Film production | additives
Adding performance to fi lms
Producers and processors of compounds for production of fi lms have a lot to consider when it comes to additive packages. Whether we are talking about fi lms for fresh and processed food, for greenhouses, or for more technical applications, great consideration has to be given to how additives can improve properties of compounds as they are being processed, as well as the properties of the fi lms as they are being produced, converted and then put into use. This article provides a run-through of some of the latest developments and considerations.
Agricultural applications A great deal of effort is being expended to develop additive systems to improve the lifetime of agricultural fi lms. At the Agricultural Films 2015 conference, which is organised by Compounding World publisher Applied Market Information, in Barcelona at the end of Septem- ber a number of new developments were presented. One focus of these was improving resistance of fi lms to the sulphur-based pest management systems that are increasingly used in commercial greenhouses, but which degrade some types of hindered amine light stabilisers (HALS) and shorten fi lm lifetimes. Montserrat Guillamón, a marketing and business
development manager with BASF in Spain, showed how synergistic combinations of special types of HALS and ultraviolet absorbers can enhance fi lm performance
www.compoundingworld.com There are a whole raft of additive
technologies available to improve the durability and performance of compounds for fi lms.
Peter Mapleston looks at some of the latest innovations
and improve crop yields over longer periods than is normally possible with other additive systems. BASF has been carrying out fi eld trials with LDPE fi lms containing its Tinuvin XT200 – a HALS based on N-alkoxy (NOR) technology – and UV absorber Tinuvin 326, and comparing results with fi lms containing a nickel quencher (NiQ) and the company’s Chimassorb 81 UV stabiliser. The fi lms were used on greenhouses fi tted with sulphur burners. The two-year long trials showed that the fi lms
containing NOR HALS had measurable advantages over the alternative, both in terms of fi lm lifetimes and in the quantity and quality of produce grown. Light transmis- sion remained higher throughout the period (Figure 1), and fi lm mechanical properties were considerably better at the end of the test. In some cases, the fi lms
Main image: Agricultural fi lms is a key
area of additive development, with the target improved
resistance to UV and
aggressive pest management technologies
January 2016 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 17
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