Hosokawa Alpine has opened the doors to its newly redesigned blown film extrusion test centre in Augsburg, giving packaging engineers and food and drink manufacturers a first-hand look at high-output, multi-layer, and orientation technologies under real production conditions.

The redesigned facility made its debut during the company’s Blown Film Extrusion Open House on 28 and 29 October 2026, drawing international trade visitors from markets including Spain, Turkey, the Balkans, Poland, and Greece. Designed around balancing flexibility, productivity, and sustainability, the test centre pairs live line runs with technical briefings on regulatory readiness — most notably the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)—and line modernisation.

Live line demonstrations built for flexible formats

Across the two-day programme, live runs in the updated test centre demonstrated how processors can adapt lines quickly without sacrificing throughput or film integrity:

• Alpine 5-layer blown film line: demonstrations covered machine direction orientation (MDO) films, standard laminating films, and laminating structures incorporating high post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. Runs emphasised high output rates, rapid format changes, and flexible material changeovers — capabilities critical for food and drink converters managing frequent SKU shifts and recycled-content targets.
• Alpine 9-layer blown film line: the multi-layer system showcased EVOH-based barrier structures, including MDO barrier films. High-barrier flexible films are widely used in food and beverage packaging to protect sensitive contents against oxygen and moisture while supporting thinner, recyclable mono-material or orientation-engineered designs.
• 12-roller MDO line quick-change & cleaning: a dedicated live demonstration highlighted rapid stretching-roller replacement on a 12-roller MDO line alongside efficient cleaning of the vacuum roller, addressing downtime and sanitation pressures on orientation lines.
• Automation, service, and line modernisation: alongside new-build capabilities, Hosokawa Alpine detailed its automation portfolio and targeted service and modernisation packages aimed at keeping existing blown film lines viable and competitive.

Regulatory alignment and industry collaboration

Technical sessions opened with Michael Heinecker, senior vice president blown film extrusion, and Konstantin Klein, director sales blown film extrusion at Hosokawa Alpine, presenting “Meeting Market Demands with Flexible Blown Film Technology.” Subsequent sessions examined flexible packaging pathways under the EU PPWR, line upgrades, and automation.

Hosokawa Alpine also brought together supply-chain and converting specialists — including Exxon Mobil Chemicals, Comexi, Kuraray, and Leipa Flexibles — for technical presentations on flexible packaging developments and regulatory compliance.

“Through a combination of specialist presentations, practical live demonstrations and intensive networking, we showed our customers how they can meet future market requirements with our blown film lines whilst achieving maximum productivity and flexibility,” said Heinecker.

Beyond the test hall, visitors joined a company tour, a brewery tour, and a group dinner to compare operational priorities across resin suppliers, machinery builders, and brand owners.