© Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich Kunststoffe international 9/2019
52 SPECIAL K 2019 Film Extrusion
In the packaging market, the trend in sys-tems that offer maximum efficiency con-
tinues apace. The aim is to reduce layer thickness and thus economize on raw ma-terials, to increase plant availability, and to cut production costs through lower ener-gy consumption and optimized deploy-ment of personnel and operating costs. Another key topic is plastics recycling be-cause, for all the advantages of plastics over other materials, their use has been in-creasingly criticized in recent years. One of the main goals of the plastics film industry is therefore to boost the recyclability of its products. This can be achieved, for example, by using mono-material films which in some cases can take the place of
multi-layer films made from different ma-terials. They are ideal for use in single-type packaging and guarantee ease of sorting when it comes to waste separation and recyclability.
Amidst all the justified calls for recycling and reusability, the challenge of climate change and reducing the size of the carbon footprint along the packaging value chain must not be forgotten either. In the fight against climate change, plastics packaging that has been produced by resource-con-serving means will remain indispensable for the foreseeable future, which is why materi-al savings and sustainable packaging too feature prominently among the goals of the film industry.
A Perfect Concept All Round
The Circular Economy – Sustainable yet Efficient?
With innovations in metrology, processing and automation, the film industry is again pursuing the goal of pro-
cess optimization and digitalization this year. But efficiency and sustainability are also the focus of the machine
manufacturers, who will be serving up pioneering innovations at K 2019.
The AuthorsLars Kraus, M.Sc., and Lisa Leuchten-
berger, M.Sc., are researchers in the area
of film extrusion.
ServiceDigital VersionB A PDF file of the article can be found at
www.kunststoffe-international.com/2019–09
German VersionB Read the German version of the
article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at www.kunststoffe.de
The Q-Catcher concept developed by the
Amut Group, Novara, Italy, has already been
presented to an international audience at vari-
ous conferences and trade fairs. However, the
first live demonstration will take place at
K 2019. According to the manufacturer, the sys-
tem can reproduce film of exactly the same
mechanical properties 100 % of the time. The
system is integrated into a cast film line for
stretch film (Fig. 1) which, aside from the new
quality assurance concept, features innovative
technologies such as a thickness monitoring
system that employs X-rays and a movable vac-
uum box which, it is claimed, allows the die to
be cleaned without dismantling.
B Hall 16, booth A05 and hall 3, booth B92
Amut Group
Casting Line for Stretch Film Production
Fig. 1. The
casting machine
for stretch film
features thick-
ness monitoring
and vacuum
cleaning of the
die (© Amut)
Kunststoffe international 9/2019 www.kunststoffe-international.com
53Film Extrusion K 2019
Davis-Standard LLC, Pawcatuck, CT/USA is in-
troducing new services at this year’s K that will
enhance product line performance. These in-
clude mold reconditioning and a modernized
control system for improving digitalization
and product changes. The company also offers
feasibility studies for determining the scope
for production increases, resin changes and
product development on existing equipment.
Together with Gloucester Engineering and
Brampton Engineering, Davis-Standard offers
customers that have GEC Extrol control sys-
tems an opportunity to upgrade their existing
blown film control systems to Italycs 5. In addi-
tion, new air control technologies can improve
the uncorrected film size by up to 60 to 80 %.
The Vector air ring (Fig. 2) ensures stable air vel-
ocity and thus uniform cooling that reduces
thickness variations across the film width.
B Hall 16, booth A43
Davis-Standard
Further Increases in Production Efficiency
Fig. 2. Vector: the cooling ring is claimed to
increase film qualit (© Davis-Standard)
Film flatness is key to further processing to the
end-product because poor flatness adversely
affects the print image, for example. The film is
therefore usually subjected to a stretching
process. However, stretching creates a kind of
“bone structure” in which the film cross-sec-
tion is slightly thicker at the edges than in the
middle.
This previously inspired Hosokawa Alpine
AG, Augsburg, Germany, to develop the Trio
Technology system (Trim Reduction for Inline
Orientation), which influences the film profile
in the bubble so that it has a uniform thickness
distribution after stretching. This is achieved
with closed loop control: the measurement is
performed after stretching, and the measured
profile is used to adjust the wall thickness
about the circumference in the bubble itself,
so that two thin sections are formed which
later lie precisely on the edge.
The novelty at this year’s K: a revised re-
lease of the Trio software responsible for thick-
ness control that, according to the manufac-
turer, can now provide much faster and more
accurate control. The MDO system (Machine
Direction Orientation) has also been en-
hanced to further improve the stretching pro-
cess and thus achieve better flatness (Fig. 3).
While information on this “MDO 04” will only
be available on screens, an ongoing blown
film extrusion process will be on display at K.
Aside from numerous detailed improvements
to the line, the focus will be on a new extru-
sion concept. The new “Select” extruders in the
HX series (the third line after the Flex series for
a wide range of materials and the Tech ex-
truders for applications involving technical
specialties) are designed for achieving specific
energy savings while maintaining the same
melt quality on one hand and improving the
processing of bio-plastics, renewable raw ma-
terials and recycled material on the other.
