SBC resin used in stretch hood film application

Styrenics supplier Ineos Styrolution and Bischof + Klein (B+K), a leading European full-service supplier of flexible plastic and laminate packaging and technical films, announced today the installation of a stretch hood packaging system at the Ineos Styrolution production site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The packaging material used in the application is based on Styroflex, a  styrene-butadiene block copolymer (SBC) produced by Ineos Styrolution. LLDPE resin is conventionally used for stretch hood film.

The B+K stretch hood film is used in the Luran acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) resin facility, a line producing about 35,000 tonnes/year of material, to collate 25-kg bags on wooden pallets. ASA is used, for example, in automotive interior and exterior applications. Due to its UV resistance, it is also the material of choice for outdoor applications including wind turbines and gardening equipment.

Peter Lakeman, Manager Engineering Ludwigshafen at Ineos Styrolution, comments: “It is very motivating for us to see our own packaging material Styroflex through the eyes of a customer. The Styroflex-based film has turned out to be exactly the right material for our purpose. It is very robust, yet light and thin, resulting for example in much less packaging waste than other solutions. Bischof + Klein was very instrumental bringing a lot of expertise to the table delivering a truly complete solution.”

Frank Heermann, Manager Product Development Industrial Packaging at Bischof + Klein, adds: “We enjoy the collaboration with Ineos Styrolution in Ludwigshafen. It is interesting to see that the company is using its own products. The Styroflex based film increases the flexibility for the users of the packaging machines. Overall, it allows us to better meet our customers’ requirements.”

Styroflex is a styrene-butadiene block copolymer with the properties of a thermoplastic elastomer (S-TPE). In film applications, Styroflex provides excellent stretch recovery and superior transparency and puncture resistance. Styroflex PG77 was particularly tailored for packaging applications like stretch hood solutions. It combines maximum transparency with outstanding elongation and extreme toughness. Styroflex PG77 can be stretched up to 200% with enormous recovery capacity: It snaps back to its original shape, clings tightly to the load and holds it securely.