There are estimates that by 2030, 50% of green lettuce in the US will come from greenhouses. More and more huge greenhouse facilities are being built for this purpose. Under these controlled environmental conditions, many crops can be grown much more efficiently than in the open. A high-performance film can help make the construction of such greenhouses less expensive and even more efficient: ETFE.
Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene is a highly resistant film that, unlike conventional film-tunnel greenhouses, does not become brittle and crack after a few years. The material withstands heat, cold, hail, strong UV radiation, and chemical attack effortlessly - for well over 20 years. The film also survives mold, bacteria, or permanent exposure to moisture without damage. Together with its high transparency up into the UV range, ETFE film is an ideal solution for professional greenhouses. This is because it weighs only a fraction of glass or polycarbonate panels, which allows to make the substructure significantly lighter.
Unlike glass, the elastic film is not penetrated even by heavy hail. The tear resistance is also excellent. Nevertheless, it can happen that the foil is perforated. Before having to replace the entire roof or sidewall elements, an adhesive tape from CMC Klebetechnik, Germany, can help. The repair tape consists of a 0.1 mm thick, transparent ETFE film and is coated with a strong, aging resistant adhesive. This adhesive adheres so well even to the dirt-repellent surface of ETFE films that such a bond is permanently weather-resistant. The repair patch is almost invisible and does not affect the harvesting result.
The ETFE adhesive tape CMC 77735 is available in widths of 50 mm and 100 mm. Custom widths are also possible, for example, for chafe protection on booms and beams. The ETFE adhesive tape from CMC Klebetechnik often saves time-consuming repairs to greenhouse films and is just as durable as the film itself.
For more information:
CMC Klebetechnik
www.cmc.de