Extrusion International 1-2026

34 Extrusion International 1/2026 FILM EXTRUSION the Polytechnic University of Valencia (FoodUPV) and three other companies based in the Valencian Community. Bioban will contribute its genomic analysis capabilities to iden- tify the most suitable bacte- rial strains for carrying out the treatments, while Viromii will study the economic viability of new processes for obtaining biocomposites. Finally, Prime Biopolymers, as the end cus- tomer, will be responsible for producing the biomaterials and analyzing applicability of the materials obtained during the project. The project is in its first year of development, during which progress has been made in separating the components of rice straw using alternative methods that do not in- volve toxic substances. Different strains of bacteria and microorganisms capable of breaking down cellulose and hemicellulose to generate the lactic and succinic acids necessary for the produc- tion of bioplastics are also being tested. BIOVALSA is aligned with the conclusions of the Strategic Spe- cialised Innovation Committees (CEIE) on Circular Economy and Enabling Technologies, promot- ed by IVACE+i Innovación. In the first case, it responds to the de - velopment of materials and tech- nologies for the production of high added-value products from waste and, in the second, it urges the application of biotechnology to improve processes and prod- ucts. It also falls within the main axes of the Valencian Commu- nity's Smart Specialisation Strat- egy, S3, which is coordinated by the Regional Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Innovation and Trade. AIMPLAS www.aimplas.es Increased Productivity in the MDO Process With over 25 years of experience in monoaxial stretching, Hosokawa Alpine is the pioneer in MDO technology and has been regularly improving its process ever since. Today, customers benefit from the highest MDO film quality with outstanding processability and optimised flatness thanks to the vacuum technology introduced in 2021. The unique TRIO technology “Trim Reduction for Inline Orientation”, coupled with vacuum technology, ensures significant material savings during the edge trimming process. Hosokawa Alpine now offers a quick-change system for stretching rollers to enable the processing of a wide variety of films. At the same time, the company is presenting new cleaning solutions. This significantly increases the flexibility of MDO film production and further boosts productivity. Unique quick change of the stretching roller Hosokawa Alpine has developed a unique process for changing the stretching roller that takes just 15 min- utes. To replace the rollers, the protective grille of the MDO is opened and a rail is folded out of the machine compartment. The media feed-through and drive are disconnected at the touch of a button. The water is then drained automatically. As soon as the roller is released, it can be rolled down by an operator and the built-in crane can lift it out. "If a second roller is available, we can use the quick-change system to ensure perma- nent availability of the system and therefore maximum productivity," emphasises Bernd Bayer, Director R&D Blown Film Extrusion at Hosokawa Alpine. This gives the customer maximum flexibility in film production. This is because it is quick and easy to switch between vacuum and smooth rollers or other roller surfaces that are pre- cisely customised to a customer’s products. At the same time, Hosokawa Alpine has also opti- mised the surface of its vacuum rollers. By rounding off the vacuum pores, the new vacuum roller can sig- nificantly improve the surface quality of HDPE films in particular.