The demand for recyclable mono-material packaging is growing rapidly - driven by regulatory requirements and the increasing sustainability demands of major brand owners. At K 2025, extrusion line manufacturer Reifenhäuser Blown Film will be demonstrating how sustainable flexible packaging can be made economically competitive with the help of Reifenhäuser MDO Ultra Stretch technology: The key lies in the combination of reliable process stability and extreme downgauging.
Marcel Perrevort, CSO of the Reifenhäuser Group, says: "The technological path towards MDO mono-material films is set - now the race for profitability begins. Thanks to its unique technological approach, our MDO unit Ultra Stretch gives manufacturers a clear competitive advantage - while at the same time ensuring the highest quality and processability of the films."
World's thinnest all-PE blown film with EVO Ultra Stretch
Reifenhäuser Blown Film has succeeded in producing the world's first process-stable 18 µm MDO PE film with further downgauging potential. The technology behind it is called EVO Ultra Stretch - a patented MDO unit that is positioned directly in the haul-off of the blown film line, that stretches the film from the first heat. This makes the process particularly stable, which is otherwise often the limiting factor for material reduction. Ultra Stretch provides additional added value when using EVOH for barrier films. The barrier effect of the expensive raw material is enhanced by the stretching process, meaning that less of it needs to be used. Overall, this reduces production costs to a competitive level compared to conventional films, which is ultimately the relevant criterion for market acceptance.
With MDO stretch units from Reifenhäuser, producers improve the mechanical film properties due to the orientation of the polymer chains in the stretch direction. This means that PET films, which usually ensure stability in film laminates, can be replaced in order to produce a recyclable mono-film composite. Mono-PE is the most common application for blown films in this regard. Stretching also makes the film thinner, which reduces material consumption. The standard thickness of MDO PE film is between 20 and 25 µm. The downgauging achieved in this way saves production costs and therefore increases profitability.
A similar raw material consumption of previous PET-PE laminates is technically achieved with blown films - due to the different densities of the PET film and MDO-PE film - if the PET film, which is usually 12 µm thick, is replaced by a 16 to 17 µm thin MDO-PE film.
“The unique technical approach of EVO Ultra Stretch offers even more downgauging potential, which we will use in combination with special formulation developments for even thinner films in the future,” says Marcel Perrevort. “At K 2025, we will set new benchmarks and show that recyclability and cost-effectiveness go hand in hand.”
