Plastic film

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Film strip (photographic film) Film strip.jpg
Film strip (photographic film)
6 mil polyethylene plastic sheet as vapor barrier in construction Vapour barrier.JPG
6 mil polyethylene plastic sheet as vapor barrier in construction
Confectionery packaging made of PLA-blend bio-flex bioplastic Sweets packaging made of PLA-Blend Bio-Flex.jpg
Confectionery packaging made of PLA-blend bio-flex bioplastic
Shrink-wrapped OH-58 Kiowa helicopters to be shipped. US Navy 030808-N-5613J-010 Army OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopters assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., are shrink wrapped.jpg
Shrink-wrapped OH-58 Kiowa helicopters to be shipped.

Plastic film is a thin continuous polymeric material. Thicker plastic material is often called a "sheet". These thin plastic membranes are used to separate areas or volumes, to hold items, to act as barriers, or as printable surfaces.

Contents

Plastic films are used in a wide variety of applications. These include: packaging, plastic bags, labels, building construction, landscaping, electrical fabrication, photographic film, film stock for movies, video tape, etc.

Materials

Almost all plastics can be formed into a thin film. Some of the primary ones are:

Processes

A tube of extruded film being blown to expand Film extrusion.jpg
A tube of extruded film being blown to expand

Plastic films are usually thermoplastics and are formed by melting for forming the film. [2]

Further processing

Plastic films are typically formed into rolls by roll slitting. Often additional coating or printing operations are also used. Films can be modified by physical vapor deposition to make metallised films. Films can be subjected to corona treatment or plasma processing; films can have release agents applied as needed.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BoPET</span> Polyester film

BoPET is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical stability, dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity when metallized, gas and moisture barrier properties, and electrical insulation. The film is "biaxially oriented", which means that the polymer chains are oriented parallel to the plane of the film, and therefore oriented in two axes. A variety of companies manufacture boPET and other polyester films under different brand names. In the UK and US, the best-known trade names are Mylar, Melinex, Lumirror and Hostaphan. It was the first biaxially oriented polymer to be manufactured on a mass commercial scale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polypropylene</span> Thermoplastic polymer

Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamination</span> Technique of fusing layers of material

Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials, such as plastic. A laminate is a layered object or material assembled using heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives. Various coating machines, machine presses and calendering equipment are used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrink wrap</span> Polymer used to bundle boxes on a pallet for transport

Shrink wrap, also shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied, it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a handheld heat gun, or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calender</span> Manufacturing device

A calender is a series of hard pressure rollers used to finish or smooth a sheet of material such as paper, textiles, rubber, or plastics. Calender rolls are also used to form some types of plastic films and to apply coatings. Some calender rolls are heated or cooled as needed. Calenders are sometimes misspelled calendars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tire manufacturing</span> Process of tire fabrication

Pneumatic tires are manufactured according to relatively standardized processes and machinery, in around 455 tire factories in the world. With over 1 billion tires manufactured worldwide annually, the tire industry is a major consumer of natural rubber. Tire factories start with bulk raw materials such as synthetic rubber, carbon black, and chemicals and produce numerous specialized components that are assembled and cured.

Thermoplastic olefin, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), or olefinic thermoplastic elastomers refer to polymer/filler blends usually consisting of some fraction of a thermoplastic, an elastomer or rubber, and usually a filler.

Coated paper is paper that has been coated by a mixture of materials or a polymer to impart certain qualities to the paper, including weight, surface gloss, smoothness, or reduced ink absorbency. Various materials, including kaolinite, calcium carbonate, bentonite, and talc, can be used to coat paper for high-quality printing used in the packaging industry and in magazines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic extrusion</span> Melted plastic manufacturing process

Plastics extrusion is a high-volume manufacturing process in which raw plastic is melted and formed into a continuous profile. Extrusion produces items such as pipe/tubing, weatherstripping, fencing, deck railings, window frames, plastic films and sheeting, thermoplastic coatings, and wire insulation.

