Why we are able to produce superior agri-plastic

 

Films with a five layer extruder as compared to a three layer extruder

 

Sophisticated agricultural plastic sheets (greenhouse covers, mulches and low tunnel covers) contain numerous chemical additives which are responsible for the many properties of the films.

 

Among these properties are light diffusion, thermicity, stabilization against UV breakdown, blocking of ultra violet radiation, anti drip, anti mist and others.

 

In addition, the films are often produced with more than one base resin, utilizing EVA, Linear Low Density PE, Metallocene resins and Barrier resins.

 

Until the advent of multi-layer extruders, about 25 years ago, the additives and resins, many of those which I mentioned did not exist at the time, were all mixed in together in the one and only layer which was available at the time.

 

It was like making a sophisticated "soup" in a big pot. The difference between the "soup" and the agri-films is that a) in the films we often want a particular additive to perform on the upper (or lower) side of the film and not randomly wherever it is found   and b) among the additives and resins there are those which are incompatible with one another or when mixed together give us undesirable results, such as haziness and reduced transparency.

 

The multi-layered film technology, first two layers and later on three layers, was and still is a big breakthrough. It enabled us to place materials, to a certain extent at least, more or less where they should be. It also provided the producers of film with the possibility of separating into different layers resins and additives which should not be mixed together. Very good indeed. We call the principle behind this idea COMPARTMENTALIZATION.

 

In 2001 Ginegar installed the first (and only one in the world) large-size five layer extruder. This machine has been working 24 hours a day , seven days a week ever since its acquisition except for obligatory , once a year, check up and maintenance. In 2006 we expect the machine's BIG BROTHER, currently being built, to join the first one in our production hall.

 

We at Ginegar can unhesitatingly say that if a competitor produces a sophisticated greenhouse cover using a modern three layer extruder, we are able to produce a superior version of the same on our five layer machine.