DORNIER at Chinaplas 2024: Focus on expanding the service business in China and plant technology improvements for more efficient film production
At Chinaplas (23 - 26 April in Shanghai, hall 2.1, stand P 31), the machine and plant manufacturer Lindauer DORNIER will be presenting technical innovations for more economical film production. In addition to the growing demand for technical film and DORNIER's customised line solutions, the focus of the trade fair will be on the expansion of the service business and and building a new clip workshop in China.
As film stretching lines from DORNIER can have a lifetime of more than 50 years, servicing existing systems is a central pillar of the family business. In addition to the supply of original spare parts, the range of services also includes modernisations to improve the energy efficiency of older systems and conversions to adapt to modern and future production requirements. This is why the expansion of the local service and spare parts business in China is a particular focus for the machine and plant manufacturer at Chinaplas.
Building of a new clip workshop in China
This also includes the service for the patented DORNIER clips. Up to 2,000 of these clips are used in the company's film lines, which are up to 150 metres long. As they wear out, DORNIER takes on all maintenance and overhaul work on a permanent basis. Customers send the clips to the company headquarters in Lindau, where they are overhauled, cleaned, repaired if necessary and – at the customer's request – technically optimised by qualified personnel. In order to be able to offer this complete clip service locally in China in the future, DORNIER is building a new clip workshop in the north-west of Zhejiang province in the city of Anji/Huzhou. "We are thus transferring the quality of DORNIER's 'Made in Germany' plant technology directly to China and combining it locally with the skills of intensively trained professionals who overhaul the clips and make them ready for use again," says Robert Heger, recently appointed Head of Product Line Film Stretching Lines at DORNIER Machinery (Shanghai). This will significantly reduce plant downtimes due to clip maintenance for DORNIER's Chinese and East Asian customers in the future.
Innovations for more economical film production
The latest technical innovations for DORNIER's film stretching lines will also play an important role at Chinaplas. These include the new edge trim cutting unit. It enables blunt edge trim cutting knives in the TUT to be changed easily and safely even while the line is running. Line downtimes due to broken or blunt knives are now a thing of the past and the availability of the DORNIER film stretching line is significantly increased. Another topic in Shanghai will be the new edge trim take-off. It separates the edge trim grinder from the film run and decouples its influence on film production. As this eliminates disruptive influences on the stretching line, DORNIER lines can be run even more reliably at consistently high speeds in future. At Chinaplas, visitors can also find out about DORNIER's new heat recovery system. DORNIER thus proves that the energy efficiency of existing systems can be raised to a completely new level even with moderate investment costs. "In order to give film manufacturers an overview of the latest technical innovations for improving existing systems, we will have an updated conversion catalogue for modifications and upgrades at Chinaplas," says Heger.
