At the upcoming NPE 2009 show, Macro Engineering & Technology Inc., a Canadian supplier of blown, cast and sheet extrusion systems will be introducing the D10 PROflat System; a new blown film gauge control system based on the company’s D10 PRO Automatic Dual Lip Air Ring and a flat gauge sensor that can measure individual layer thicknesses.

The D10 PRO Automatic Air Ring uses patented valve technology that redistributes the cooling air supplied to the air ring to make appropriate film gauge corrections.  This makes the D10 PRO highly efficient compared to other automatic air rings as no additional air is needed, or wasted.  Since it is based on the company’s D10 Air Ring design, the D10 PRO is easy to use and provides excellent bubble stability and reliable gauge improvements. 

Unlike traditional blown film gauge scanning setups that read film thickness by rotating a scanner around the bubble’s perimeter, the D10 PROflat system uses a flat scanning system that reads film thickness after the bubble has been collapsed.  The software, which was developed in collaboration with ThermoFisher Scientific, takes into account the rotation of the primary nip’s randomizer to extrapolate the precise location at the air ring where the film passed through.  Feedback signals are then generated by the software and the air ring makes precise air flow adjustments to correct the gauge.

A key benefit of the flat scanner is its speed.  The flat scanner completes a full scan of the flattened bubble width in seconds, as opposed to typical rotating systems that can spend minutes to complete a full scan.  This allows the gauge control system to gather gauge data faster, which in turn, allows for quicker gauge correction and less scrap generated during production.  The speed of the flat scanning system also shortens initial startup, as the first full scan can be completed much earlier.

Another benefit of the scanner is that its equipped with an FSIR sensor that enables the processor to measure the thickness of individual layers in a multilayer film, which ultimately allows the processor to limit the use of costly barrier resins.  Alternate sensing devices may be used depending on the application.

The air ring system provides an advantage over die-based systems as it is easier and typically less costly to retrofit an air ring than an entire die package.  Macro will located at booth # 71020 in the North Building at NPE 2009.