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Rapra Publishing
Plastic Films - Situation and Outlook
By Francoise PardosFlexible films are defined as being planar forms of plastics, which may be thick enough to be self-supporting but thin enough to be flexed, folded and/or creased without cracking. Films comprise around 25 of all plastics used worldwide, around 40 million tons, and are thus a massive market sector. Commodity plastics dominate, with polyethylene and polypropylene together accounting for around 34 million tons. This is an expanding area with increased demand each year particularly in the developing regions of the world and with a move from rigid to flexible packaging.
There are many material types used in films from single layer polymers to multilayer structures with tie layers and copolymers. Multilayers permit custom adaptation of material properties from barrier to strength. Technology, such as the orientation of polypropylene, has produced better properties and more valuable materials. High performance plastics are also being used in applications such as telectronics. The different materials in use in films are reviewed in this market report. There are details of the main suppliers including mergers and capacity.
Films can be made via a number of converting processes: extrusion, coextrusion, casting, extrusion coating, extrusion laminating and metallising. Blown extrusion was the first process used to make films of polyethylene. These processes have advantages and disadvantages depending on the material type in use, the width and thickness of film required.
Films are mainly used in packaging for foodstuffs, but there are also substantial market segments for medical, electronic, automotive and construction applications. Specific applications include decorative wrap, form-fill-seal, blood bags, flexible printed circuits, bed sheeting, diapers, and in-mould decorating of car parts (to replace painting and provide a more durable surface coating). Carrier bags and garbage bags are big markets, with imports to Europe; there are environmental concerns about the use of plastic bags and these are discussed in the report. In construction films are used in glazing, damp proofing, tarpaulins, geomembranes and similar applications.
PE and PP are the main materials used in packaging films. PET is primarily used in magnetics, optics and telectronics. PVC is found in consumer goods and medical applications, while PVB is mainly used in automotive and construction applications as glazing protection. Multimaterial films account for around 7 million tons of the films produced, with around 95 of this going into packaging applications. These are just some of the examples listed in this market report.
Europe and North America each account for about 30 of the total world consumption of plastic films. The plastic films supply structure and individual company information are summarised in the second half of this market report on Plastic Films in Europe and the Rest of the World.
Key features
About the author
Franoise Pardos was trained as an economist, with a MA from Berkeley, University of California, and a doctorate ("docteur s-Sciences Economiques") from Paris.After five years as market research analyst at Kaiser Aluminum, in California, and two years at SEMA, an industrial consultant in Paris, she created Pardos Marketing, an industrial market research consultancy specializing in plastics and plastics applications.
Over 200 studies have been completed in the last fifteen years. The main topics of recent studies cover new developments in plastics packaging, barrier materials, plastics applications in automotive, electrical, building and medical industries, high performance plastics, potential developments of new materials, with emphasis on European, African and Indian markets.
1 Introduction
1.1 Geographical Focus
1.2 Flexible Materials Under Study
1.3 Methodology
1.4 Authorship
2 Executive Summary
2.1 Main Study Findings
3 Types of Films and Materials
3.1 Main Film Materials Characteristics
3.2 Polyethylene (PE)
Types of Polyethylene
PE Films Industry Structure
Consumption of PE Films
3.3 Polypropylene (PP)
Types of Polypropylene
Oriented PP Films
OPP Films Industry Structure
Consumption of OPP Films
Main Uses of OPP Films
Cast PP Films
3.4 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
PVC Films Industry Structure
PVC Film Consumption
3.5 Polystyrene (PS) and Derivatives
3.6 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
PET Film Capacity and Comments
PET Film Consumption
3.7 Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG)
3.8 Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN)
3.9 Polyamide (PA, Nylon)
Nylon Films Industry Structure
Consumption of Nylon Films
3.10 Polycarbonate (PC)
3.11 Cellophane (Cello)
3.12 Disposable and Edible Films
3.13 Film Substrates for Multilayer Films
3.14 Ethylene Copolymers
3.15 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA)
3.16 Ionomers
3.17 Cyclo-Olefin Copolymers (COC)
3.18 Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB)
3.19 Barrier Materials
Summary of the Barrier Story
3.20 Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH)
Examples of EVOH Film Constructions
3.21 Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH)
3.22 Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVDC)
PVDC Industry Structure
PVDC Consumption
3.23 Oxide-Coated Films
3.24 Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP)
3.25 Polyarylamide MXD6 (PA MXD6)
3.26 Nano-Barriers
3.27 Polyimides (PI)
3.28 Fluoropolymers
3.29 Adhesives
3.30 Multilayer Films
3.31 Aluminium Foil
3.32 Paper and Board Products
4 Processes for Films
4.1 Film Extrusion
Blown Extrusion
Flat Die Extrusion
4.2 Stretching
4.3 Pre-treatment
4.4 Processes for Multilayer Barrier Films
4.5 Coextrusion
Flat Die Cast Coextrusion
Blown Film Coextrusion
The Choice Between the Two Techniques
Coextrusion of Commodity Plastic Films
Coextrusion of Specialty and Barrier Plastic Films
4.6 Lamination and Adhesive Lamination
4.7 Coating
4.8 Metallisation
Structure of the Metallising Films Industry
Metallised Flexible Material Consumption and Growth
Replacement of Aluminium Foil
Metallised Paper
4.9 Form-Fill-Seal (FFS)
4.10 Thermoforming
4.11 Printing
4.12 New Technical Developments in Films
4.13 Alphabetical List of Machine Manufacturers for Films
5 Applications of Films
5.1 Packaging - General Introduction
5.2 Stretch and Shrink Films
Shrink Film
Stretch Film
Structure of the Shrink/Stretch Films Industry
Consumption of Stretch and Shrink Films
5.3 Bags and Sacks
Types of Plastic Bags and Sacks
Bag Markets and Applications
Bag producers in Europe and Elsewhere
National Laws and Actions Against Shopping Bags
5.4 Heavy-Duty Sacks and Big Bags
Heavy-Duty Sacks
Big Bags
5.5 Free-Standing Bags and Similar Products
Free-Standing Bags or Stand-Up Pouches
Pouches and Sachets
Bag in Box
5.6 Automatic Packaging Films
5.7 Multilayer Films
5.8 Labels, Sleeves and Display Films
Traditional and Changing Labels
Plastic Labels
Film Labels, New-Look Labels and Plastic Sleeves
Sleeves
Display Films
5.9 Other Packaging Applications
Lidding
Strapping
Bubble Films and Wrap
Tear Tapes
Twistwrap
Adhesive Tapes
Weaving Tapes
5.10 Building Construction
5.11 Agriculture
5.12 Consumer Goods
Garbage Bags
Household Films
Disposable Diapers and Related Products
Credit Cards
Tarpaulins
5.13 Medical Applications
5.14 Automobile Industry
5.15 Electrical/Electronics Industries
5.16 Syntheti
- ISBN:
- 978-1-85957-480-5
- Pages:
- 182
- Publisher:
- Rapra Market Report, 2004