Israeli manufacturer of compounds, additives and masterbatches Tosaf (Afula; www.tosaf.com) recently announced it has completed a substantial expansion of its production simulation laboratory systems in Israel. With this project now finalised, the company says it can begin offering a full range of basic developmental and customer-specific test runs.

"We can now test products by simulating both harsh environments as well as all of the major film packaging production steps commonly used in the food and no-food industries," stated Yafit Moyal, a development manager at the company.

Some of the enhancements involved in the expansion project include a modified QUV system which monitors the results of accelerated weathering in aggressive environments. Another feature is a specialised greenhouse simulation dedicated to accelerated testing of agricultural films exposed to UV light, high temperatures and humidity.

The company has also installed a multi-layer co-extrusion blown film line, cast flim line and a corona surface treatment system along with a printing simulator.