Several decades ago, when Polysack was searching for a technology to manufacture highly durable fibers, the MDO (machine-direction orientation) technology was selected as the optimal match. After years of experimentation, gaining knowhow and expertise, and acquiring state-of-the-art equipment, Polysack is one of the few companies in the world that specializes in manufacturing film using MDO technology, and is an expert in this field today. Polysack‘s production facility accommodates leading edge machinery including four production lines equipped with inline MDO-extruders for manufacturing multi-layered blown film, in addition to one offline mono-oriented MDO stretching unit, and two slitting machines. Polysack’s extra-thin film is highly cost-effective as compared to other blown and cast films. It is manufactured with mono-oriented multi-layer polyolefins, providing considerable savings in material and energy, and yielding superior quality and strength.

When used for labelling containers, Polysack film forms the sleeves which are fitted and shrunk simultaneously, thus eliminating the sleeve production and inspection step. Furthermore, Polysack film stretches in the same direction as the movement of the containers on the conveyer belt, increasing labelling speed and efficiency.

 

Benefits of MDO

Using MDO film, Polysack has enabled packaging producers to significantly reduce their costs while gaining an enhanced packaging material with multiple benefits, described as follows:

• Enhanced mechanical properties such as tensile strength puncture resistance, stiffness, dead-fold, easy tearing in one direction, control over elongation on the machine-direction, and high machine-direction shrinkage.
• Enhanced optical properties: film can be tailored to meet specific requirements such as high transparency and gloss, low or high haze and light polarization.
• Enhanced barrier properties, enabling the production of down-gauged films while retaining the same oxygen and water barrier properties of thicker films.
• Film down-gauging requiring less source materials, less packaging and less transportation costs, thus reducing CO2 footprint, while retaining and improving film properties.

 

MDO film manufacturing process

1. Preheating: Film enters the MDO stretching unit and is evenly preheated to a required temperature.
2. Orientation: Film is nipped between a series of rollers revolving at various speeds.
3. Annealing: Film is stabilized, and its altered properties are locked and retained.
4. Cooling: Film is cooled to near room temperature.