The latest addition to Hercules’ portfolio of specialist products for the Tissue Industry, is the range of ProSoft® Lotionising Technology. These products are applied to the surface of the tissue during the rewinding or converting operations, they are designed to increase surface softness as well as impart skin transfer and conditioning properties to the final tissue product.
Nick Ince
The major advantage of this technology to the tissue producer, is found in the value it can add to the final packaged tissue product.
The sale price of a lotionised facial tissue is typically 50%-70% higher than for an untreated tissue, but the treatment cost itself will only add 15%-25% to the production cost of the tissue.
Therefore, there is significant added value for the tissue producer and with the new range of ProSoft® Lotions, Hercules is ideally positioned to capture part of this value.
ProSoft® Lotionising Technology is a range of 100% active, solvent-free products designed for surface application onto the tissue. They can be applied by conventional methods, such as rotogravure printing or a roll coater.
Additionally, Hercules has specifically designed a new low-cost application system based on air atomised technology that allows simple cost effective application. Trial rigs are available for machine evaluations.
Custom-made products add further properties to the tissue such as skin conditioning and treating; fragrances and plant extracts such as Aloe Vera and Camomile for product association, which will all add marketing advantages and further value to tissue products.
This technology, available to those working in the converting industry, offers Hercules the opportunity of widening existing activity.
Tests carried out in several mills have registered positive results. Presently, tissue producers are looking to add value to their products and maximise their profitability. This represents a valid opportunity to introduce value-adding solutions to the production process. •
The key properties for this technology are:
- Surface hand-feel improvement
- Reduction in surface coefficient of friction
- Reduction in surface roughness
- Skin transfer
- No penetration into the sheet
- No odour transferred into the sheet
- No issues with ply-bonding
- Individual sheets should not bond together
We have run initial trials at a number of selected mills and have met all these requirements with the following results:
- Surface coefficient of friction reduced by up to 35%
- Surface smoothness increased by up to 20%
- Excellent skin transfer and skin characteristics
- No issues with odour
- Product stays on surface of the sheet where it will give the maximum benefits
- Good ply-bonding
- No problems with individual sheet separation
- Potential for significant value gains for the customer