The 2 600mm-wide EVO blown film system was officially unveiled at a ribbon-cutting event at Tropic’s Durban facility in March, drawing attention not only for its output capability – exceeding 1 000kg/hour – but also for the level of technical refinement built into the line.
At a time when South African converters are under sustained pressure to reduce costs, improve consistency and adapt to evolving material demands, the new line reflects a strategic focus on performance, stability and flexibility.
For Tropic, the decision to invest in another EVO line builds on a long-standing relationship with the German extrusion specialist. CEO Ismail Simjee describes it as a partnership that has evolved over more than two decades.
‘This is around the tenth machine we’ve installed together, bringing us to 18 extrusion lines in total,’ he says. ‘Every investment we make is carefully considered. We analyse the market and our existing portfolio to ensure we select technology that positions us for future growth.’ That long-term alignment, built on transparency and consistency, has been central to the relationship.
At the heart of this latest investment is a very specific focus: achieving optimal film flatness at peak output rates.
The power of flat film
Flatness is one of the most persistent – and often misunderstood – variables in blown film production. A reel may appear visually perfect yet still contain internal stresses formed during extrusion, cooling and the transformation of the bubble into a flat web. These stresses only reveal themselves during downstream processing, manifesting as instability in the web and affecting print register, lamination quality and overall converting efficiency.
Ensuring material flatness is particularly challenging on thinner substrates, a growing focus as the global packaging industry shifts toward more sustainable solutions.
‘A film can look perfectly flat on the reel, but internally it carries stress,’ says Sascha Skora, Reifenhäuser Blown Film’s senior sales manager. ‘Once that tension is released during printing or lamination, you start to see instability like a floppy edge, and that’s where problems begin.’
Reifenhäuser’s patented EVO Ultra Flat system is designed to eliminate this issue at its source by intervening at a critical stage in the process, immediately after the haul-off nip, when the film still retains well-homogenised residual heat and remains thermally responsive.
This unique positioning is key. Rather than attempting to correct flatness after the film has cooled and crystallised, EVO Ultra Flat operates within the material’s optimal processing window, using what is effectively its “first heat” to reshape and stabilise the web.
‘It’s about working with the material at the right moment,’ Sascha says. ‘At that stage, the polymer structure is still flexible enough to relieve internal stress. If you wait too long, you’re trying to fix something that’s already locked in.’
The system functions as an inline annealing and stretching unit. As the film passes through the haul-off section, it is guided over a series of large-diameter rollers, each individually driven and temperature-controlled. The film is subjected to a slight, precisely controlled stretch while heat is applied evenly across its surface, allowing internal stresses to relax and redistribute. It is then rapidly cooled, effectively locking the improved structure into place.
‘You can think of it like ironing,’ Sascha adds. ‘You apply heat and tension to remove imperfections, and then you fix the material in that state. The difference is that here, we’re doing it continuously and with a very high level of precision.’
The result is a measurable improvement in flatness, and, more importantly, a step-change in how the film behaves during downstream conversion.
The impact of improved flatness is most evident downstream. A stable web runs predictably, allowing converters to increase speeds while maintaining control.
‘Improved flatness enables higher-speed printing and more consistent lamination,’ Sascha explains. ‘You increase printing speed and adhesive consumption, reduce curl and ultimately improve both efficiency and quality.’
For Tropic, this advantage coupled with the ultimate output was a decisive factor in the investment.
‘Quality is embedded in our DNA,’ says Ismail. ‘We selected EVO Ultra Flat specifically to enhance print performance and ensure consistent, high-quality output for our customers.’
The implications extend beyond incremental efficiency gains. By addressing flatness at a fundamental level, the technology opens up new application possibilities.
‘Our existing lines already deliver excellent polyethylene films,’ Ismail notes. ‘Where Ultra Flat gives us an edge is in lamination. It allows us to move more confidently into multi-substrate structures like BOPP and PET, which opens up new markets for us.’
Stable, strong and efficient
While EVO Ultra Flat stands out as a key feature, it operates within a broader high-performance extrusion platform. The five-layer EVO line at Tropic is configured for outputs exceeding one ton per hour, with a cruising operating speed around 900kg/hour. At the ribbon-cutting, the line ran above 1 000kg/hour, with a stable bubble, perfectly flat film and a gauge tolerance of ±2.3%.
‘Right after the first bubble, the Tropic team and our process engineer pushed output past 1 000kg/hour, and we expect to go even higher as optimisation continues,’ says Sascha.
At its core is a five-layer co-extrusion configuration, supported by a high-output, low-volume, low-pressure die and internal bubble cooling. The extruders are deliberately sized to maintain stable melt temperatures under local conditions, where ambient temperatures can exceed European norms.
Bubble stability at these throughputs is maintained through a counter-flow air ring system, designed by Kdesign (a division of the Reifenhäuser Group), which uses multiple controlled air streams to regulate gauge control.
Yet for Tropic, performance is defined by peak output coupled with consistency. The intuitive EVO OS HMI, with its numerous smart assistants, is the ideal partner for the operator to focus on what matters most. The EVO OS automation system delivers reliable, repeatable performance.
‘Anyone can claim high speeds,’ Ismail says. ‘The real trick is knowing how to sustain that performance. We run 24/7, 365 days a year and reliability is what matters.’
Building capability for the future
The flexibility of the EVO modular platform allows Tropic to process a wide range of materials, from standard polyethylene grades to more complex structures used in advanced packaging applications. This adaptability is increasingly important as converters respond to fluctuating raw material availability and growing sustainability pressures.
Ultra Flat contributes here too, enabling more controlled film structures and supporting downgauging strategies that reduce material usage without compromising performance.
The installation itself reflects a significant operational commitment. Integrating the new line required extensive planning, structural modifications and coordination of specialised equipment.
‘You see the finished infrastructure and machine, but there’s a huge amount of work behind it,’ Ismail says. ‘It’s a collective effort, from our internal team to partners like Cousins Steel International, Lovemore Rigging, Beswick Machinery and Reifenhäuser.’
For Beswick’s MD, Bruce Beswick, the result speaks for itself. ‘Tropic is operating at a level that’s exceptional,’ he says. ‘I’ve visited plants all over the world, and this facility stands out. It’s truly world-class.’
A shift towards precision extrusion
The installation comes at a time when the South African packaging industry is balancing strong technical capability with mounting economic and environmental pressures. Converters are being asked to do more with less – to run faster, waste less and deliver consistently higher quality.
In this context, flatness is no longer a secondary parameter. It is a critical control point, influencing everything from print efficiency to material consumption.
By addressing flatness at its origin, EVO Ultra Flat represents a shift in thinking – from correcting defects to engineering them out of the process entirely.
For Tropic, the new line is more than an increase in capacity. It is a step-change in capability, reinforcing its position as a converter focused on delivering volume with precision, consistency and long-term competitiveness.
As the system moves into full production, it underscores a broader industry reality: in modern blown film extrusion, the real advantage lies not just in how fast you can run, but in how well you control every quality variable along the way.
