Designed-for-recyclability, PE-based films enable downgauging and alternative to BOPP and BOPET while delivering toughness, stiffness, thermal resistance and excellent optical packaging performance
Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, a business unit of Dow (NYSE: DOW) announces the commercial availability of a wide range of tenter frame, biaxially-oriented polyethylene (TF-BOPE) for linear low, medium and high density packaging films. This offering has been developed through a joint value chain effort, combining Dow’s INNATETM TF80 technology with the production know-how and experience of Plastchim-T and Ticinoplast, leading producers in PE and BOPP, and the processing knowledge of machine manufacturer Brückner Maschinenbau. These solutions enable customers to use printable, tough, stiff and visually appealing BOPE films to produce resource-efficient, mono-material packaging that is designed for recyclability.
Dow’s TF-BOPE-based solutions for oriented films are already commercially available in Asia-Pacific and appreciated for their remarkable appearance, and puncture and impact resistance. Applications range from downgauged frozen food films, to triplex laminates without BOPA, and duplex PE-based laminates used for home and personal care pre-made pouches.
“Building on our global experience with BOPE to design packaging for recyclability, the positive reaction of converters and brand owners in Asia has given us confidence to commercialize these solutions throughout Europe, Middle East, and Africa,” said Jaroslaw Jelinek, global marketing manager for oriented PE technologies, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. ”Our global teams have been working through Pack Studios to bring the success of this LLDPE[1] based solution to other regions and to broaden the offering for the growing BOPE market.”
“One main focus of our research work was to make BOPE a comprehensive offering and explore higher density spaces that would make this replacement viable and robust,” said Karlheinz Hausmann, global technical fellow, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics.
“As a result, we have developed a unique blend approach that gives converters of BOPE the flexibility to tailor the film performance to the needs of their customers as effectively and economically as possible.”
Customers of Plastchim-T and Ticinoplast can now work with a range of tested TF-BOPE films suitable for flexo- and roto-gravure printing, including:
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tough, high-clarity films for downgauging,
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co-extruded films and laminates,
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sealable, medium stiffness films for high-speed flow-wrap applications,
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increased density TF-BOPE films with remarkable stiffness and improved thermal resistance, used as a substrate for barrier deposition and as an outer film in PE-based laminates.
“BOPE is a breakthrough technology in flexible packaging, comparable to the launch of BOPP in the 1970’s,” said Paolo Rossi, managing director of Ticinoplast. “BOPE needs strong technical efforts for the complete industrialization, and thanks to the active engagement of all value chain members, the development and production of BOPE is growing. We have already seen its benefits including excellent sealability and mechanical characteristics which are comparable to optics and printability available in current films. The joint efforts of the participants in this BOPE development will lead to recyclable flexible packaging solutions as requested by all stakeholders in the market.”
“Our company is strategically focused on environmental protection, and the novel BOPE solutions are one of the few significant developments in the last years that will make a real difference,” added Aydin Faik, owner of Plastchim-T. “There’s a growing interest in tenter frame BOPE and its usage for different applications, which are designed to be recyclable and down-gaugeable. The grades we have produced in cooperation with Ticinoplast and Dow have achieved very positive test results by converting companies across the globe.”
“For us, BOPE opens the door to a new generation of biaxially oriented films to meet market demand while enabling a closed life-cycle for plastic packaging”, Sebastian Ruhland, sales manager at Brückner Maschinenbau. “All the key factors needed – processing know-how, machine design, and various BOPE film grades – have been developed collaboratively. Now printable and metallizable BOPE-HD based films with high stiffness, low shrinkage and high transparency are ready for the market.”
About Plastchim-T: www.plastchim-t.com
About Ticinoplast: www.ticinoplast.it
About Brückner Maschinenbau: www.brueckner-maschinenbau.com
About Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP), a business unit of Dow (NYSE: DOW), combines core strengths of R&D, worldwide reach, broad product lines and industry expertise to deliver high performing technologies for end use markets in food packaging, personal hygiene, infrastructure, consumer goods and transportation. P&SP is one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene resins, functional polymers, and adhesives, and enabled by Pack Studios, is a leading innovator and collaborator across the value chain on sustainable application development and circular economy life-cycle design for plastics. www.dowpackaging.com
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2019. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
[1] linear, low-density polyethylene
