Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 22, 2019 11:15 AM

Hosokawa Alpine pushes ahead with efficient and recyclable solutions

Karen Laird
Editor, Sustainable Plastics
Plastics News Europe
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel
    Joachim Oberbauer, operations director at Hosokawa Alpine, Oct. 20 at K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

    Düsseldorf, Germany — Despite its numerous benefits, multilayer packaging is increasingly coming under scrutiny due to its inability to be efficiently recycled.

    As the circular economy gains momentum, solutions are being sought that are able to provide the barrier properties provided by multiple layers with the green properties needed in a sustainable world.

    But it's not just about packaging. The drive for more sustainability is sweeping across the industry. From resource and energy efficiency to renewably sourced polymers, solutions are being developed to address concerns about the impact of the plastics industry on the environment.

    At K 2019, Hosokawa Alpine AG Film Extrusion Division showed a host of new solutions and future-proof system configurations, such as its new HX Select extruder series. "We've downsized the extrusion system, but it still has a very high output," said Operations Director Joachim Oberbauer. "It's a very small setup, but the melt quality is the same, and it can also handle bio-based and recycled materials."

    The system has an innovative cylinder and screw design for up to 50 percent higher output yet delivers a 20 percent energy saving compared to standard barrel extruders, he added. Walking around the stand during K, Oct. 16-23 in Düsseldorf, he pointed out further innovations.

    "We are presenting a complete cooling system, which has a new Alpine CRX cooling ring series for outer cooling as well as the new Alpine HT cooling tower for inner cooling," he demonstrated. It provides an energy-efficient use of existing cooling capacity for an optimum film quality with maximum output and can be very easily integrated into the system through just one cooling air supply line.

    "Also we are showing for the first time the Alpine ASW screen changer, which is efficient and compact, as an additional innovation," Oberbauer noted.

    The new Alpine HWD winder combines the advantages of flatbed and turret winders in a single machine and can reach winding speeds of up to 300 meters per minute.

    Using the company's two proprietary digital tools, Hosokawa Alpine ISA and ExVis 5.0, processors can have an overview of what's going on with the machine or with the plant.

    "ISA is a central digitization platform, developed from scratch, that can read out, save, display and analyze process data from linked plants," Oberbauer said. "Digitalization is the most important development today and will surely continue to be so into the future."

    Version 5.0 of the company's ExVis process visualization tool adds new features and a more conveniently structured user interface. It is a fully integrated system, incorporating the data of all system components, from material feeder to the winder, which can then be managed centrally and easily integrated into ERP and MES systems.

    A central topic at the show is the development of polyethylene single-material solutions for packaging applications.

    "We were pioneers in MDO technology — we have been doing it for over 20 years — and it is an important component in producing single-material PE compounds that give the right performance."

    In machine-direction orientation (MDO) film, a polymer film is heated to a temperature slightly below its melting point and stretched in a particular orientation. This enables film characteristics such as stiffness, oxygen permeability or appearance to be specifically adapted and the film thickness reduced, therefore saving on material.

    The patented Trim Reduction for Inline Orientation technology also ensures savings in materials when trimming the boundary strips. The newest MDO 04 orientation line features updated TRIO technology, making it possible to produce, laminate and print full PE material composites.

    Pouches at the show are produced within the scope of various joint projects, including a pouch from Coveris where PET is replaced by a machine-oriented PE film made out of Total's Lumicene Supertough resin.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Arcitell's composite Qora Cladding goes to market
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Redline's ‘outrageous cultural behaviors' retain top employees
    2
    Cuts at KraussMaffei to spare US, assembly jobs
    3
    M. Holland, Lavergne strike deal on recycled resin distribution
    4
    K'Nex Brands sold to Florida-based toy company
    5
    PureCycle now planning April startup for PP recycling plant
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified