Hot-melt adhesives for meat packaging and other low temperature applications

Claim 1

A hot-melt adhesive composition having a viscosity of less than 1200 cp. at 177° C. and a cleavage set time of about 6 seconds or less which provides bonds having good low temperature properties comprising a blend of (a) about 65 to 45 percent by weight of at least one polyethylene having a melt viscosity of 500 to 20,000 centipoise at 190° C. and a density of greater than 0.90 to about 0.945 g./cc., (b) about 18 to about 28 percent by weight of at least one tackifier resin selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon resin and polyterpene resins having a Ring and Ball softening point of about 125° C. to about 135° C., and (c) about 18 to about 28 percent by weight of a blend of (1) a high density, low viscosity polyethylene wax having a molecular weight of about 800 to 1200 and a Ring and Ball softening point in the range of 110° C. to 120° C. and (2) a Fischer-Tropsch wax having a DSC melting point in the range of 85° C. to 120° C., a molecular weight of about 600 to 800, a penetration hardness of about 1.5 at 23° C. and a melt viscosity of about 10 to 4 cp. at 149° C., wherein said wax blend contains a ratio of high density polyethylene wax to Fischer-Tropsch wax of about 1:1 to 1:3.