Atlas Converting Equipment, located in Bedford (UK), is pleased to confirm that it will provide six Atlas film slitters and three Titan secondary slitter rewinders in conjunction with three new BOPP film production lines in Brazil. The film lines are to be installed in separate phases during the second half of 2011 and the first half of 2012 at the company Videolar in Manaus, where Videolar has invested in an extensive, purpose-built green field production site.
Atlas will provide three 8.3m (327in) wide CW984 primary film slitters, three 2,850mm (112in) wide CW800 secondary film slitters and three 2,050mm (81in) wide Titan SR8 twin-shaft cantilever slitter rewinders for narrower width film slitting. One of each type of slitter rewinder will be installed during the second half of this year.
Videolar is a large Brazilian company and a newcomer to the world of BOPP film production. However, its activities are closely related to film production with a long history of successful business in the production of raw materials for polystyrene, video tapes, audio cassette tapes, CD and DVD discs.
Atlas is a world leader in primary BOPP film slitter technology and has installed more than 200 machines worldwide exceeding 6m (236in) in width. This includes the widest machines at 10m (395in) and the fastest at 1,500m/min (4,925ft/min) with precise control of web and winding tension. The Atlas CW800 film slitter for both plain and metallised film is also the most successful secondary slitter in the range. It uses the same technology as the larger Atlas primary film slitters with a maximum speed of 1,000m/min (3,280ft/min) and 1,200mm (48in) unwind / rewind diameters. There are now over 100 Atlas CW800 slitters working with metallisers, CPP and BOPP film lines worldwide and it has become the benchmark slitter rewinder for metallised film producers globally.
The highly versatile Titan SR8 cantilever slitter rewinder is the most successful product in the Titan range with more than 250 machines now installed worldwide. The capability of handling a wide variety of flexible materials up to 2,250mm (88in) wide at high production speeds is an essential part of its huge success, with a maximum rewind diameter of 800mm (32in) and running at production speeds of up to 700m/min (2,300ft/min). The Titan SR8 slitters supplied to Videolar will feature a digital knife positioning system and an automated slit reel unloading system. The Titan SR8 can process slit widths as narrow as 25mm (less than 1in).
This new, significant investment represents an important diversification in business for Videolar, which has seized an opportunity to produce BOPP film for the rapidly expanding flexible packaging materials sector in Brazil. With its newly discovered offshore mineral wealth, the country has a rich source of crude oil to exploit in future years, which has no doubt been a major factor in the company’s decision to become a key player in the production of BOPP film.