A method for packaging plastic material using a film to surround the
material, and more particularly to a method for packaging hot melt
adhesives, the resulting package formed thereby, and the film composition
used therein. The method is preferably a coextrusion process for
packaging a pressure sensitive hot melt adhesive by extruding a hot melt
adhesive through a die orifice, and coextruding a wax-based polymeric
film to surround the hot melt adhesive. The coated adhesive may then be
formed into individual packaged units having a finite size and shape. The
polymeric film comprises a composition having at least 25% by weight of a
wax material, an enthalpy of fusion of at least about 100 J/g, and an
elongation value at break of at least about 100%. Any type of hot melt
adhesive formulation can be packaged or surrounded by the polymeric film
in the process. Also, the specific enthalpy of fusion desired and/or
elongation value at break desired for the polymeric film can be obtained
by blending an appropriate amount of partially crystalline ethylene-based
polymer together with a thermoplastic elastomeric block copolymer and/or
an ethylene based or propylene-based elastomer.