Extrusion International 5-2025-USA

54 Extrusion International 5/2025 К 2025 Performance Standards for Barrier Films R eifenhäuser has three line tech- nologies for barrier lms: cast lm, air-cooled blown lm and water- cooled blown lm. At K 2025, the ex - trusion specialist will be presenting its new developments, which offer higher performance and top quality at lower production costs. Barrier lms are used in a wide va - riety of packaging types - especially in the food, medical and hygiene indus- tries. The desired barrier properties are achieved through a precise mul- tilayer structure of the lm and the use of special materials. The trick is to achieve a high throughput with stable quality despite complex multi-layer processes and to reduce expensive barrier raw materials, such as EVOH, to a minimum. Thanks to the three system technologies in this applica- tion area, Reifenhäuser is one of the few suppliers on the market that can advise producers on all technologies - depending on product requirements or production volumes. Marcel Perrevort, CSO of the Reif- enhäuser Group, says: "With our sys- tems, producers are already achiev- ing the highest throughputs with optimum quality and barrier proper- ties. We will continue to expand this leading competitive position with our developments and introduce clever features that bring our customers measurable added value." Cast lm systems are the ideal tech - nology for high production volumes of barrier lms. They also have a techni - cal advantage. In at lm production, encapsulating the barrier layer pre- vents expensive barrier raw materials from reaching the edges of the lm, which are cut off before winding. The edge trim can then be immediately fed back into the production process. The result: the lm edges consist only of the more cost-effective raw material - producers can save up to 150,000 euros per year on average. Reifenhäuser is presenting a par- ticularly elegant solution for this at K 2025, in which the encapsulation of the barrier layer is not carried out at the die, but already in the coextrusion adapter. This eliminates the invest- ment and operating costs for an ad- ditional extruder, which is necessary with other solutions. The solution also speeds up the start-up process, as there is no need to set up the encap- sulation extruder. For further ef ciency gains, Reifen - häuser cast lines can be automated on request with the proven PAM option (precise, autonomous, mechatronic). The patented system controls the co- extrusion adapter and die via mechatronic actuators and car- ries out product changeovers fully automatically. Reifenhäus- er is presenting a new genera- tion of the solution at K, which will signi cantly increase the level of au - tomation even further thanks to new features. Producers will thus become independent of the shortage of skilled workers and save energy as well as raw materials at the same time. Due to their principle, blown lms are suitable for smaller production volumes and, in addition to lower in- vestment costs, offer speci c advan - tages such as outstanding individual layer distribution. With the new devel- opments, Reifenhäuser is signi cantly increasing throughput – for both PA and EVOH barrier lms – from 800 to up to 1,000 kg/h, for example, with a lm width of 2,600 mm. The 25 per - cent increase, which offers producers an enormous productivity advantage, is due in part to a new generation of cooling systems. Precise sensor tech- nology and temperature regulation ensure bubble stability and the high- est lm quality at all times. For barrier applications with special requirements in terms of puncture resistance, transparency or thermo- formability, it is important to keep the crystallinity of the lm as low as possible. Reifenhäuser offers a special process for this: EVO Aqua Cool blown lm lines. The shock-like water cool - ing cools the plastic melt extremely quickly, which inhibits or even stops crystallization. EVO Aqua Cool is par- ticularly suitable for customers who require a slightly thicker lm, but still attach great importance to transpar- Reifenhäuser has three technologies for barrier lms – air-cooled blown lm, cast lm and water-cooled blown lm – and advises customers on the optimum solution (Pictures: Reifenhäuser)