Covington, OH, flex-pack specialist General Films will broaden its capabilities with the summer installation of a 9-layer blown-film line from Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering Co. (www.bge.battenfeld.com). “Due to an increase in demand for high-barrier structures and our desire to supply more advanced films, we needed to supplement our capacity,” says president Tim Weikert. “We decided to go all the way to 9-layer capability.”

General Films will run a variety of nylon, polyethylene and EVOH grades on the film line, which can corona-treat either web side and produce roll stock, tubular films or bags in-line. The equipment includes nine ContraCool® extruders—two 2.5-in. and seven 2-in. units—each at 30:1 L/D. ContraCool extruders use an efficient, air-cooled design that is said to reduce energy consumption.

The 9-layer Low-Profile Die, designed to minimize polymer residence time, employs the Autoprofile™ for thickness control and the Ultracool dual-lip air ring.