From the agricultural greenhouse to multi-layer plastic films for food packaging, Italian blown film extrusion technology has undergone many years of innovation. There are more than 20 extrusion line manufacturers in Italy with major users all over the world. From Europe to the United States, China has its customers. This article mainly introduces two specific applications, namely medical packaging and bubble film. * *

Extrusion processing of pharmaceutical packaging film is affected by many factors, among which the most important ones are: the production line (must meet high-precision process technology requirements), the environment and working conditions, and the production line is installed in the sterile room to prevent the product Subject to any form of contamination. In addition, the production line and the environment must also be regularly sanitized in order to ensure their long-term cleanliness and have the proper function. Especially for primary pharmaceutical packaging, environmental requirements are a prerequisite.

All pharmaceutical industry films are sterilized and there are three types of disinfection depending on the structure and end use: gamma radiation, dioxyethylene, and autoclaves (commonly known as wet or steam sterilization). Autoclaving is the most commonly used method, with high efficiency and strong functionality. Other methods are relatively expensive and complicated, and are generally used for PE films because PE films cannot be sterilized with steam. In the sterilization process of an autoclave, the temperature exceeds 121°C. Therefore, the raw materials and the produced film must be able to withstand the heat treatment process in addition to the intended use.

The basic raw materials used in the medical field are mainly polypropylene homopolymers and copolymers. The special polypropylenes that are approved for use in the industry on the market have been treated differently than standard grades. COLINES is a professional manufacturer of flat die extrusion lines for the pharmaceutical industry. It works with partner companies and is a film manufacturer. Its three partner companies, BPACK, B-PACK DUE and IMBALLAGGI PROTETTIVI, process more than 20,000 tons of polypropylene per year, and can design special film structures according to shelf life and user requirements. If required, the barrier coefficient can be determined based on the expected life of the product to be packed. For products that require a long shelf life, barrier materials such as PA, PETG, or EVOH are added to the film structure.

Because these materials have different physical and mechanical properties, materials cannot be selected based only on their degree of gas barrier, but also on the combination of materials with other materials. According to the formulation suitable for the end use, two barrier materials may be used in one structure to bind to PP to obtain high protection performance; if the required shelf life is short, only one barrier material may be used. All of the above materials can be used as primary packaging material after being properly extruded under controlled environmental conditions, such as direct contact with the product. In this special case, the latest Barriercast line with a seven-layer structure with a packaging mechanism can produce film for filling bags filled with intravenous drip and injection sugar and saline solution. The group's three companies also produce secondary packaging, which primarily serves structural functions or compensates for the lack of heat resistance to sterilization conditions (above 121°C). For example, IMBALLAGGI PROTETTIVI uses an on-line process to produce a variable-weight coextruded PP sheet that has several uses in the pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries. The Bubble Guard sheet produced with homopolypropylene was used after sterilization for the intermediate layer and vaccine trays during medical transportation. In addition to these applications, it can also be made into a box for containing hospital solid waste or medical instruments such as syringes, scissors, or clamp-shaped bone needles. The structure and material combination depends on the required shelf life and barrier properties. Its product range can range from co-extruded CPP films (up to 5 packs) produced by B-PACK DUE (for primary packaging of slender knives and sterile gauze) to high-barrier 7-layer structural films produced by B-PACK (available Transfusion equipment for military or ambulances). The rapid growth of the pharmaceutical industry, coupled with the needs of countries with critical technologies, has enabled the market for the latest Barriercast line to grow rapidly. The production line is mainly used for the production of filling bags in the Far East, equipped with a 7-layer feeding mechanism, an extruder for packaging and a Dittering system. Its main technical parameters are: Available width of 2200 mm, which guarantees an average productivity of 550 kg/h for barrier films and 600 kg/h for PP films.

The bubble film is lightweight, tough and eco-friendly, and its cushioning layer can be formed by its elasticity and wear resistance. Now it is used in many applications ranging from high quality packaging to heat insulation and sound insulation. The bubbles can provide complete protection against impact, prevent damage caused mainly by compression, and the resulting package is light, transparent, harmless, and resistant to acids, alkalis, oils and other chemicals as well as water and moisture. The use of a bubble film can reduce the volume of the package, and thus can reduce transportation costs. Bubble film can be printed, it can be laminated with PE or other PE materials, and can be 100% recycled. Due to its flexible production and use of different materials, the film is now used to package a wide range of different products and consumer products, including glass, furniture, food, pharmaceuticals and electronics, and office equipment.

TORNINOVA's production line designed for this application is considered to be the main feature of its flexibility, allowing processors to meet growing market demands through bubble films for a variety of applications. Its product range includes: PE-processed 2-3-layer standard products for general packaging, 3-layer products for thermal insulation and sound insulation (LDPE for air bubbles, PE-coated mPET for substrates and third Layer) for packaging large products such as 3-4 layers of furniture and sofas (bubbles and substrates made of LDPE, third layer made of foamed PE, or 4 layers made of laminated HDPE) Wait.

Reprinted from: China Plastic Rubber