Aqueous Packaging Adhesive & Synthetic Polymer Dispersion Defoaming

In waterborne packaging adhesive compounding and high-speed roller application, air entrainment causes severe mechanical failures:

The Problem of Microfoam in High-Speed Adhesive Coating

On high-speed automated paper bag making, carton folding, and paper tube winding machines running at 300 units per minute, adhesive applicator wheels rotate rapidly through open glue pans. Surfactants in PVA and acrylic polymer emulsions whip air into the glue, creating fine micro-bubbles. When applied to paperboard, bubbles pop under pressure, leaving unglued dry micro-voids (glue skips) that cause boxes to pop open during shipping.

De-aeration Dynamics of Defoamer M37 in PVA and VAE

Defoamer M37 is formulated with refined mineral oil carriers and hydrophobic silica particles tailored for high-solids (45% to 60%) polymer emulsions. Dosed at 0.1% to 0.3% w/w during compounding:

• Accelerated Bubble Coalescence: It forces tiny micro-bubbles (<50 microns) to coalesce rapidly into larger bubbles that rise to the surface and pop instantly.
• Viscosity and Wetting Retention: Unlike silicone fluids, Defoamer M37 does not lower adhesive surface energy excessively, preserving tenaciously high wet tack and substrate wetting on kraftliner paperboard.

Polymer Emulsion Polymerisation Reactor Safety

In emulsion polymerisation kettles synthesizing acrylic or vinyl acetate polymers, monomer boiling and refluxing under nitrogen can cause uncontrolled foaming that fouls condenser tubes. Dosing Defoamer M37 maintains stable liquid levels without impeding monomer conversion or particle size uniformity.

KIKI'S Industrial Chemicals supplies Defoamer M37 to commercial adhesive compounders, carton folding plants, and polymer resin synthesizers across Kenya.