PE stretch films suitable for hazardous areas
Last year, DUO PLAST AG (Lauterbach, Germany; www.duoplast.ag) and this company introduced the world’s first stretch polyethylene (PE) film approved for use in potentially explosive areas. The film innovation DUO EX-TRA is equipped with the static-dissipative polymer Elastostat. This creates the first stretch film suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. The newly developed film avoids ignition source electrostatics, so stretched pallet units no longer pose an explosion hazard. Conventional stretch films are not approved for explosive areas due to the static charge, and pallets must be repacked before entering. The effort involved in unpacking or packing incoming and outgoing goods with conventional stretch film is enormous. Therefore, stretch films with Elastostat are particularly suitable for companies in the chemical process industries (CPI) and their suppliers, who can be supplied directly to hazardous areas in the future. — BASF Polyurethanes GmbH, Lemförde, Germany