What’s so special about DuPont™ Tyvek®?
DuPont™ Tyvek® gives a more distinctive look to anything you print than common paper ever could. It feels more natural and has far better flat, precision folding qualities than synthetic films. And although it isn’t a fabric, it can easily function as one.
In fact, the physical properties common to both types of DuPont™ Tyvek® make them ideal substrates for most of your printing and converting applications.
OUTSTANDING CHEMICAL RESISTANCE
DuPont™ Tyvek® products are inert to most acids, bases and salts. Prolonged exposure to oxidizing substances, such as concentrated nitric acid or sodium per sulfate, will cause some loss of strength. Resistance to various compounds are summarized in the tables on pages 30-34.
GOOD DIMENSIONAL STABILITY
Sheet dimensions change less than 0.01% between 0 and 100% relative humidity at constant temperature.
MEETS FDA REQUIREMENTS
Tyvek® 1059B meets the requirements of Title 21 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 177.1520) for direct food contact applications (such as food packaging; desiccant, de-oxidizing agent or other “active packaging”; and direct contact labels) where the temperatures do not exceed 212°F (100°C).
UNIQUE FLAMMABILITY
The flammability characteristics of Tyvek® are similar to those of most synthetic fibers. When exposed to a flame, Tyvek® shrinks away rapidly. It will melt at 275°F (135°C), and its auto-ignition temperature is 750°F (400°C). Please refer to the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for additional information on the characteristics of Tyvek® brand of protective materials. Hard structure products are rated class “A” when tested in accordance with ASTM E-84-89a, a test for flame and smoke development.
Soft structure products are rated “Class 1—Normal Flammability” by the Federal Flammable Fabrics Act for Clothing Textiles (16 CFR-1610). Tyvek® with flame-retardant coatings are available through distributors.
REMARKABLE FLEXIBILITY
Tyvek® brand of protective materials has outstanding flexibility and does exceed 20,000 folding cycles when tested on an MIT flex tester (TAPPI method T-423) without pre-scoring.
LOW-LINTING
Tyvek® is composed of continuous fibers, hence it does not generate a significant amount of lint particles. This makes Tyvek® an excellent choice for cleanroom applications.
LIGHTWEIGHT AND STRONG
Tyvek® hard structure products are strong and tear resistant yet weigh only half as much as paper. For this reason, they are very popular in packaging and mail applications.
SUPERIOR MOISTURE RESISTANCE
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| Envelopes made of DuPont™ Tyvek® resist punctures, tears, and moisture better than any other envelope available. |
The physical properties of Tyvek® withstand the effects of water. It is equally strong wet or dry.
Tyvek® meets the saltwater immersion test for British Standard 5609.
WITHSTANDS DEFORMATION
Under normal conditions, Tyvek® remains neutral. Elevated temperatures in excess of 220°F (104 C) will cause width loss and deformation.
HIGH OPACITY
Tyvek® has one of the highest opacity ratings in the printing industry.
WHITENESS
Tyvek® and Tyvek® Brillion® are among the whitest materials available for printing with a TAPPI Standard Test Method rating of 94.1. The Hunterlab Model D-25 color difference meter measures brightness, color components and whiteness. The following values are typical for hard structure:
POROSITY
Compared with most textile fabrics, the air permeability of Types 10 and 14 is low. Moisturevapor transmission is much higher than that of plastic films and similar to that of coated papers.
ROT AND MILDEW RESISTANCE
Tyvek® is mold and mildew resistant. It shows no degradation after being buried in soil for an extended period like paper products or coated synthetics.
SOILING RESISTANCE
Tyvek® resists soiling and absorption of oils and greases. Tyvek® can be washed with a mild detergent. Heated drying is not recommended.
NEUTRAL PH
Tyvek® “B” grade has a neutral pH of 7 which makes it excellent for archival quality because it does not have antistat or corona treatments. Tyvek® is also lignin free.
L = 97.8 brightness (100 for perfect white)
a = 0.3 green component
b = 0.1 yellow component
w = 96.5 overall color acceptance
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STATIC CONSIDERATIONS
In some processing steps, DuPont™ Tyvek® may generate static electricity unless treated with antistatic agents, referred to as antistat. These agents, while suppressing static generation and increasing wet ability, have no effect on sheet strength. Most types and styles of Tyvek®‚ supplied by DuPont are treated with antistatic agents. All treated styles of Type 14 have a static decay of <0.1 second when tested according to method 4046 of Federal Test Method Standard 101 C, after 25 hours conditioning at 70°F (21°C) and 50% relative humidity (RH).
