To display the flexibility of its extrusion technology and the structure of the film, Hosokawa Alpine (Stand 16D6) has run three different versions of a five-layer film structure at its booth during the show, using polyolefins from ExxonMobil Chemical, Nova Chemicals (Stand 6A43), and Sabic (Stand 6D42), all without edge trim.

David Nunes, president of Hosokawa Alpine American (Natick, MA), said the film, typically produced in a three-layer structure, is being extruded in five layers and can be used for laminating. The film features inner and outer layers of metallocene polyethylene (mPE), constituting 10% of the overall structure, with a middle layer of low-density polyethylene (lDPE) sandwiched between two layers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for overall stiffness.

At the heart of the system is Hosokawa Alpine’s patented X-Die, which is a fully nested spiral die. Featuring a perfectly round port distribution like a pancake die, the system can run higher-viscosity resins and allows all extruders to be installed at the same level. The die's short spiral channels result in faster purging.

Nunes said that the company avoided a slowdown in 2009, with sales continuing to improve. “Business is very good,” Nunes says. “In the film market, processors are at full capacity, and that’s good news for everybody.” For 2010, Nunes expects turnover to finish 15% higher that 2009, with at least the same level of growth anticipated for 2011.