A versatile plastic which can be found in a range of forms and in a multitude of applications, HDPE lends itself well to film. HDPE film is a strong translucent glossy plastic which is well known to the general public in its use as the main material for the common grocery bag. HDPE is suitable for this reasonably high stress application as it has a tensile strength of 4200 psi, and can stretch 400% before breaking. The HDPE film used in carrier bags is usually only 15 microns thick, but even in this very fine state, it is still capable of holding many times its weight. HDPE film is produced from film grade HDPE, a grade of HDPE which is viscous enough in its liquid state to be blown up in a bubble to produce the light film which has become endemic to every day life in many countries.
HDPE film is used in a wide variety of food packaging applications, but because it is not an effective oxygen barrier, it is not useful in applications where air tight seals are essential. However HDPE film makes up for shortcomings as an oxygen barrier with impressively high impact strength, making it an excellent packaging material for large and heavy loads.
HDPE film can be purchased in large rolls, or HDPE film grade pellets can be purchased for manufacturing into bags and other film applications. HDPE film grade pellets (or granules, as they are sometimes called), fall into two main categories. There are translucent virgin HDPE pellets, which have a clear cloudy color, and are made of freshly produced HDPE. These HDPE film grade pellets can be used in food packaging applications.
There are also scrap HDPE film grade pellets. These will normally be colored, and whilst they retain the qualities of virgin HDPE film grade pellets, they are not approved for use in food contact applications, as they are made from recycled HDPE, which has come in contact with a range of contaminants during its lifetime and therefore is not regarded as being food safe. Recycled or scrap HDPE film grade pellets may be colored in a specific shade, or they may simply be a dull brown color. This comes from the colorants that were added in the initial manufacturing stages prior to the use of the original product, or from labels applied to HDPE bottles. During recycling, dyes from various labels and plastics quite often leech into the HDPE stream, tainting it with color. If an application requires white translucent products, then scrap HDPE will generally not be an option.
Though coloration and food safe approval are the major differences between the two sources of HDPE film, both forms of film grade HDPE pellets are only as good as the supplier. The manufacturing of HDPE, and the recycling of HDPE are both delicate processes in which conditions must be monitored precisely in order for a top quality product to be achieved. HDPE is quite a remarkable substance in that it retains most of its molecular strength and physical properties throughout several recycling processes, however the molecular structure of HDPE is temperature sensitive and can easily begin to break down if it is overheated by overzealous or careless recyclers.
HDPE Film Supplier
We source various types of HDPE film from suppliers world wide. Please contact us and let us know your detailed requirements. We will get back to you with current product availability and HDPE Film price quote