PP film grade allows cost-effective production

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 30, 2007

Borealis' new polypropylene (PP) film grade reduces production costs for converters by eliminating the need for different sealing films.

Borealis is opening up new opportunities for the cost-effective production of film to be used in adhesives and packaging applications with the development of a unique polypropylene (PP) film grade.

BA110CF provides films with superior performance compared to standard products.

The design offers an industry first with a one-film solution for all siliconisation processes.

This reduces production costs for converters by eliminating the need for different sealing films depending on the siliconisation process required for a particular end product.

Applications requiring release properties include carrier sheets for storing tapes and labels prior to application.

For this, a layer of silicone is applied to the film carrier sheet to provide release behaviour between the film and the tapes or labels.

For meat packaging, a silicone layer is added to the packaging film to ensure that as little meat as possible sticks to the film.

With BA110CF consumers can more easily remove all of the packaging contents at the time of use.

In addition to its all-round siliconisation benefit, BA110CF also offers good processing on blown film lines.

Its high curing ability, when the silicone layer is applied in a liquid state, can further increase processing efficiency for converters.

The ideal combination of additives and product conditions ensures good long-term adhesion between the silicone layer and the film.

This helps to maintain a film's performance over a longer lifetime and avoids traditional adhesion issues experienced with standard products.

The key characteristics of BA110CF allow converters to produce films with a range of performance advantages compared to paper.

Its high stiffness/good toughness ratio ensures greater mechanical strength..

This makes the film more suitable as a carrier sheet for industrial applications where extra force needs to be applied to release tapes and labels.

This improved performance reduces the potential for waste and production run interruptions at the convertor.

The higher water vapour barrier of PP film reduces water absorption, which, in combination with the high heat resistance characteristic of BA110CF, increases its suitability over paper for medical applications requiring sterilisation treatment.

The film offers greater microbe resistance than paper, making it an attractive choice not only for medical applications but also other high-end sectors, such as the semiconductor industry.

Peter Niedersuss, Product Development Engineer for Borealis' film business, comments: "BA110CF offers film converters a unique combination of cost saving and performance advantages over standard film materials".

"This benefits convertors and improves the quality of the adhesive and packaging products they can offer to the various end markets".

"Its all-round siliconisation suitability delivers an exciting step forward in expanding the use of PP film by the adhesive and packaging industries".