Extrusion process for flexible tube laminate production
Economic process for PBL (Plastic Barrier Laminate) tube production Use of slitted flat film with different layers and materials High flexibility also for small tube order lots There is hardly any other industry demanding higher flexibility in production than the cosmetic industry. The market of seamless cosmetic tubes today offers brilliant designs of tubes. But it also expects high flexibility from the production and their operators. Main reason: the tube design changes often in order to be individual and attractive.
PBL tube producers face special situation
The average order in this business is often not more than 50,000 tubes. Following orders request than different diameter, different layer configuration, different length and finally a complete different decoration. In other words: the extrusion system and the following equipment must have a high grade of flexibility. A different situation of producers of so called PBL tubes are faced. Compared to the extruded tubes these kind of tubes are made from a web laminate and have visible side seam. Most of their production sizes is usually above 100.000 tubes per order. Laminate film itself is supplied by international players of the film industry to the tube manufacturers. High speed film lines, side-seamers and printers allow an economic mass production of such film but the individual design for small orders is not given.
Use of slitted flat film with different layers and materials
In order to enable laminate tube manufacturers to produce their own individual flat film with individual designs with a high flexibility also for small tube order lots, the company Breyer offers now an extrusion system that is based on the company’s experience from extrusion systems for flat film and extruded tubes. The extrusion line with working width of 1600mm, 800mm, 400mm or less allows the production of slitted flat film with a flexible configuration of different layers (3, 5 or more), for different tube diameters and lengths. Barrier layers made from EVOH, PA, PET, COC are also possible. In addition, properties such as color and haptic which are important for the first impression of the tube product, can be easily adapted by using different polymers like PET, PP, PA, PE or other blended polyolefin materials. An isolated inner layer even allows the use of recycled material which is not in contact with the product in the tube. The inline process of flat web extrusion also allows the production of ABL or the laminating of the film web by additional decorating film or even to apply an embossed structure. And with the employment of inline web printers also small lots can be realized in an economic way.