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A first ever 2 day international conference on
BOPP film was recently conducted at Germany. Participation of over
150 delegates clearly indicates that BOPP has attained a status
to be recognised as one of the important flexible packaging materials.
BOPP consumption, pegged at almost 3.3 million
tonnes, is attributed to various qualities :
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A superior aesthetic appeal due to
sparkingly clear and glossy film |
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Printability
in multi colours |
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Relatively
lower cost and higher yield due to very low density (0.90kg/M3). |
These are the key driving features leading BOPP
film to achieve almost 10% annual average growth over the entire
decade of the nineties. This spectacular growth is almost 50% more
than that of the overall growth of PP and more than 250% growth
of the global GDP over the same time frame. Experts project growth
to continue at 7% over the remaining 7 years of this decade.
The major change in BOPP manufacturing in the past two decades
has been significant increase in the productivity of plants. While
productivity of 2000-5000 tpa per plant was quite common during
the eighties, the nineties have seen productivity rising to levels
as high as 25000-30,000 tpa per plant. This implies an increase
in the line speed of the modern plants to more than 500 meter/minute
and width to about 10 meter on stenter lines.
All the three major BOPP stenter film producers; Brückner,
DMT and Mitsubishi have contributed well towards productivity improvement
developments. Mitsubishi is concentrating on tandem extrusion systems
to achieve higher productivity. Bruckner alone has supplied 4 large
lines in the recent past, its latest contract being in China, for
Asia`s first high performance 10m BOPP film line. Brückner`s
unrivalled competence and specific know-how in 10m lines has been
impressive in previous projects. Brückner is currently promoting
its latest simultaneous stretching system known as LISIM.
In addition to productivity developments, efforts are also focused
on producing high value-added products such as enhanced barrier
films or shrink films as a replacement for PVC. The most recent
development is a lighter film having lower density.
All these developments have been possible because PP producers have
developed grades with higher tacticity to enhance stiffness or with
broader molecular weight distribution or even bimodal products that
impart wider processing tolerance at higher shear rates. Overall
technology innovations in all the fields, whether its raw material
or additives or equipment have contributed to the overall growth
of BOPP in the last 10 years.
The improved standard of living of the Asian continent is responsible
for high growth of BOPP in this region. In fact, this continent
which, until this decade, was more focused on low productivity technology
of water cooled blown film, is moving to very high productvity modern
stenter BOPP plants.
China has recently set up or is in process of increasing the capacity
tremendously. China is adding the first 10 meter wide film line
with an average 5 ton/hour production capacity – probably the
largest line in Asia. It is quite possible that China may become
a net exporter within the next few years from the present stage
of a net importer.
In fact, other Asian countries are also phasing out the TQ film
technology. Only India continues to produce TQ PP films at much
higher levels as compared to BOPP films.
Of course, the next couple of years will see almost doubling of
the existing BOPP capacity in India. Asia - currently a net importer
of BOPP, is expected to be not only self sufficient, but a net exporter
to the other regions. Asian region is expected to grow at an average
growth of 10% compared to 7% globally in this decade.
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