Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. introduced three new high barrier film coextrusion die models to the market during the K 2013 trade fair in Duesseldorf, Germany.
The theme of Macro Engineering & Technology Inc.’s K 2013 exhibit was barrier film extrusion technologies with emphasis on the various extrusion machinery available to produce them, including coextrusion dies. The fair served as the venue for Macro to introduce its new TaperPack™-EP, FlatPack™ and CenterPack™-EP coextrusion dies.
Many years ago, Macro recognized that due to differing market demands and applications it is difficult for one die type to be effective across all sizes and extrusion applications. In response, Macro embarked on tailoring different die designs for specific applications. Today, Macro has condensed the many different styles of die designs into three main designs.
TaperPack-EP
For dies up to 500 mm in diameter Macro employs its TaperPack™ design. The newly revamped TaperPack™-EP design utilizes a proprietary die technology (US Patent No 5690972) that improves the distribution of each layer, while maintaining its compact design with minimum number of bolts required when taking the die apart. The proprietary design is appropriate for smaller diameter multilayer dies especially suitable for double-bubble/triple-bubble technology, as well as wire and coating applications. This die design can also provide processors with the capability to create a foamed layer in a skin layer or internal layer in the system.
FlatPack
Also for dies up to 500 mm, and for processors that require the layers to be modular, Macro introduced the new patented FlatPack™ ‘mixing’ die design (US Patent No 6866498). The patented design is not only able to improve the purge time by using round channels, it can also improve the melt quality coming out of the die by using the mixing capability of the die. The die also uses a proprietary design to prevent polymer leakage while using minimum number of bolts for ease of operations. The modular design enables the processors to take apart only the layers that need to be cleaned, leaving all the other layers intact; this reduces the downtime for cleaning. This die can be used to produce structures using any barrier material including PA (Nylon), EVOH, PETG and PVdC.
CenterPack-EP
For dies larger than 500 mm in diameter, Macro introduced the CenterPack™-EP die. The die is an improvement on the existing Macro CenterPack™ die (US Patent No 7097441) in that it improves the layer ratio range by more than 30% (from 3:1 to 4:1), while reducing residence and purge time by up to 50%. The die is available up to 2m in diameter, and can be used for any 3 to 9 layer applications. The CenterPack™-EP die has up to 8 times fewer bolts than other style dies making it easier and quicker to disassemble during maintenance.
“Over the past year we have revamped our extrusion die department”, states Jim Stobie, CEO at Macro. “Our objective is to provide more versatile extrusion dies to flexible film producers; dies that allow users to manufacture a broader range of products while being more reliable and with less down time. We’ve invested in our rheology and engineering personnel to drive that innovation. We’ve refocused our blown film die offering; upgraded our CenterPack™ and TaperPack™ dies, and launched our new patented FlatPack™ die in October”.
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