HomePage > Products > User testimonials > Innovia Films 


INNOVIA FILMS take the wraps off the TITRALAB 865

Some 14,000 tonnes of Cellulose and 60,000 tonnes of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films are produced each year at the 60 acre (24.3 hectare) Innovia Films site in Wigton, Cumbria. Established in 1933, the company sells its products throughout the world.

During the last 10 years, around £100m has been invested at Wigton where production capabilities include 11 BOPP "bubbles" (special manufacturing equipment that generates improved film properties) and five cellulose casting lines supported by three state-of-the-art coaters and substantial pilot line and testing facilities in addition to film finishing, slitting and packing.

The manufacturing of these films involves a number of chemical processes (eg. breaking wood pulp down to viscous liquid). It is therefore extremely important that the chemical tanks are monitored continually throughout the day and maintained within certain ‘specification’ to ensure a high quality of product. This is where titration plays an important role in the quality control process.


INNOVIA FILMS have used RADIOMETER ANALYTICAL equipment for many years now. They originally used a VIT90 Video Titrator over fifteen years ago and then upgraded to a TIM900 Titration Manager.

Joe Barlow, Production Supervisor says “we have a history of using RADIOMETER ANALYTICAL titration equipment, which has always proved
reliable and accurate for the analysis required by our production team.”

For this reason, in 2006, Joe decided to upgrade their titration equipment
once again. This time the company purchased a TITRALAB 865 with two
ABU52 (autoburette) units, providing a total of six working burettes. The titration manager is connected to a 20-position SAC80 Sample Changer and controlled with bidirectional TITRAMASTER 85 PC Software.

The titration equipment is constantly used to perform acid-base pH titrations to measure both acid and alkaline content of baths as well as sodium thiosulphate redox titrations for their bleach baths. This complex setup has a sample changer head containing six burette dispensing tips, a mechanical stirrer, pH probe, platinum redox probe and a common reference electrode. This means that any combination of titrations may be run on the sample changer without the need for operators to change over electrodes or reagent/burettes.

Joe explains that simplicity is the key to operation “It is essential that the titration system can be run by all levels of staff. Operators require a very fast result turnaround and do not have time for reconfiguring the system. The system needs to be flexible to enable different combinations of analysis to be performed.”

The process laboratory has also recently purchased a DR2800 spectrophotometer from HACH LANGE for performing their
COD tests. This is another added benefit as far as Joe is concerned. “Dealing with one company, gives us the benefit of a one stop shop for our ongoing operational challenges. We hope to continue working with HACH LANGE for many
years to come.”

To find out more about the TitraLab 865 Potentiometric Titration Workstation please click here.



 Legal Data | Privacy Policy | Webmaster | Site Map