HDPE for Machine Direction and Biaxially Oriented Films

A highly specialized HDPE resin has been launched by Nova Chemicals for the production of 100% high-density machine direction and biaxially oriented films.  Due to its broad orientation, Surpass HPs153-A boasts exceptional stability during production run or manufacturing on commercial-scale inline MDO blown film equipment.

MDO-HDPE films can be used to replace BOPP and BOPET to produce fully recyclable all-PE laminates with high stiffness to maintain registration for printing and converting, excellent heat resistance to minimize shrinkage during packaging conversion, and outstanding clarity. According to the company,  its innovative technology marks a major advancement in the pursuit of a plastics circular economy, as it enables recyclable all-PE packaging.  Says Owen Lightbody, application development and circular economy leader,“Nova Chemicals has a bold ambition to create a circular economy for plastic materials. Being able to produce HDPE-based oriented films is a significant step towards our industry’s goal of 100% recyclable packaging.”

Oriented film structures allow easy-to-recycle all-PE packaging to replace traditional mixed material packaging which is not recyclable. In addition, orientation of PE films allows for property improvements otherwise not attainable in blown or cast films such as enhanced stiffness, toughness, and optical properties. Oriented films are ideal for use in food packaging, heavy duty shipping sacks, e-commerce and other demanding applications.

As reported in 2021, Nova introduced its transformative BOPE-HD technology that enables the manufacture of all-PE, recyclable multilayer film structures with significantly improved physical performance versus blown film. Surpass TX150-A was the world’s first HDPE resin designed specifically for the demanding tenter frame process.  It enables an all-PE biaxially oriented print web, which can be laminated to an all-PE sealant web for complete recyclability. In the last year, several film formulations have been successfully scaled up from pilot scale equipment to commercial lines. Nova is working with film manufacturers across multiple regions to establish a global supply of commercial BOPE-HD films.