MATERIALS | MULTILAYER FILM


sharp-edged products. The film is also around 30% lighter than conventional PA/PE structures. Without any compromise on product protection, 150-mi- cron Multifol Extreme can replace a conventional 200-micron thermoforming film, it says. More material savings can be made by combining a Multifol Extreme base film with a lidding film from the same product family.


Nano benefits US-based Peak Nano has begun using its Nano- Plex metamaterials technology to design a new type of barrier film. The project is receiving financial support from


Right: TotalEnergies and W&H have developed a pouch to package oil and lubricant


the Greater Akron Polymer Innovation Hub. It aims to replace traditional multi-layer packaging film, which can be difficult to recycle. Peak Nano’s equivalent films are nano- layered and biodegradable. The films contain thou-


sands of polymer layers, allowing several polymer characteristics can be com- bined in one material. The coextrusion and biaxial orientation processes also boost oxygen and moisture resistance. “With NanoPlex, we can create


nano-layers for characteristics like barrier performance, mechanical


strength and even degradability,” said Michael Ponting, chief scientific officer at Peak Nano. “We can now design biodegradable nanolayer structures that give converters the barrier and mechanical properties they need.” In the current phase, Peak Nano and partners


will produce prototype biodegradable nanolayer film systems and evaluate them on commercial equipment used for food and medical packaging. Later phases include biodegradability testing, cost


and scale-up modelling, and a commercialisation roadmap for supplying nanolayered biodegrad- able films commercially.


Oil pouch TotalEnergies has joined forces with Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H) to develop a pouch to package oil and lubricant. It features a recyclable PE/PA multi-layer structure made of PE from Total’s Lumicene and Lumicene Supertough ranges. It also incorporates 35% recycled polymer, thanks to the use of Total’s rPE 2206, a mechanically recycled post-consumer grade.


18 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | September 2026 stretch film.


“MDO still has the reputation of being difficult,” said Schmitz, adding that many film-producing companies have explored MDO in recent years but “not taken the final step”. “We have worked intensively on MDO and have made its handling increasingly simple, reliable, and economical,” he said. “Customers who have taken this path with us are producing MDO films today.”


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � www.tropicplastic.co.za � https://reifenhauser.com � www.obengroup.com � www.brueckner.com � https://cnginc.com � www.ingeniapolymers.com � www.macroeng.com � www.dreyplas.com � www.suedpack.com � www.peaknano.com � www.totalenergies.com � www.wuh-group.com


www.filmandsheet.com


Using Aquarex water-quenching technology, the new pouch achieves a thickness of 170 microns – an 83% reduction in material use compared to the standard 1-litre HDPE rigid container that is typically 1mm thick. The innovation builds on a previous collabora-


tion, which showed the feasibility of a recyclable high-barrier stand-up pouch for food applications. The pouch was seen at K2025, while the films were processed during W&H’s in-house expo. “This shows our integral approach to polymer development,” said Olivier Greiner, vice president of polymers for Europe & Orient at TotalEnergies. “We rethink the use of plastics by designing recyclable materials, reduce their impact by reducing thickness, and foster circularity by integrating recycled polymers.” Torsten Schmitz, managing


director of extrusion at W&H, added: “This pouch is a tangible example of two megatrends: designing packag- ing for recyclability; and integrating recycled materials into new products.” W&H also showed a range of MDO-PE packaging at Interpack this year, including a frozen food pouch for extreme conditions, packaging with printed or


extruded barriers, and a 35% PCR


IMAGE: TOTALENERGIES


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