At its Ludwigshafen site, BASF has started up a tailor-made polyamide coextrusion line for packaging and technical films. With the collaboration of customers from the film industry, the line will be used to develop new applications for Ultramid polyamides. It will also be used for research, product development and material testing for Ultramid film products.

The line can produce cast and blown films with up to seven layers. The size and flexible configuration of the combined system enable it to simulate production conditions. The line is ideal for the production of test quantities and application testing for new film products.

"Ultramid helps our customers to develop increasingly sophisticated film structures," says Hermann Althoff, Senior Vice President of BASF's Global Polyamide & Intermediates Business Unit. "The new coextrusion line will enable us to develop new film applications for specific market needs in partnership with our customers."

The line can be used for cast or blown films depending on the requirements. It extrudes symmetrical and asymmetrical films 20µm to 250µm thick and up to 750mm wide at a speed of up to 50 meters per minute. Blown films can be air-cooled and additionally cooled with water if required. Cast films are cooled on a chill roll with an adjustable temperature of between 20°C and 130°C.