STRETCH & SHRINK FILM | MATERIALS
Tight fit: latest advances in stretch film
New formulations for stretch film are helping to ensure that pallet loads retain maximum stability in transit. Lou Reade reports
Pallet stretch film has been a revelation in logistics – and plays a key role in maximising pallet stability and minimising damage to goods in transit. Delegates at AMI’s recent Stretch & Shrink Film
conference – held in April in Madrid, Spain – discov- ered some new solutions to existing problems, including boosting cling performance, overcoming film tearing and performing accurate tilt testing. Braskem presented three potential solutions to
pallet wrapping – which balanced cost and perfor- mance – while highlighting a new product. In the first example, its PP DR376.01 – aimed at high performance applications – was used in the middle of a nine-layer pallet stretch film. It showed a high retention force – and performed better in a tilt test than a standard PP grade. The second test, using its new Flexus 3600
grade – had a lower melt flow rate, and was used in two of the nine inner layers. In particular, it showed superior processability and Elmendorf Tear MD performance than a film using an octene grade. Again, it performed better in tilt tests. In the third test, it used its LF320 grade for
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manual application and automatic solutions – and which contains 70% butene – against a 45% butene grade. While the tear resistance was lower, and tilt test results were slightly inferior, Braskem said that the grade was ideal for applications that do not require great tear resistance. “This formulation is the most competitive in terms
of cost, ad presents good performance,” said Ana Barbara Maldaner, product engineer at Braskem.
Highly stable In similar fashion, Sabic said that some of its particular grades can help to boost pallet stability through a variety of factors. In one example, Bart Van Hoof, global marketing manager for flexible packaging at the company, said that adhesion performance of its Cohere grades have helped to boost cling performance when incorporated into the cling layer. In a project run with Efekt Plus – a Polish stretch film manufac- turer – it changed the formulation of the outer LLDPE cling layer of a five-layer film, replacing 32% VLDPE with 10% Cohere. This led to a cling layer
July/August 2018 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 21
Main image: Stretch film needs to have high mechani- cal strength
PHOTO: EFEKT PLUS
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