B Hall 16, booth D06
B Hall 9, booth C56
Hosokawa Alpine
Stretching for Greater Flatness and a More Sustainable Extruder Concept
Fig. 3. The improved film stretching line will
only be seen in action on screens at K 2019
(© Hosokawa Alpine)
© Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich Kunststoffe international 9/2019
54 SPECIAL K 2019 Film Extrusion
As already known since the previous K, “EVO
Ultra Flat” from Reifenhäuser Blown Film GmbH,
Worms, Germany, improves the flatness proper-
ties of blown film. A new laser-measurement
system now enables the improvement to be
quantified precisely: laminating and barrier
films are up to 40 % flatter while sagging is re-
duced by up to 90 %. The measuring unit rec-
ords the topography of the fine film web and
then sets the correct production parameters.
Reifenhäuser will be demonstrating at its booth
how this ultra-flat measurement with inte-
grated closed loop control functions.
Aside from improving flatness, stretching
can also increase sustainability, as shown by
Reif enhäuser Blown Film Polyrema GmbH & Co
KG, Troisdorf, Germany. Bio-based plastics offer
a way of using plastics in a more sustainable
manner. However, due to several challenges
posed by differences in the composition of film
packaging materials and especially by the costs
of the materials, market growth has so far been
slow. In addition, the mechanical properties of
bioplastics are usually not very high. According
to Polyrema, however, this problem can be re-
solved with the “Ultra Flat Plus” inline stretching
unit. Down-gauging the bio-film while it is still
warm boosts its strength and rigidity while
yielding a 30 % thinner film.
A further increase in sustainability is made
possible by the already well-known “EVO Ultra
Stretch” system, which makes a previously
non-recyclable film composite recyclable
(Fig. 4). The stretching process allows the hi-
therto PET content to be replaced by
stretched polyethylene, which also confers the
necessary film stability. Stretching is con-
ducted in the haul-off area to exploit the resid-
ual heat which enables the plastic to be
stretched to four-to-six times its area. The re-
sult is a recyclable film that offers improved
sealing properties but does not require PET.
Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating GmbH &
Co. KG, Troisdorf, will also be demonstrating its
prowess in the extrusion of multi-layer flat film.
The machine manufacturer has integrated
measuring systems into a feed block that con-
tinually measure layer thicknesses during the
process and adjust them autonomously
(Fig. 5). According to the manufacturer, this
allows individual layers to be produced which
are one to two micro-millimeters thinner. On
one hand, this increases profitability, as raw
material costs and fossil energy can be saved
and, on the other, the Reicofeed can produce
layers so thin that all functional layers together
account for less than 5 % of the total film mass.
Thus, according to the definition of the central
packaging register office, the film is even suit-
able for recycling.
Purchasing modern equipment is not the
only way to boost production efficiency. Reifen-
häuser is also promoting optimization as an al-
ternative to making new purchases. In May
2019, it founded Reifenhäuser Extrusion Sys-
tems, Troisdorf, to overhaul and improve exist-
ing equipment such as flat and round nozzles,
screws, cylinders and film dies, and to adapt ex-
truder components independently of the
manufacturer and boost production output.
The IoT gateway from Reifenhäuser Digital,
Troisdorf, enables new and old systems to be
connected to the company’s software solutions
irrespective of make. The digitalized systems
harvest individual data and key metrics which
are analyzed to assess the scope for process im-
provement. In addition, says Reifenhäuser Digi-
tal, machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI)
can be applied to the data gleaned from auto-
mated systems to fully exploit the potential for
raising productivity and product quality. At the
same time, fewer resources are consumed be-
cause scrap levels are reduced.
B Hall 17, booth C22; hall 11, booth B22 (extrusion
systems: screws, cylinders, extruders); and
hall 1, booth E40 (extrusion systems: flat dies)
Fig. 5. Reicofeed-Pro: adjustment of layer
thickness while the line is running (© Reifenhäuser)
Fig. 4. EVO Ultra Stretch: greater process
stability and lower energy consumption
(© Reifenhäuser)
Reifenhäuser
Measurable Flatness, Increased Sustainability and Progressive Digitalization
Fig. 6. Production of a battery separator film
(© Brückner Group GmbH)
One way to increase recyclability is to use
mono-material film. But such film must not be
inferior in any way to its multi-layer prede-
cessors. Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH & Co.
KG, Siegsdorf, Germany, has therefore devel-
oped a new inline coater (ILC) for all BOPP and
BOPE lines that is installed in the line upstream
of transversal stretching. The manufacturer
claims it can produce extremely thin functional
layers in the nano range. The extreme thinness
of the layers means that they do not disrupt
sorting and recycling, but do allow, for
example, improved adhesion during metalliz-
ing and excellent barrier properties in conjunc-
tion with very thin aluminum oxide coatings.
