BOPP Producer Needs Nine

Published: June 01, 2011

Videolar S.A., Manaus, Brazil, has just purchased six Atlas film slitters and three Titan secondary slitter/rewinders. This is in conjunction with three new biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film production lines. The film lines are to be installed in separate phases during the second half of 2011 and the first half of 2012 at the company's extensive, greenfield production site.

Atlas will provide three 327-in. (8.3-m) wide CW984 primary film slitters, three 112-in. (2,850-mm) wide CW800 secondary film slitters, and three 81-in. (2,050 mm) wide Titan SR8 twin-shaft cantilever slitter/rewinders for narrower width film slitting. One of each type of slitter/rewinder will be installed during the second half of this year.

Videolar is a newcomer to the world of BOPP film production. However, its activities are closely related to film production with a long history of successful business in the production of raw materials for polystyrene, video tapes, audio cassette tapes, and CD and DVD discs.

The three CW984 primary BOPP film sliitters represent the biggest piece of the investment and are said to offer precise control of web and winding tension. The Atlas CW800 film slitter uses the same technology as the larger Atlas primary film slitters with a maximum speed of 3,280 fpm (1,000 mpm) and 48-in. (1,200 mm) unwind/rewind diameters.

The Titan SR8 cantilever slitter/rewinders have the capability of handling a variety of flexible materials up to 88 in. (2,250 mm) wide at high production speeds. They have a maximum rewind diameter of 32 in. (800 mm) and run at production speeds up to 2,300 fpm (700 mpm). The Titan SR8 slitters supplied to Videolar will feature a digital knife positioning system and an automated slit roll unloading system.

This significant new investment represents an important diversification in business for Videolar, which has seized an opportunity to produce BOPP film for the rapidly expanding flexible packaging materials sector in Brazil. With its newly discovered off-shore mineral wealth, the country has a rich source of crude oil to exploit in future years, which has no doubt been a major factor in the company's decision to become a key player in the production of BOPP film.

• Videolar S.A. | www.videolar.com.br