Sandy sensations: DSM unveils waterborne sand texture for premium packaging applications

30 Mar 2020 --- Skins Sandy arrives as the fourth and newest addition to Royal DSM’s range of haptic coating resins, helping print and packaging manufacturers to differentiate their products with an additional sand-like sensory layer. The coating avoids the use of harmful solvents by replacing them with waterborne systems and helps to facilitate mono-material recycling. Brand owners gain more leverage in up-charging their products with textured coatings, given that consumers now frequently associate enhanced sensory packaging experiences with premium products.

“Brands want to create an emotional connection between packaging and product, or the ‘feel’ of the brand. Sand-like textures for food packages are desirable for products such as potato chips, cookies and other products with a gritty feel,” Adri van der Waals, Product Launch Director for DSM Coating Resins, tells PackagingInsights.

Skins Sandy was a project little less than two years in the making, van der Waals notes. The new resins offer sandy-feel textures ranging from fine to coarse and are particularly suitable for overprint varnishes (OPVs), paper, paperboard and flexible packaging. The sandy application can reach anywhere between 2 to 4 gsm as a dry coating depending on the printing technique, the extent of the “feel” that is required and the economy of the application.

DSM's Skins family of textured coatings enhance the sensory experience of premium packaging.Aiming for global markets for food and non-food packaging, some examples of package applications include book covers, brochures, labels and other luxury packaging. “We’re positive that, with time, our customers will find other relevant spaces outside of this field, but for now we’re not targeting those,” van der Waals underscores. The textured finishes are available for flexo, forward and reverse gravure, roller and spray coating. 

Technical challenges of haptic coatings 
Researching and designing haptic coatings for packaging applications is easier said than done. “The biggest challenge we had to overcome was to transfer these big particles in flexographic printing at high speeds, van der Waals explains. 

“We solved this challenge by forming industry collaborations between specific customers, manufacturers of aniloxes and flexo plates, as well as an integrated printing machine maker. With these industry partners, we’ll be organizing an Open House for Converters later this year, where people can experience what it’s like to print Skins Sandy OPV on food packaging.”. 

Avoiding harmful solvents
DSM also touts its new resin as boosting the company’s environmental sustainability profile with its single component waterborne systems, which avoid the need for potentially harmful solvents. “Currently, there is a particular demand for waterborne OPVs with food contact compliance, so that was exactly the aim for Skins Sandy,” he continues. 

Although waterborne polymers can be more difficult to work with than chemical solvents from a technical perspective, water is often an easy choice from an environmental perspective and can also be cheaper. The new resin also offers high shelf stability and production yield, delivering competitive cost-in-use, DSM highlights.

Sand-like textures for food packages are desirable for products with a gritty feel, says van der Waals.Moreover, Skins Sandy’s ability to add texture in a single coating without fillers or additives helps reduce formulators’ contact with additional harmful chemicals as well as facilitate mono-material packaging recycling. The resin is lightweight compared to other laminates, allowing manufacturers to reduce energy and material usage. 

Textural sensations
Next to Sandy, the previously launched Skins textures consist of Silky, Vel-Veeto and Rubbert, which can add silk, velvet and rubbery sensory finishes, respectively, to surfaces to help with grip and enhance the ergonomics of the design.

DSM aims to continue its Skins family expansion to offer more options for haptic differentiation. “We have multiple ideas and options. But again, the key is to match those with market needs. DSM has a unique in-house ‘Skinnovation Haptic Team’ by which we share our ideas and concepts with customers, converters and brands. In this way, we can solidly identify the need and create a uniform language,” van der Waals concludes.

By Anni Schleicher

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