Chemicals manufacturer Borealis (Vienna / Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) has introduced a range of “BorShape” film materials based on its “Borstar” bimodal technology. The company says the materials create opportunities to develop new films with less material, greater efficiency and improved environmental and lifecycle performance along the packaging value chain using a single product.

Borealis said at “K 2010” that two grades have recently been introduced into the market and tested at pilot customers in several applications: “BorShape” FX1001 and FX1002 are claimed to deliver high throughput, good bubble stability as well as thickness distribution, and low energy consumption and scrap rates. They also retain high optical properties as core material in multilayer constructions and a “pure” appearance for food and hygiene applications. Film performance benefits include high toughness even at low temperatures in combination with very high stiffness, the producer said. This allows for faster line speeds and enables material downgauging with consistently high film performance.

BorShape’s hot tack properties also contribute to high packaging speeds and increased output. “BorShape sets a new reference in the PO film market with a downgauging potential of 30%,” said Wim Roels, Borealis’ senior vice president for film and fibre. “This opens the door to advantages for our partners along the value chain: operational improvements and better film consistency for converters, improved efficiency for packers, and product innovation, reduced costs and a raised sustainability profile for brand owners.”