© 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