Major trends in silicone coated release film industry

Despite the global challenges faced by many of the partners involved, the release film industry continues to grow:

The COVID-19 outbreak has made 2020 a difficult year, but the good news is that the strong global growth of the membrane industry is good news for all organizations involved, from chemical suppliers to membrane manufacturers. The situation is particularly challenging for companies that rely on paper or silicone. The shortage of paper and silicone poses a particular challenge to the release film industry because of its heavy dependence on paper and silicone. The shortage has left paper and silicone suppliers struggling to meet demand, while prices have soared. In fact, in the silicone market, many interested parties are considering alternative materials in 2020 and now 2021 due to price increases and unstable supply. The supply and demand situation of release film does not seem to be greatly affected.

APAC (Asia Pacific) has the fastest growth and the largest market share. With a strong record of being the world leader in silicone production, China has the largest share of the release film market. Other regions, such as the US, followed by Europe, are showing strong signs of market growth.

Development direction of release film industry:

The release film industry is moving to thinner materials (and coatings) and higher production efficiency to reduce costs.

Whether it is used for beverage bottles or a large number of medical fields, the label occupies the largest release film market share, far leading the first. High demand in the medical sector is driving the market for thinner, easier to handle labels. This means people are starting to use synthetic materials based on thin films rather than paper, the only substrate on the market. Instead of relying on typical paper production methods, these release films are made of polypropylene, polyester and polyethylene, and can therefore be much thinner than traditional product types. Why are these materials becoming more popular? Because these thin film composites can reduce thickness by up to 60%, they have significant environmental and commercial implications. In addition to producing less waste and being more productive, it is also lighter and more efficient at storing and transporting, which means significant savings at all stages of use.

However, the market cannot continue to push release films to become thinner. If it's too thin, it won't work. Paper-based release films have proven their worth over the years and will not be replaced overnight. It remains a vital and indispensable product in certain key areas such as pressure sensitive labelling.

Traditional release films are changing to meet a variety of needs, while traditional paper and silicone release films will not be available everywhere, and as environmental issues become more important, especially in China, synthetic plastic release films have become an emerging force and may play a more important role in the future.