In addition, Brückner will present two new
line concepts for the production of BOPE film,
along with further new developments such as a
Brückner Maschinenbau
Sustainable and Efficient high-temperature concept for BOPP capacitor
film, lines for the production of stone paper
based on BOPP or BOPE with a calcium carbon-
ate content of over 60 %, and biaxially oriented
polyester films (BOPET) for optical applications.
Brückner will display some innovations in the
field of battery separator films as well (Fig. 6).
With a view to making film processing even
more efficient, Brückner is also focusing on digi-
talizing service. Its “Brückner One” digital service
platform is a one-stop solution that supports all
operational aspects of a film stretching line as
well as raises service offerings to a new digital
level and adds extra functions.
B Hall 3, booth C90
Kunststoffe international 9/2019 www.kunststoffe-international.com
55Film Extrusion K 2019
ConclusionThe plastics film industry is increasingly
focusing on addressing regulatory require-
ments, recycling, and sustainability as-
pects. Only those who systematically con-
front these trends and problems in the in-
dustry at an early stage will manage to
hold their own against fierce competition
in the long term. Production line efficiency,
too, is and remains a key topic for the in-
dustry, because the only way to counter in-
ternational competition is to continually
implement measures aimed at increasing
productivity. Aside from the selection and
implementation of system and machine
concepts, the use of field data to optimize
operational processes is gaining traction.
The growing prevalence of digitalization is
creating scope for introducing digital intel-
ligence into various areas of the value
chain with a view to closing productivity
gaps.
The machine manufacturers seem to have
done their homework on how to success-
fully assert themselves in the market. It is
not possible at this stage, though, to deter-
mine whether the plastics loop can be
completely closed in the future. However,
we are on the right track: the first building
blocks are already in place and will be pres-
ented at this year’s K.
Brabender GmbH & Co. KG and Brabender Mess-
technik, both in Duisburg, Germany, offer individ-
ual and modular solutions on different appli-
cation-specific equipment for the plastics and
rubber industries. These include devices for spe-
cific measurement tasks across all areas of re-
search, development and industrial production.
At K 2019, a newly developed torque rheometer
will be presented as a drive unit for various
measuring kneader and extruder attachments.
The torque rheometer can be used to measure
and register torque and temperature during the
kneading process. The quality of engineering
plastics is dependent on the water content when
the product is being manufactured. Brabender
will be exhibiting its Aquatrac Station for deter-
mining residual moisture in plastics. This new
technology utilizes a capacitive water-selective
dew-point sensor to analyze the water content
of a sample with great precision. And it does this
without the need for chemicals or consumables.
In addition to metrology, the industry is fo-
cusing more and more on versatility and indi-
vidual customer solutions, which is why Bra-
bender has developed a modular twin-screw
extruder for laboratory extrusion. The manufac-
turer claims that it can be adapted to accom-
modate a variety of applications. Also featuring
at the Brabender booth will be a further devel-
opment of the 350 S measuring kneader in-
tended specifically for rubber applications and
a newly designed blown film haul-off for lab-
oratory extruders.
B Hall 10, booth A22
Brabender
Measure, Test, Produce
Bimec s.r.l., Vanzaghello, Italy, is concerned with
optimizing production and reducing down-
times via the winder. Its TCA64C+ model fea-
tures automatic, programmable tension control
and a system for the rapid unloading of finished
rolls. It also boasts a shaftless unwind and a
special splice table, and the male and female
knives can be set either automatically or man-
ually. The manufacturer says that the line is suit-
able not only for slitting plastic films, but also
paper, laminates and all the other materials
used in flexible packaging.
Meanwhile, the TF series model features
a pushing system for the rewound rolls
(Fig.7). Thanks to the mobility of the lay-on
roller, stopping and restarting of the machine
are speeded up. Integrated print inspection
systems facilitate surface inspections for the
purposes of quality evaluation.
B Hall 3, booth B06
Bimec
Winding Improves Manufacturing Processes
Fig. 7. TF series: unwinding and rewinding
on the same side (© Bimec)
Addex Inc, Newark, NJ/USA, has further devel-
oped its patented “Intensive Cooling” technol-
ogy for cooling the bubble (Fig. 8). New is the
addition of two closed, height-adjustable,
stacked cooling elements for controlling the
air stream. This air-ring system directs and fo-
cuses the air to maximize bubble-cooling effi-
ciency. The elements are aerodynamically de-
signed to create a high-speed air stream, with-
out compromising bubble stability.
With this technology, Addex guarantees a
minimum of 10 to 15 % average increase in
output rate compared to conventional cool-
ing, depending on the materials being run. Ac-
cording to the company, reported output
Addex
More Efficiency through Enhanced Cooling
Fig. 8. The “Intensive Cooling” patented
design change boosts the output rate
substantially (© Addex)
rates are often significantly higher: especially
for stiffer materials, a 30 % increase can be
achieved or, as reported in one case, an out-
put increase of as much as 80 %.
B Hall 17, booth C41