Antistat is water soluble and not intended as a “safety” feature. For this reason, it’s recommended that garments made of Tyvek® not be used in flammable or explosive environments.
Tyvek® styles that are antistat coated are excellent for both RFID and Smart Tag applications.
Tyvek® styles with a “B” suffix (1059B) do not contain an antistatic agent. These styles can build a static charge and should not be handled in areas where the potential for explosive vapor/air mixtures exists.
TEMPERATURE IMPACT
Toughness and flexibility are retained down to -100°F (-73°C). When exposed to heat, Tyvek® begins to shrink at approximately 220°F (104°C) and melts at 275°F (135°C). Under web offset processing conditions the web temperature should not exceed 175°F (79°C).
UV RESISTANCE
Tyvek® is UV resistant, depending on style, from six months to over one year. Some physical properties will be reduced if exposed to UV for over one year. UV resistance can be improved with opaque coatings or with UV inhibitors. Styles of Tyvek® containing UV inhibitors are available for applications requiring higher UV resistance.
SOLVENT RESISTANCE
Tyvek® is highly resistant to most solvents. Certain solvents used in some inks, paints, adhesives and coatings can cause swelling. A list of the preferred solvents and those to be avoided is found on page 32. The swelling effect of a solvent is usually reversible after evaporation. However, if a vehicle or binder is present in the solvent, the distortion caused by the solvent is likely to be permanent.
Solvent distortion can be minimized by rapid evaporation or drying in an oven. As an example, a sheet-fed offset lithographic ink containing over 5% volatile solvent will cause severe distortion of spunbonded Tyvek® for up to 20 minutes after printing.
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| Few substrates stand up to outdoor exposure like DuPont™ Tyvek®. It isn’t just rip-, tear-, puncture- and waterresistant, it’svirtually impervious to extreme cold and heat— even UV. |
Although rare, swelling can be caused by some plasticizers, aliphatic hydrocarbon resins used in inks, tackifiers and low-molecular weight adhesives sometimes seen in offset printing. The swelling caused by these materials is always permanent and, in some cases, is not apparent until several days or weeks after application.
SOLVENT AND ADHESIVE COMPATIBILITY TESTING
The compatibility of solvents in inks, coatings and adhesives can be determined by placing two to three drops on a sheet of the style being used. If severe distortion occurs within 20 minutes, the material should be avoided, if possible, or used sparingly. Some adhesive ingredients can cause delayed distortion of DuPont™ Tyvek® protective material after weeks or even months of storage. This is particularly true of some solvent-based, pressure-sensitive adhesives that are transfercoated from a silicone-coated release sheet.
To determine whether an adhesive is compatible with Tyvek®, it should be coated onto a release sheet and then transferred to an aluminum plate. Alternatively, the adhesive may be coated directly onto an aluminum plate with a doctor blade that will deposit about 1 mil (0.025 mm) of dry adhesive. The plate should be dried in an oven at 300°F (150°C) for 10 minutes to remove all the volatile solvent from the adhesive. After cooling, a sheet of Tyvek® is rolled onto the adhesive-coated plate. An aluminum plate is preferred for this test to eliminate dimensional changes that occur with coated release sheets. After contact with the adhesive for 24 hours, the Tyvek® and plate are placed in an oven at room temperature and the temperature is raised at the rate of 20°F/hr (10°C/hr). If no distortion occurs up to 150°F (65°C), the pressure-sensitive adhesive is judged to be compatible. If, however, swelling or wrinkling occurs, it indicates the presence of low-molecular weight materials that function as swelling agents.
As an example, low-molecular-weight polybutylacrylate used in some pressure-sensitive adhesives will cause wrinkling and distortion 24 to 48 hours after processing if the rolls are stored in a location where the temperatures are above 90°F (32°C). However, high-molecularweight polybutylacrylate is compatible with Tyvek® up to 212°F (100°C). Of course, it may be necessary to screen each of the individual components by this procedure when testing a new formulation. This procedure has proved to be suitable for screening solvent-base, water-base and hot-melt, pressure-sensitive adhesives for spunbonded olefin.
TOXICITY
Unaltered Tyvek® has been tested for toxicity for skin contact. No reports of toxic reactions have been received. Please refer to Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) information.
MSDS
Spunbonded olefin is considered an “article” under provisions of the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and is considered nonhazardous under provisions of the Hazard Communication Standard. No Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is required for spunbonded olefin, although one is available as a service to customers. To obtain a copy, contact DuPont at 1-800-558-9329 and ask for document number 611 or click on the following: http://www.tyvek.com/na/industrialpack/english/4products/msds.pdf
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