PAPER, PACKAGING & PRINTING
Pioneering superstable e-mobility film
Treofan, the German premium provider of high quality BOPP film for over 50 years, is now a key partner in the HiT-Cell Research Project, involving RWTH (Aachen University), and MEET (Munster Electrochemical Energy Technology). Philip Yorke reports.
T
he exciting HiT-Cell Project is being publicly funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) for the European ‘Battery 2020’ project. This is just one of the many pioneering projects that Treofan has either initiated, or been invited to contribute to, in its over 50 years of experience in the BOPP market. Today Treofan is a leading global supplier of premium-quality BOPP products and intelligent film solutions. Present in over 100 countries worldwide, the company’s innovative strength is underscored by its on-going success and numerous, ground-breaking patents awarded over the years. With unrivalled film-making expertise, an extensive product portfolio and first class technical services, Treofan is positioned as a premium provider for leading FMCG brand manufacturers and converters worldwide. Today the company has a global focus with an annual capacity of around ten billion square metres and it employs over 1200 people worldwide. Treofan’s annual turnover has also climbed to more than €600 million. Furthermore, due to its on-going major investment programme in new technology and production processes, the company continues to increase its productivity and its profits. With 14 production lines operating around the word, Treofan now benefits from eight, state-of-the-art five-layer plants. In addition to its recent investments in Europe, Treofan has also invested more than seven million euros in a new metaliser facility at its extensive manufacturing plant in Zacapu, Mexico, which is geared to serve the US market.
Lithium-ion battery break-through In May this year, Treofan announced that, based upon its tried-andtested nano-porous Treopore® separator film, it is developing a new,
low-loss, thermally stable and safe separator film as part of a groundbreaking HiT-Cell (high Temperature Cell) research project. The objective of the project is to develop a temperature-stable lithium-ion battery for all mobile and stationary applications. Compared to currently available polyolefinic separators, this new, innovative separator will offer a significantly higher temperature-stability profile. With its much-improved properties, the new separator film will be perfectly suitable for use with lithium-ion battery cells, and utilised across a broad spectrum of electric mobility. Although today’s conventional ceramic separator coatings do increase the safety profile of lithium-ion battery cells, they are not always able to prevent the separators from collapsing under continual thermal stress. Such coatings also lead to additional resistance in the cell itself. This resistance in turn heats the cell, especially during rapid charging and discharging, which can also lead to a significant reduction in service life. The new separator film by Treofan will provide a substantial increase in thermal stability and, as a result, the safety of the battery cell. “We are delighted to be collaborating with our partners on this exciting and pioneering project, using our expertise to advance a key technology for the future,” commented Dr Franz Josef Kruger, head of the TreoPore business unit at Treofan in Germany.
Less is more Earlier this year, Treofan launched its latest IML (in-mould labelling) film: EWR50. This is now even thinner than before with a thickness of just 50um. However, it offers greatly improved efficiency and a considerably improved surface yield, while maintaining the same inherent product properties. Industry Europe 149
