Initially at K 2010 in Düsseldorf, Reifenhäuser presented a cast film line producing 3-layer unstretched cast PET film that caused a great stir and attracted international interest. By now, four lines using this technology are in operation worldwide. Further lines are scheduled to be shipped shortly.Key component of this line is the "Reitruder" twin-screw extruder that allows processing of PET without the need for pre-crystallization and pre-drying, similar to the production of sheets. This technology offers the customer many technical advantages in addition to a particularly cost-effective PET film production.
Once again, Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating is setting the benchmarks in the area of high-quality cast film lines with superior efficiency.
The winders optimized for a demanding range of products are based on a well-proven concept. Thanks to a specially designed rotary arm winder, it is possible to wind both sensitive 12µm thin PET film, classical CPP film, and stiff PET film of 150µm thickness in a way that eliminates the need for slitting and rewinding for many applications. This allows to improve the production result and save costs.
Blister films are one of the many possible applications. The special cast film technology enables to reduce the thickness of these films to 120µm which is considerably below the 150µm common in polishing stack operations. That means that cost advantages can be obtained also in this area.
From a technical point of view there is a clear trend towards coextrusion. While in the past BOPET films were often laminated with barrier films it is now possible to coextrude these structures in a single operation. This process is already being used successfully on the lines of Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating who can draw on decades of experience in sheet extrusion.
Smaller line sizes, compared to those for BOPET, combined with lower performance give the producer much more flexibility. Small orders for special film thicknesses can be realized as well as recipe modifications for special applications.
Michael Beckhoff, sales manager of Reifenhäuser CSC says: "The many possibilities and variants to produce, for example also CPP film of the same quality and with the same efficiency as obtained on conventional CPP lines, open up completely new perspectives in the optimal utilization of a line. To put it casually: PET with new pep!"
The manufacturer of cast film lines, sheet lines and coating lines who was renamed Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating on 01.07.2012, strengthens its position in the cast film area with this innovative process, and continues working on the consistent further development of these outstanding technologies - also in view of K 2013 in Düsseldorf.
