Chinaplas 2024: Reifenhäuser shows blown and flat film technologies for the production of sustainable packaging

"China and the Asian market are demanding state-of-the-art machines to efficiently produce recyclable high-performance plastic films," explains Eugen Friedel, Director Sales at Reifenhäuser Blown Film. "The global trend towards a sustainable circular economy is also the dominant theme at Chinaplas - our systems and processes provide the technological basis for this."

A perfect example is the Reifenhäuser EVO Ultra Stretch MDO unit, which enables blown film manufacturers to produce fully recyclable all-PE mono films - e.g. for barrier food pouches. Stretching gives the PE film sufficient stability to replace the usual PET film in the material composite. The necessary barrier effect is achieved with an EVOH content of less than five percent and therefore meets all requirements for complete recyclability. Ultra Stretch increases the barrier effect of the EVOH and reduces the necessary EVOH content while maintaining the same barrier effect. The all-PE mono film can be further processed and converted without any problems. Thanks to the patented position of the stretching unit directly in the haul-off of the blown film line, the film is also stretched at the ideal time and with the first heat, which makes the process particularly efficient and stable.

Another highlight is Reifenhäuser EVO Aqua Cool, a blown film line that achieves particularly robust and highly transparent films thanks to water shock cooling - for example for medium to high-barrier food packaging or high-performance special applications such as medical infusion bags. Due to their formability, Aqua Cool films are also ideal for thermoforming applications, vacuum skin lidding films, or thanks to their optical properties for vacuum pouch packaging or lidding films. With water cooling, the extrusion direction - following the gravity of the water - runs from top to bottom from the die head. The bubble is first inflated to the required size and then passes through the EVO Ultra Quench water cooling and vacuum calibration chamber, which is unique on the market. Here, as much heat as possible is extracted through contact with water. The vacuum in the cooling chamber provides the necessary stability and ensures that the film tube leaves the cooling chamber almost dry.

Thanks to water shock cooling, Reifenhäuser EVO Aqua Cool enables particularly robust and at the same time highly transparent blown films.

Reifenhäuser will also be exhibiting Kdesign technologies for blown films at Chinaplas. Kdesign is part of the Reifenhäuser Group and offers market-leading technologies in the areas of cooling, measurement and calibration. Among other things, the KARAT cooling ring, which is known for highest performance, lowest film tolerances and easy handling, will be presented at the booth. Kdesign customers benefit from over 20 years of experience in retrofitting existing blown film lines and equipping new OEM lines. With an output capacity that is up to 50 percent higher than mid-range products and 25 percent higher than high-end competitors, the KARAT cooling ring enables a significant increase in productivity, while at the same time maintaining excellent profile tolerances and top film quality.

KARAT cooling rings from Kdesign are known for their high performance, minimal film tolerances and easy handling.

Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating will be demonstrating the extensive range of applications for its MDO cast films. CPP/CPE cast films are the standard for packaging films in the food and industrial sectors. They offer an optimal solution in terms of transparency (optics), printability, easy-tear performance and sealing. Thanks to their MDO (Machine Direction Orientation) stretching unit, Reifenhäuser cast lines improve the properties of the film, for example to produce recyclable mono PP films with barrier functions for food or medical packaging. The barrier function is achieved by adding EVOH. The barrier effect is enhanced by the stretching process, allowing the proportion to be reduced to below the 5 percent mark relevant for recyclability. The mono-PP barrier film produced in this way can, for example, replace an aluminum barrier film in the packaging (which is currently still common on the market and is barely to recycle). The stretching unit also reduces the overall material consumption of the film. Other cast applications that are in great demand in China are sticky and non-sticky PP and PE protective films to protect products from damage during transportation. Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating's protection film lines achieve both to perfection. The systems are very flexible and can also be quickly adapted to other applications.

In combination with PAM (precise, autonomous, mechatronic) - Reifenhäuser's automation option for flat film lines - film manufacturers can take their production to a whole new level. PAM automatically calibrates coextrusion adapters and dies via high-precision actuators for optimum convenience, quality and productivity. The high degree of automation makes the machine operator's work considerably easier, thus increasing line productivity and film quality. In addition, energy consumption is 99% lower compared to a thermal expansion bolt system, as the actuators only need to be supplied with power during the adjustment process and not permanently. The use of PAM also significantly reduces consumption of raw materials, as there is hardly any production waste due to time-consuming system start-up processes. Once recipes have been set, they can be saved and called up immediately at the touch of a button - even by inexperienced system operators.

The PAM automation option simplifies the operation of the system. Waste and energy consumption are significantly reduced and product changeovers are completed in the shortest possible time.

Bilder: Reifenhäuser

Benjamin Pott, Sales Manager at Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating, explains: "Our system concepts offer maximum flexibility and productivity. With PAM, producers achieve extremely short changeover times and can react quickly to new market requirements, which represents a decisive competitive advantage. At the same time, they can meet the demand for recyclable products with mono CPP/CPE films, while saving energy and material in the manufacturing process. This is more sustainable and reduces production costs."

About the Reifenhäuser Group

The Reifenhäuser Group together with its highly specialized business units is the leading provider of innovative technologies and components for plastics extrusion. Founded in 1911, the company is a global supplier of high-tech solutions. With its technologies and the know-how of its 1,750 employees, Reifenhäuser has the world's largest network of expertise in plastics extrusion technologies. The CEO of the Group is Bernd Reifenhäuser.