NEWS


Blown film line with MDO lifts capacity of mono-material film


Polish packaging manufacturer ERG has invested in its first line from Hosokawa Alpine, to make mono- material film.


It has installed a seven-layer blown film line – with inline machine direction orientation (MDO) – allowing it to make films that are more easily recyclable. In addition, the new line has helped raise production capacity by 30%. “Our vision is the sustainable


production of packaging that meets customers needs while minimising impact on the environment,” said Tomasz Gwizda, commercial director at ERG.


One product made on the line is


ERG’s Premium PE-MDO film. This is a seven- or 14-layer film for printing and laminating. As mono-material packag-


offset and digital printing,” said Gwizda. Hosokawa’s MDO technology is based on monoaxial stretching of blown film. The stretching process reduces the film thickness while improving optical and mechanical properties – including barrier proper- ties, transparency or processability. Stresses created during stretching are reduced in the later annealing phase – then the film cools and compensates for thermal shrinkage. Richard Hausner, sales manager for


ing, it is more easily recyclable, says the company.


“Due to its unique mechanical


properties, the film is suitable for both surface and interlayer printing in flexo,


Poland in the Hosokawa Alpine’s film extrusion division, said: “The raw material requirement can be reduced with this technology in a resource- saving way – and efficiency can be increased.” � www.hosokawa-alpine.com


Expanding graphics collaboration


Printing and decoration company Leonhard Kurz of Germany has bought Canyon Graphics – a US-based specialist in printing, thermoforming and other techniques. Canyon operates


internationally and employs more than 60 people.


“We welcome Canyon into our group and antici- pate collaborating with a company that operates in such captivating market segments,” said Rainer Suessmann, executive senior vice president for plastic decoration at Kurz. Thomas Hertlein, CEO of


US-based Kurz Transfer Products, added: “Canyon’s proficiency in engineering and supplying IML parts in the US perfectly comple- ments our strengths in crafting decorative plastics components and flexible sensors.” � www.kurz-world.com


Sonoco plant to close down


US-based packaging specialist Sonoco is closing a thermoforming plant in Indiana, with the loss of more than 60 jobs. The facility, in Fremont, was originally acquired when Sonoco bought Thermoform Engineered Quality in 2019, said a report in local news outlet


6


Inside Indiana Business. “As part of ongoing


operational improvement programs, we continue to evaluate our manufacturing footprint based on long- term economic viability and the ability to cost effectively serve our customers,” said a Sonoco spokesperson in the article. “Against this back-


FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | November 2023


drop, we have made the difficult decision to close the Fremont facility.” The first phase of the


closure will take place in December, while some employees will be kept on for production and facility shutdown activities until it finally closes in June 2024. � www.sonoco.com


IN BRIEF...


September’s Plast exhibi- tion in Milan, Italy, attracted 38,000 visitors, according to event organiser Proma- plast. Attendance was down by around 40% on the previous show in 2018, which took place before the Covid pandemic. Even so, the organisers de- scribed it as a “good result in an increasingly complex international context”. www.plastonline.org


US film extruder Novolex is to close its plant in Coldwater, Ohio, which makes customised mono and co-extruded blown films bags. The plant will be wound down in Decem- ber 2023, resulting in around 60 job losses. www.novolex.com


www.filmandsheet.com


IMAGE: HOSOKAWA ALPINE


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