Extrusion International USA 1-2022

49 Extrusion International 1/2022 HOSOKAWA ALPINE Aktiengesellschaft Peter-Doer fl er-Str. 13-25, 86199 Augsburg, Germany www.hosokawa-alpine.com Full PE fi lms of the highest quality MDO technology is based on mono-axial fi lm stretching and opens up the possibility of speci fi cally adapting and improving the properties of the end product. Various mechanical and optical properties or fi lm thickness can be modi fi ed in this way. This is the decisive component for the production of high-performance mono-material composites made of polyethylene, which can be fully recycled after their original use and reused in the circu- lar economy without material loss. For a long time, the necessary properties could not be achieved. “Until now, composites had to be produced from different materi- als in order to achieve the desired product properties. However, these are never completely recyclable or can only be recycled with dif fi culty. With our MDO technol- ogy, fi lms can be produced in the required quality. This innovative technology for the production of fl exible packaging is an important step towards future-proof and sustainable full PE solutions. These mono-material solutions are a global trend right now,” explains Ivan Evseviev, Sales Manager at Hosokawa Micron St. Peters- burg (Hosokawa Alpine’s branch in Russia). This also convinced the customer Grand-Master, who is located near Moscow. The renowned manufacturer has been active on the market for over 15 years with high-qual- ity multilayer blown fi lms for printing and lamination, thermo-shrink fi lm and fi lms for the agricultural sector and has been able to establish itself fi rmly in the Russian premium segment. Grand-Master’s machinery is now complemented by a line from Augsburg/Germany, as the topics of full PE and sustainability have been at the top of the company’s agenda for some time, as Mikhail Ryazanskiy, sales manager at Grand-Master, explains: “We are fi rmly convinced that the future belongs to such environmentally friendly technologies. That’s why we didn’t hesitate to include full PE solutions in our portfolio – even though this makes us absolute pioneers in Russia. The 5-layer blown fi lm line with MDO from Hosokawa Alpine is the best possible choice for this.” One system, versatile possibilities The high-tech blown fi lm line can be operated with or without MDO, giving the customer maximum fl exibility in the production of different fi lms: one line enables the production of blocked, unblocked and unfolded MDO fi lms. Grand-Master produces fi lms for a wide range of applications such as twist wrap, breathable fi lms, shrink fi lms and full PE laminates. A special feature of the Hosokawa Alpine line is the unfolding device. The line enables Grand-Master to serve different markets and to react to market developments without major line changes. Alpine’s innovative blown fi lm technology is a basic prerequisite for the production of stretched fi lm at the highest quality level. A net lay- fl at width of 2,600mmenables production of two panels of 1,300mm each per winding station without MDO or two panels of 1,175 mm each with Alpine MDO. For optimising the stretched full PE fi lms, the machine is equipped with Ho- sokawa Alpine’s TRIO technology (“Trim Reduction for Inline Orientation”). This signi fi cantly improves the fl at- ness and the MDO fi lm is optimally prepared for lamina- tion or printing. TRIO also ensures signi fi cant material savings in edge trim waste and thus maximises econom- ic ef fi ciency. In addition, there is a fl exible gap adjust- ment in the MDO. This enables fl exible adjustment of the stretch nip to the respective application, thereby signi fi cantly reducing the neck-in and thus the use of resources. The customer Grand-Master is satis fi ed with the result, as Mikhail Ryazanskiy explains: “With the MDO line from Hosokawa Alpine, we can not only pro- duce materials that are currently in demand, but we are also equipped for the sustainable full PE packaging of tomorrow.“ FilmWinder by Hosokawa Alpine, installed at Grand-Master, Russia