-Tech ParkPudong New DistrictShanghai 201203, ChinaTelephone +86 21 3862 2888Fax +86-21-3862 2889
Europe / Middle East / AfricaDuPont de Nemours Int’l. S.A.2, Chemin du Pavillon PO Box 50CH-1218 Le Grand SaconnexGeneva, SwitzerlandTelephone +41 22 717 51 11Fax +41 22 717 55 00
CONTACT US
For additional information about specific grades of DuPont™ Nucrel® ethylene-acid copolymer resins, see Nucrel® product data sheets at www.nucrel.dupont.com or contact us at the phone numbers below.