Film/Sheet Sectorg

MDO-PE unlaminated cast film for deep-freeze applications

Austrian machinery maker SML’s latest generation of cast MDO lines have successfully produced a new, unlaminated MDO-PE film optimised for deep-freeze packaging.

This film enables downgauging by up to 50% compared to conventional deep-freeze structures, while maintaining mechanical strength and excellent sealing properties.

The cast MDO process ensures exceptional processability across a wide thickness range from 15 µm to 65 µm. These MDO-PE films are produced at line speeds of up to 380 m/min and then successfully printed at speeds of up to 500 m/min.

Optimised resins and film layer structures deliver stiffness, puncture resistance, and sealing performance without the process of lamination.

“This joint development with TotalEnergies underlines SML’s ongoing commitment to innovation in cast MDO technology and sustainable flexible packaging solutions,” explains Elias Mayrhofer, Product Manager, Cast Film Extrusion at SML.

Cast MDO technology delivers films with significantly enhanced optical properties, including exceptional gloss and clarity, combined with outstanding flatness and a perfectly uniform thickness profile. This is achieved through precise die regulation with thickness measurement after the MDO unit, compensating neck-in and ensuring best winding quality.

Excellent cooling rates on the chill roll enhance surface smoothness and mechanical properties, while integrated edge-trim recycling supports sustainable production in a closed loop system.

“These unique performance features are unmatched by any other technology currently available on the market. The result is a premium mono-oriented film, ideal for demanding applications where visual quality and dimensional consistency are most important,” Mayrhofer further states.

For sensitive products requiring high barrier properties, a barrier layer of EVOH or PVOH can be integrated into all MDO-PE film structures. Cast MDO-PE barrier films are available in thicknesses from 17 µm up to 65 µm.

Compared to unstretched barrier structures, the orientation (stretching) process enhances the barrier performance at the same EVOH content within the film. This ensures superior protection while maintaining recyclability due to the low proportion of the barrier material in the film structure.

NO.EL and Colines introduce tamper-proof stretch film

Security in palletised logistics has become a critical issue worldwide. It is estimated that at least 1% of all pallets are subject to tampering or theft every year which results into approximately 150 million compromised pallets globally.

Traditional solutions, such as coloured stretch film, have proven ineffective. While they obscure the visibility of the pallet’s content, they do not prevent unauthorised access. In fact, such materials can be easily supplied, allowing pallets to be resealed without detection.

Now, pre-stretch machinery provider NO.EL (part of Gruppo Colines Holding) and cast stretch film extrusion machinery supplier Colines have introduced a patented and tamper-proof stretch film system, known as Safe Track, designed for the logistics and pallet wrapping sector. Aimed at preventing unauthorised access to goods during transit, It was designed to enhance security in palletised cargo management, offering a more effective alternative to coloured stretch films, which can often be compromised without detection.

The solution, which utilises a special, recognisable wrapping pattern, provides clear, immediate visual evidence if a pallet has been tampered with, making it an effective and cost-efficient alternative to traditional coloured stretch films, which can often be easily replaced after theft.

The companies say this breakthrough does not generate additional production costs, maintaining efficiency while enhancing security.

The technology has just been successfully tested in offline configurations, and is currently under advanced testing for in-line integration on Colines’s extrusion lines.

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