As a specialist in extrusion machinery for the production of shrink film, Macro Engineering Technology is prepared if the industry switches from structures based on polyvinylidene dichloride (PVdC) to other, more sustainable  material options. So, it’s building a new, biaxially oriented multibubble lab line at its headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada). “We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from producers who don’t know if PVdC is going to be around for long or if the shrink market will move to ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) for some products,” notes Karen Xiao, the machine builder’s vice president of technology. “We have produced a few lines already that are capable of running both PVdC and EVOH.”

In anticipation of a possible switch and to help customers prepare for the future, Macro sold its old PVdC lab line and is in the process of installing a brand new system optimized for running structures based on nylon, EVOH and monomaterials in two- and three-bubble formats. Says Xiao, “Macro desires to help customers develop structures that are more sustainable on a small production-scale that can be easily scaled up to wider widths.” Macro is hopeful the line will be ready for customer trials before the end of the year. Xiao says more than 10 of its customers have already expressed interest in running trials.

“PVdC is a very difficult material to replace,” Xiao notes. “It has both superior moisture and oxygen barrier, and if you have to remove it from the structure you will need to reengineer the film without compromising on its final properties.” The line will produce film up to seven layers. The line is equipped with a die with multiple lip sets ranging from 60 to 90 mm, and will run at layflat widths of 200-600 mm, making it suited for both trials and small production runs. It is also built to accommodate various barrier and nonbarrier structures for film development purposes for nonshrink applications.

Says Xiao, “We know enough about the PVdC world that we can extrapolate from those recipes to help customers design new structures. This is pretty exciting news. Over the years, many machine builders have gotten rid of their lab lines (Macro also has a three-layer blown film line in its lab), but we think we will be filling a big need with this at a time when our customers are asking a lot of questions about different polymers and how they fit with their sustainability goals. So, the idea behind the line is to give customers the opportunity to come in and optimize their film properties with tailored formulations using new materials and new process options, whether they're currently running PVdC or just investigating options to run something else.”

Macro has sold more than 70 of its Quadex-2B two-bubble lines globally, and also offers a Quadex-3B, a three-bubble system. Macro believes this will be the first lab line of its kind in North America. 

At its booth, Macro is also discussing retrofit packages. One of its specialties is winding, and the machine builder reports it has been retrofitting new winders on existing lines to increase both safety and productivity (auto cut as opposed to manual, for example) and automate functions such as core loading. Macro also specializes in customized blown film die designs.