Process For Manufacturing Free Standing Thermoplastic Polymeric Films

A process for manufacturing thin free standing polymer films having a thickness less than 10 μm comprising the steps of:

• supplying a molten film layer stream by a first extruder wherein the molten film layer stream comprises a highly filled amorphous polymer;
• supplying a molten assist layer stream by a second extruder wherein the assist layer stream comprises a thermoplastic polymer with diffused chemical addenda;
• intimately contacting the molten film layer stream and the molten assist layer stream in coplanar fashion;
• extruding the film layer stream and at least one assist layer stream through a planar coextrusion die lip thereby forming a multilayer melt curtain;
• stretching the multilayer melt curtain;
• cooling the multilayer film thereby forming a multilayer film having at least one assist layer and a film layer wherein the film layer comprises a thin free standing polymer film having a uniform thickness less than 10 μm with a deviation of less than 2% therefrom;
• delaminating the at least one assist layer from the film layer;
• and transporting the film layer to downstream processing operations.

A process for manufacturing thin free standing polymer films having a thickness less than 10 μm comprising the steps of:

• supplying a molten film layer stream by a first extruder wherein the molten film layer stream comprises a highly filled semicrystalline polymer;
• supplying a molten assist layer stream by a second extruder wherein the assist layer stream comprises a thermoplastic polymer with diffused chemical addenda;
• intimately contacting the molten film layer stream and the molten assist layer stream in coplanar fashion;
• extruding the film layer stream and at least one assist layer stream through a planar coextrusion die lip thereby forming a multilayer melt curtain;
• stretching the multilayer melt curtain;
• cooling the multilayer film thereby forming a multilayer film having at least one assist layer and a film layer wherein the film layer comprises a thin free standing polymer film having a uniform thickness less than 10 μm with a deviation of less than 2% therefrom;
• delaminating the at least one assist layer from the film layer;
• and transporting the film layer to downstream processing operations.