Military/Defense
Protective Cases
Military/
Defense
Protective
Cases
Labeling Solutions
Labels engineered to exceed the same MIL-STD’s and unimaginable environments the equipment cases come into contact with… for life.
Labels engineered to exceed the same MIL-STD’s and unimaginable environments the equipment cases come into contact with… for life.
Labeling for Military Cases & Containers
Military and defense protective containers of the past were primarily manufactured of metal. Today, most of these cases, containers, mounting racks, cargo boxes, and more have been designed to withstand heavy tactical use, rough transport, and extreme environments and are thus produced from much more cost-effective polyolefin thermoplastics like high-density polyethylene plastic (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP). These plastics are chosen specifically for their superior performance that includes resistance to damage, imperviousness to harsh temperatures and UV, chemical and solvent resistance, pressure wash resistance, and long service life.
However, the performance properties that make polyolefin thermoplastics such a versatile material for defense and military protective cases also makes them problematic for common “adhesion-based” labeling methods (pressure-sensitive adhesive, in-mold, hot stamp foil, heat transfer, silkscreen, pad printing, and more) that are intended to be on the product for life use. Polyolefin thermoplastics more closely resemble the “stick-resistant” properties of Teflon® than they do of other plastics, which is one of the reasons they are chosen in the first place.
Why Other Methods Fail
According to MIL-STD-130N DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE STANDARD PRACTICE IDENTIFICATION MARKING OF U.S. MILITARY PROPERTY, “direct identification markings and plates, bands, tags, or identification labels used shall be as permanent as the normal life expectancy (minimum 3 years) of the item and be capable of withstanding the environmental tests and cleaning procedures specified for the item to which it is affixed.”
The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 252.211-7003 further states “Unique item identifier (UII)” means a set of data elements permanently marked on an item that is globally unique and unambiguous and never changes in order to provide traceability of the item throughout its total life cycle.”
Unfortunately, due to an inability to permanently affix to polyolefin thermoplastics, adhesion-based labeling methods cannot currently meet the requirement of MIL-STD specifications. Real-world examples consistently prove this as costly military equipment goes missing, unable to be tracked or traced.
Polymer Fusion is the science of merging two separate low surface energy plastic polymers together (polyolefin label + polyolefin component) utilizing melting point, time, and pressure, which produces a singular piece of plastic without the use of adhesives, tie-layers, bonding agents, or secondary surface treatments.
The result is permanent labeling for Military Cases, Containers,
Mounting Racks, Cargo Boxes, and more that cannot be lifted, separated, or removed for the life-use of the product no matter the harsh environment or exposure.
Where adhesion and other labeling methods fail, Polymer Fusion Labels were engineered specifically to be 100% compatible and 100% recyclable with all polyolefin thermoplastics meaning they will exceed MIL-STD durability specifications while outperforming adhesive-based and mechanical bond labeling methods.
Performance Attributes
- Fully compatible with low surface energy polyolefin thermoplastics (no substrates, inks, or adhesives are used).
- Impervious to extreme environments, temperatures, chemicals, solvents, fuels, oils, and sanitation for expected life use of products.
- Polymer fusion labels meld at a molecular level to low surface energy polyolefin thermoplastics used in defense and military products.
- Hygienic, flush polymer fusion finish. No topical, layered edges, no adhesive residues, meaning no place for microbes to harbor and thrive.
- Can be manufactured to meet Regulatory Compliance Standards. Learn More Here
- Barcoding capability provides track & traceability over life-use of defense and military products.
- Can be manufactured with customized micro-crystal taggants for anti-counterfeit / authentication purposes.
- Can be manufactured with BioCote® Antimicrobial for long-term silver ion efficacy against microbe growth and migration.
- Lifetime Guarantee.
- RFID Coming Soon.
Certifications
Solutions
Polymer Fusion Labeling Solutions Downloads
- Fully compatible with low surface energy polyolefin thermoplastics (no substrates, inks, or adhesives are used).
- Impervious to extreme environments, temperatures, chemicals, solvents, fuels, oils, and sanitation for expected life use of products.
- Polymer fusion labels meld at a molecular level to low surface energy polyolefin thermoplastics used in defense and military products.
- Hygienic, flush polymer fusion finish. No topical, layered edges, no adhesive residues, meaning no place for microbes to harbor and thrive.
- Can be manufactured to meet Regulatory Compliance Standards. Learn More Here
- Barcoding capability provides track & traceability over life-use of defense and military products.
- Can be manufactured with customized micro-crystal taggants for anti-counterfeit / authentication purposes.
- Can be manufactured with BioCote® Antimicrobial for long-term silver ion efficacy against microbe growth and migration.
- Lifetime Guarantee.
- RFID Coming Soon.
