MATERIALS | TECHNOLOGY WATERPROOF MEMBRANES


Membrane controls


climate Spanish manufacturing company Goimek has achieved better internal temperature control by installing a new roof from Renolit Alkorplan. The 1.5mm thick roof


membrane is light in colour and provides water tightness, mechani- cal and chemical resist- ance, and energy saving. It is 60% more efficient than a standard coloured membrane, says Renolit. The 8,700 sq m roof has a 20-year warranty that achieves better energy performance. “Renolit’s synthetic


membrane roofing products give a perfect water tightness and allows us to keep a total control of the tempera- ture inside the building all year round,” said Mikel Irureta Iturrino, environ- mental health, and safety manager at Goimek. � www.renolit.com


THERMOFORMING Recycle-ready film for food packaging


At Pack Expo International, flexpack specialist Korozo Group showed its KoroRCY skin films for vacuum packs and thermoforming films. The film is used to create a recycle-


ready film, which can be used in multiple chilled and high-barrier packaging applications. Key features and benefits include high levels of clarity when compared to OPP/PE and PET/PE laminates, and stiffness, strength


www.filmandsheet.com


and weight that surpasses conventional PET/PE laminates of comparable thickness. Ideal for flexo and gravure printing,


KoroRCY provides moisture and gas barriers suitable for modi- fied atmosphere packaging (MAP) and other applications, and packs are suitable for zippers and tear notches. � www.korozo.com.tr


November/December 2024 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 45 UHMWPE Plastic film ‘as strong as steel’


Toray Industries has developed a plastic film – from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) – which it says is “almost as strong as stainless steel”. The new film has a maximum tensile strength of 1,200 MPa, it says. The molecular weight of UHMWPE is 10 times greater than that of regular PE. One shortcoming is


BIOPLASTICS Switching to soluble packaging


Online retailer N Brown has begun using garment bags made from Hydropol – a recyclable, soluble plastic from Aquapak Polymers. The retailer will begin using Maxim’s Polymax packaging – made from Hydropol – for garment bags for its own-label products. Unlike traditional plastic film, garment bags made


from Hydropol can be recycled alongside paper, plastic, metal or food without any risk of contami- nation. Consumers can put Hydropol packaging in their kerbside recycling where it will dissolve safely as part of the recycling process. It can also go in standard black bins, where it will safely biodegrade. “N Brown will almost halve the use of conven-


tional plastic by switching to the new garment bags which provide optimum garment and merchandise protection but without harming the environment,” said Mark Lapping, CEO of Aquapak Polymers. Sarah Welsh, CEO of


retail at N Brown, added: “This new packaging will enable us to reduce our plastic usage by 44%.” � www.aquapakpolymers.com


low processability because the molecular chains are long and highly entangled. This makes it difficult to produce high-strength films with biaxial stretching. Toray overcame this challenge by creating a nanostructure with highly oriented molecular chains of UHMWPE across two dimensions – using its proprietary extrusion and biaxial stretching technolo-


gies. The film has more than twice the tensile strength of PET film, which is used in typical industrial applica- tions. It is also as strong as aramid film, says Toray. The company says the film could function as a heat-dissipating material for flexible devices and other applications requiring miniaturisation, lightness, insulation, and flexibility. � www.toray.com


IMAGE: KOROZO


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