Extrusion International 4-2026

35 Extrusion International 4/2026 BLOWN FILM EXTRUSION manufacturing food-contact mate- rials lies in our integrated approach as a system provider. We look at the entire process and apply our decon- tamination technologies precisely at speci c points in the process chain. It is their optimal interplay that makes the ef cient achievement of the nec - essary level of decontamination pos- sible”, says Stefan Lachenmayer. Coperion GmbH Theodorstraße 10, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany www.coperion.com Trials for Optimal Product Solutions – Test Centre for Blown Film Production Modernised Hosokawa Alpine has thoroughly modernised its test centre for blown lm applications at its Augsburg site. Using a 5-layer and a 9-layer blown lm line equipped with the latest MDO and automation technology, customers can develop their ideal lm formulation there, thereby gaining a sound basis for their investment decisions. A t the test centre of the Augsburg-based engineering rm, which specialises in blown lm extrusion lines, customers can carry out test series using their own mate- rials and formulations or test their applications in collabo- ration with Hosokawa Alpine’s experts. “We support our customers in optimising the quality of their products and making their production processes more ef cient. Partic - ularly for new developments, trials at our test centre can signi cantly accelerate the development cycle. This helps to minimise investment risks,” says Michael Heinecker, who has been Senior Vice President of Blown Film Extru- sion at Hosokawa Alpine since the beginning of May and is the successor to Martin Schorbach. Heinecker was pre- viously Technical Director of the Blown Film business unit and has been with the company for 27 years. State-of-the-art facilities for customer trials At Hosokawa Alpine’s test centre, customers have ac- cess to the company’s most advanced 9-layer blown lm line to date. It enables them to carry out demanding tests and drive innovation in the eld of exible packaging so - lutions. The 5-layer line at Alpine’s test centre is equipped with the new MDO (Machine Direction Orientation) lm orientation line featuring 12 rollers, which is designed for maximum productivity and exibility. An integrated quick-change system allows the stretching rollers to be replaced in just around 15 minutes, ensuring consistently high line availability and a rapid changeover between dif- ferent lm applications. In addition, an innovative clean - ing concept boosts process ef ciency: whilst integrated cleaning mechanisms reduce contamination during oper- ation, an ultrasonic bath ensures thorough deep cleaning of the rollers. The 5-layer line is equipped with Hosokawa Alpine’s new, modular calibration basket, which stabilises and calibrates the lm bubble above the frost zone. Automation & digital features: Experience ef ciency rst-hand At the test centre, visitors can experience Hosokawa Alpine’s various automation and digitalisation solutions under real production conditions. Live demonstrations show how intelligent assistance systems, monitoring tools and automated format changes stabilise and accelerate processes. This allows ef ciency, process reliability and reproducibility to be directly understood – a decisive ad- vantage for reliable and cost-effective series production. Expansion of service and consulting expertise With themodernised test centre, HosokawaAlpine is taking an important step into the future. “Our test centre strength- ens the partnership-based relationship with our customers, who actively collaborate with us to nd the optimal solution for their lmproduction. They have the opportunity to direct - ly compare different settings and set-ups. At the same time, they experience rst-hand what our systems are capable of,” says Michael Heinecker. Hosokawa Alpine www.hosokawa-alpine.com At the 9-layer blown lm line in the modernised test centre in Augsburg, customers can work with Hosokawa Alpine to develop their ideal lm formulation