Treat it Right

Thin film

The trend towards thinner films is one of those issues that is reducing operating windows. Not only does a printer need to deal with the inherent non-porosity of films, but the thinner materials are more susceptible to heat damage, and are prone to wrinkling and other processing problems.

Andy Grzesik, general manager for Tantec (Schaumburg, Ill.) says that running thinner films requires a fine resolution in the control of the power to the corona treater. A film that otherwise treats very well can be overtreated very easily, resulting in material blocking in the rolled material. The objective, says Grzesik, is to get a high level of treatment without blocking.