Plastic film production
Plastic film can be used and applied to a multitude of applications, for example food packaging, protective packaging or agricultural crop protection. Polymer additives are critical to the performance of plastic film for such applications. Incorporation of the correct type and level of additive can increase through-put and reduce wastage by alleviating a number of processing, handling and storage problems encountered during the plastic film production stages.
Our additives offer many benefits to plastic films, including friction reduction (measured as CoF), anti-fogging and anti-static effects, which essentially improve end-product performance.
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Why are additives needed in polymer films?
Plastic films can be produced from a variety of polymer types, including polyolefins, polyesters and biopolymers. Polymers such as these tend to have naturally high friction and are natural insulators. They can be processed in many different ways and undergo post-production processing such as biaxial orientation. These natural properties combined with extreme processing conditions and use in demanding applications means that polymer films need the help of additives to deliver optimal performance.
How can our speciality additives for plastic films help?
Our speciality, bio-based polymer additives can be used in polymer film production to enable more efficient film production and processing, and optimal performance in the end application. Examples of how our polymer additives can help in film production include:
- Lowering friction during processing and production for a more efficient and sustainable process
- Easier handling of the film
- Reducing static charge build up
- Reducing fogging
Slip and friction reduction
Our slip additives work in a wide variety of polymer types and processes to help reduce friction during processing and in the final film. Our range of slip additives can be incorporated directly into the polymer during the extrusion process. They work by migrating to the surface of the polymer as it cools to form a solid lubricating layer. They lower the friction between contacting polymer surfaces to aid processing and handling.
Key benefits in plastic film applications:
- Lowering friction during processing and production for a more efficient and sustainable process
- Easier handling of the film, for example winding of film rolls, bag production and packaging operations
- Enables thinner films to be produced
Anti-block
Our anti-blocking additives are used to improve handling and user experience in film applications such as plastic bags. They migrate to the surface to form a continuous non-sticking layer. This allows lower levels of inorganic anti-blockings agents to be used, resulting in improved clarity. They can be used in combination with slip additives without increasing total additive levels to give slip and anti-blocking performance providing key benefits like:
- High film clarity
- Low usage levels
- Slipping and non-slipping solutions
- Synergy with inorganic anti-blocking additives
Anti-static
We have anti-static solutions suitable for single layer or multilayer films to help dissipate static build up. We offer a range of solutions for different film applications and polymer types, which include
- Atmer short- and medium-term migrating additives for reduced dust attraction. These products have wider ranging food approvals and can be used in food and cosmetic packaging.
- Ionphase inherently dissipative polymers. These are permanent non-migrating static dissipative solutions, which offer static protection for electrostatic protection areas and to meet ATEX standards.
- Externally coated anti-static additives are products that are applied to the outer surface of a polymer to provide short or medium term anti-static protection. They are often used when internal permanent or migrating additives are not suitable due to clarity, cost or polymer compatibility.
Anti-fog
Anti-fogging additives allow water to spread into a continuous and uniform transparent layer on the surface of films. This results in improved light transmission and transparency which has benefits in both agricultural and food packaging applications.
