battenfeld-cincinnati: New Technology Center Highlights Thin PP Film and Flexible PE Pipe Extrusion

Tour of the PE pipe extrusion line at battenfeld-cincinnati`s technology center - (Photo: battenfeld-cincinnati).

battenfeld-cincinnati has presented its new technology center during an open house at its Bad Oeynhausen site in Germany. Around 260 customers and partners attended the event, which featured live demonstrations of film and sheet extrusion as well as PE pipe production.

Completed in early 2026 after two years of construction, the new facility includes an approximately 1,300 m² technology center alongside office, conference and meeting space. According to the company, the center is designed to accommodate complete extrusion lines for operation, testing and process trials.

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PP film production down to 200 µm demonstrated
On an operating PP film extrusion line, battenfeld-cincinnati demonstrated its "multiTOUCH-X" polishing stack to customers for the first time. The system had previously been introduced at K 2025 and is designed for the production of thin films.

During the live demonstration, the film thickness was reduced from 280 µm to 200 µm. The originally planned target had been 220 µm.

The demonstration line is designed for both film and sheet production and can be equipped with three different extruder concepts for plasticizing. Melt filtration systems are also integrated to help maintain stable melt quality when processing more heavily contaminated feedstock.

The flexible setup is intended for applications involving changing materials, product thicknesses and processing conditions.

Automated adjustment for PE pipe extrusion
A second live demonstration focused on a PE pipe extrusion line for diameters from 90 to 160 mm. One of its key features was the "Intelligent Operating Adjustment" ("IOA") function introduced at K 2025.

The system automatically adjusts the pipe gap on the "helix II 400 TZ IOA" pipe head based on measurement data from an inline monitoring system. Mechanical adjustment is carried out via screw jacks and ball joints that modify the position of the adjustment screws.

The line is also equipped with battenfeld-cincinnati's "FDC" technology, which enables dimensional changes during continuous production. At the open house, the company demonstrated a change in pipe diameter from 120 to 160 mm. Wall thickness can also be adjusted during production.

The technology center line uses a "solEX NG 75-40" extruder. The complete setup also includes a calibration sleeve, vacuum tank, spray tank, haul-off, saw and tilting table. It is designed for PE pipe diameters between 90 and 160 mm.

Integrated measurement and process monitoring
For inline quality control, the pipe line incorporates measurement and inspection systems from several partner companies.

"Centerwave" from Sikora and "Warp" from Inoex are used to monitor pipe dimensions and wall thickness distribution. A surface inspection system from nLine detects defects on the pipe surface, while an MES system from iDoo provides higher-level process control and monitoring.

By combining automatic pipe head adjustment, inline measurement, dimensional changes during production and centralized process monitoring, battenfeld-cincinnati is demonstrating a more highly automated approach to PE pipe manufacturing.

The new technology center is intended to serve as a development, testing and demonstration environment for complete extrusion lines.

Development and demonstration site in Bad Oeynhausen
battenfeld-cincinnati operates the Bad Oeynhausen site as its brand headquarters and a production location. The company develops and manufactures extrusion equipment for applications including pipe, profile, sheet, film and pelletizing.

Its product portfolio includes single- and twin-screw extruders, dies, downstream equipment, calenders and laminating systems.

According to the company, the battenfeld-cincinnati group employs around 600 people and operates manufacturing sites in Germany, Austria, the United States and China. battenfeld-cincinnati is part of Davis-Standard Corporation.

Websites of the companies mentioned:
battenfeld-cincinnati: www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com
Sikora: www.sikora.net
Inoex: www.inoex.de
nLine: www.nline.ai
iDoo: www.idoo.global
Davis-Standard Corporation: corporate.davis-standard.com

BC Extrusion Holding GmbH, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany

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