A geomembrane is very low permeability synthetic membrane liner or barrier used with any geotechnical engineering related material so as to control fluid migration in a human-made project, structure, or system. Geomembranes are made from relatively thin continuous polymeric sheets, but they can also be made from the impregnation of geotextiles with asphalt, elastomer or polymer sprays, or as multilayered bitumen geocomposites. Continuous polymer sheet geomembranes are, by far, the most common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclic olefin copolymer</span> Chemical compound

Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is an amorphous polymer made by several polymer manufacturers. COC is a relatively new class of polymers as compared to commodities such as polypropylene and polyethylene. This newer material is used in a wide variety of applications including packaging films, lenses, vials, displays, and medical devices.

Metallised films are polymer films coated with a thin layer of metal, usually aluminium. They offer the glossy metallic appearance of an aluminium foil at a reduced weight and cost. Metallised films are widely used for decorative purposes and food packaging, and also for specialty applications including insulation and electronics.

Extrusion coating is the coating of a molten web of synthetic resin onto a substrate material. It is a versatile coating technique used for the economic application of various plastics, notably polyethylene, onto paperboard, corrugated fiberboard, paper, aluminium foils, cellulose, Non-wovens, or plastic films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Release liner</span>

A release liner or release paper is a paper or plastic-based film sheet used to prevent a sticky surface from prematurely adhering. It is coated on one or both sides with a release agent, which provides a release effect against any type of a sticky material such as an adhesive or a mastic. Release liners are available in different colors, with or without printing under the low surface energy coating or on the backside of the liner. Release is separation of the liner from a sticky material; liner is the carrier for the release agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twinwall plastic</span>

Twin-wall plastic, specifically twin-wall polycarbonate, is an extruded multi-wall polymer product created for applications where its strength, thermally insulative properties, and moderate cost are ideal. Polycarbonate, which is most commonly formed through the reaction of Bisphenol A and Carbonyl Chloride, is an extremely versatile material. It is significantly lighter than glass, while managing to be stronger, more flexible, and more impact resistant. Twin-wall polycarbonate is used most commonly for green houses, where it can support itself in a structurally sound configuration, limit the amount of UV light due to its nominal translucence, and can withstand the rigors of daily abuse in an outdoor environment. The stagnant air in the cellular space between sheets provides insulation, and additional cell layers can be extruded to enhance insulative properties at the cost of light transmission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Separator (electricity)</span>

A separator is a permeable membrane placed between a battery's anode and cathode. The main function of a separator is to keep the two electrodes apart to prevent electrical short circuits while also allowing the transport of ionic charge carriers that are needed to close the circuit during the passage of current in an electrochemical cell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film blowing machine</span> Machine for making plastic film

A film blowing machine involves one process used to make plastic film. Extruded tubular processing is most often used with polyethylene films but can be used with other polymers. The film may be laminating film, shrink film, agricultural covering film, bags or film for textiles and clothing, and other packaging materials.

Tear resistance is a measure of how well a material can withstand the effects of tearing. It is a useful engineering measurement for a wide variety of materials by many different test methods.

A die in polymer processing is a metal restrictor or channel capable of providing a constant cross sectional profile to a stream of liquid polymer. This allows for continuous processing of shapes such as sheets, films, pipes, rods, and other more complex profiles. This is a continuous process, allowing for constant production, as opposed to a sequential (non-constant) process such as injection molding.

Covema srl was a historic Italian company specializing in the design of plastic processing machinery, based in Milan, via Fontana 1. Founded in 1953 by the Terragni brothers, it also included the companies Corima spa, GBF spa, GBF iberica, RIAP srl, FIRS spa, Covepla Spain, Italproducts srl, Omam spa, TPA srl, AGRIPAK srl, Floraplant srl, Interfinance SA, Technical Die spa, Covema SAE. The technology that Covema has developed since the 1950s is merged into Agripak srl based in Milano and managed by the sons of Marco Terragni: Fabio Terragni (president), Patrizia Terragni and Massimo Terragni.

