Low microgel surface protection film

A method of forming a polymer film, the method comprising:

• providing a polymer resin material consisting primarily of polyethylene;
• mixing the polymer resin material with one or more antioxidants to form a resin material mixture;
• melting and subjecting the resin material mixture to shear stresses in a range of 250 kPa to 400 kPa to form a refined resin material, and
• extruding the refined resin material to form the polymer film,
• wherein the polymer film is substantially free of microgels having a largest dimension greater than 50 microns, the polymer film has a thickness in a range of 15 micron to 80 microns, and the polymer film has a microgel count in a range of 0 to 0.2 per mm2 of microgels having the maximum dimension greater than 10 microns