Patent ID: 7052641

Claim:
A method of making a plastics stretch film, said method comprising the steps of: a) taking a cast or blown film of plastic material; b) causing both plastic and elastic deformation of the film by stretching the film in two successive first and second stretching steps to form a stretched film, said first step having a stretch ratio higher than that of said second step; c) relaxing said stretched film substantially to release all of the elastic deformation to form a substantially relaxed film; and d) winding said substantially relaxed film into a roll; said method further comprising: providing a plurality of rollers arranged successively between a film supply, from which said film is taken and said roll; passing said film from said film supply, successively through said rollers, to said roll at various speeds to perform said first and second stretching steps and said relaxing step, wherein said first and second stretching steps are performed between first and second pairs of successive said rollers, respectively; and preventing a substantial necking down of the film being stretched by positioning the rollers of at least one of said first and second pairs sufficiently close to each other; wherein the rollers of said first pair are physically spaced at 1 mm or less and the rollers of said second pair are physically spaced at 1 mm or less.