References

  1. Ammala, Anne (2011). "An overview of degradable and biodegradable polyolefins". Progress in Polymer Science. 36 (8): 1015–1049. doi:10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2010.12.002 . Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  2. White, James Lindsay (July 20, 1990). Principles of Polymer Engineering Rheology. Wiley-Interscience. p. 49. ISBN   9780471853626 . Retrieved 2014-12-25.
  3. US 5072493,Hommes, William J.&Keegan Jr., John J.,"Apparatus for drawing plastic film in a tenter frame",published 1991-12-17, assigned to E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
  4. Ferrer-Balas, D (2001). "Influence of annealing on the microstructural, tensile and fracture properties of polypropylene films". Polymer. 42: 1697–1705. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. US 5167894,Baumgarten, Wilfried W.,"Apparatus comprising an extruder and a calender for producing sheets and/or foils from plastic or rubber mixtures",published 1992-12-01, assigned to Paul Troester Maschinenfabrik
  6. Yuan, Cheng See; Hassan, Azman; Ghazali, , Mohd Imran Hj; Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi (2007). "Heat Sealability of Laminated Films with LLDPE and LDPE as the sealant Materials in Bar Sealing Application". Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 104 (6): 3736–3745. doi:10.1002/app.25863 . Retrieved 24 August 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. US 5037683,Schirmer, Henry G.,"High strength laminated film for chub packaging",published 1991-08-06, assigned to W. R. Grace & Co.
  8. Morris, B A (2008). "UNDERSTANDING WHY ADHESION IN EXTRUSION COATING DECREASES WITH DIMINISHING COATING THICKNESS". JOURNAL OF PLASTIC FILM & SHEETING. 24: 53–88. Retrieved 26 August 2024.

Standards by ASTM International

D882 – Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Thin Plastic Sheeting
D1004 – Standard Test Method for Tear Resistance (Graves Tear) of Plastic Film and Sheeting
D1204 – Standard Test Method for Linear Dimensional Changes of Nonrigid Thermoplastic Sheeting or Film at Elevated Temperature
D1593 – Standard Specification for Nonrigid Vinyl Chloride Plastic Film and Sheeting
D1709 – Standard Test Methods for Impact Resistance of Plastic Film by the Free Falling Dart Method
D1894 – Standard Test Method for Static and Kinetic Coefficients of Friction of Plastic Film and Sheeting
D1922 – Standard Test Method for Propagation Tear Resistance of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting by Pendulum Method
D1938 – Standard Test Method for Tear Propagation Resistance of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting by a Single Tear Method
D2103 – Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting
D2582 – Standard Test Method for Puncture Propagation Tear Resistance of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting
D2673 – Standard Specification for Oriented Polypropylene Film
D2732 – Standard Test Method for Unrestrained Linear Thermal Shrinkage of Plastic Film and Sheeting
D2838 -Standard Test Method for Shrink Tension and Orientation Release Stress of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting
D2923 – Standard Test Method for Rigidity of Polyolefin Film and Sheeting
D3420 – Standard Test Method for Pendulum Impact Resistance of Plastic Film
D3595 – Standard Specification for Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) Extruded Plastic Sheet and Film
D3664 – Standard Specification for Biaxially Oriented Polymeric Resin Film for Capacitors in Electrical Equipment
D3985 – Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using a Coulometric Sensor
D4321 – Standard Test Method for Package Yield of Plastic Film
D5047 – Standard Specification for Polyethylene Terephthalate Film and Sheeting
D6287 – Standard Practice for Cutting Film and Sheeting Test Specimens
D6988 – Standard Guide for Determination of Thickness of Plastic Film Test Specimens
D8136 - Standard Test Method for Determining Plastic Film Thickness and Thickness Variability Using a Non-Contact Capacitance Thickness Gauge
E1870 – Standard Test Method for Odor and Taste Transfer from Polymeric Packaging Film
F2029- Standard Practices for Making Heatseals for Determination of Heatsealability of Flexible Webs as Measured by Seal Strength
F2622 – Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using Various Sensors

Books and general references