Extrusion.

If you're looking for more productivity, increased flexibility, or better control, you'll find it at NPE.

As always, the name of the game in extrusion is getting both more and less from your equipment--more productivity and flexibility, less maintenance and need for operator intervention. Nearly every complete extrusion line at this year's show will have features to advance these goals, though the advances sometimes seem incremental. The same goes for individual components such as screen changers, gear pumps, downstream equipment, and just about every other piece of auxiliary equipment you can name.

Nowadays, though, the rub is that productivity and flexibility cannot come at the expense of quality--which explains many of the new computerized control and gauging systems that will appear at the show. Trends to look for in this department include better networking and quality-documentation capabilities.

NEWS IN BLOWN FILM

Given the ability of an automatic profile-control system to boost both quality and productivity, it's not surprising that two more systems will hit the market at NPE. Brampton Engineering of South Brampton, Ont., will introduce the 3-Sigma Thickness Control System, a relatively low-cost system at $80,000. Its air ring employs thermally actuated rods that act on a flexible lip to control the amount of air reaching a given sector of the bubble. Company president Bill Wybenga says the system will cut gauge variation by at least half--to as little as |+ or -^ 3% in some cases.

The 3-Sigma was developed with Sussex Gauging, a U.K. firm. Wybenga adds that Brampton will show the gauge-control system as part of a seven-extruder, seven-layer blown film line--the first such line, he says, to actually run at an exhibition. Using one of the company's modular dies, the line can produce everything from polyolefin structures to multi-barrier EVOH/nylon films. Brampton will also demonstrate its air-cushion bubble-stabilization cage for the first time in North America.

Also for the first time, Addex Inc. of Boston will show its new IGC system for controlling variations from within the bubble using a special IBC system (PT, Feb. '94, p. 62). And Germany's Kuhne GmbH (represented by O/K International, Sudbury, Mass.) will introduce its SmartLip blown-film profile-control system to the U.S. as part of a 60-mm blown-film line for HDPE.

Reifenhauser Inc. of Peabody, Mass., will display its Reicoflow autoprofile air-ring system in this country for the first time. Reifenhauser will also operate two blown-film lines with new features. One will produce HDPE T-shirt-bag film. Intended for rates of 700 lb/hr, the line is built around an 3.2-in., 30:1 extruder. Downstream, the line has a new oscillating nip that can accommodate larger-than-usual layflat widths of up to 63 in. Its Model KWFL 1600 surface winder now has an increased roll diam. capacity of up to 59-in.--allowing it to keep pace with a trend toward bigger rolls. The other line will be multi-purpose; it's built around a 70-mm extruder and is designed for all types of PE.

Showing off one of its less-known capabilities, Alpine American Plastics Div., Natick, Mass., will operate a line that's flexible and productive enough to handle more than the company's HDPE mainstay. This three-layer coex line will include a POS auto-gauging system that can work with either high- or low-stalk bubbles just by changing the air ring. Designed to handle up to 80-in.-wide layflats and run at rates up to 1000 lb/hr, the line will have a 300-mm die and three extruders--two 50-mm and one 75-mm--all with Dynasphere mixers and 25:1 L/D. The line, which will become Alpine's lab line, will also include a double-sheeting winder that runs at up to 800 fpm.

Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering Co. of Gloucester, Mass., will show off its first stackable coex die for blown film (PT, Feb. '94, p. 44). The Flex Stack model at the show will be a five-layer, 16-in. unit. For monolayer, the company will run a HMW-HDPE line built around an 80-mm, 30:1 Contracool extruder.

Besides running an HDPE blown film line with in-line bag machine, Kiefel Inc. of Wrentham, Mass., will discuss its new cavity-transfer mixer and its new 100-mm extruders for wide film. Sales manager Gunther Neumann sees a trend toward wider layflats--up to 80 in., for instance, rather than the previous standard of 63 in.

Several brand-new blown-film winders will be shown for the first time, such as Battenfeld Gloucester's Model 1021. This low-cost automatic surface winder with PLC control winds rolls with diam. up to 48 in. and widths to 74 in. Among its features are a transducer-controlled infeed nip and automatic cutover, automatic plunge knife, and hydraulic unloading. The Model 1021 has a max. line speed of 500 fpm and will handle rolls up to 5000 lb. Gloucester will also have on hand the new 1002-S Winder with touchscreen controls.

Brampton will introduce the CPC Winder, which has a pivoting lay-on but operates in either contact or gap modes without sacrificing constant lay-on pressure. The machine reportedly takes 30% less floor space than a linear lay-on winder.

Rounding out the new winders are two more models: American Jet Stream's Plastimac Div. in East Brunswick, N.J., will show a fully automatic winder for rolls up to 1000 mm diam. And A.R. Engineering Machine & Tools of Mississauga, Ont., will introduce a 54-in.-layflat, single-station surface winder for rolls up to 60 in. diam. It has pneumatic pressure control, pneumatic flying knife, hydraulic unloading of the finished roll, and a dancer assembly for precise tension control on larger rolls.

If environmental conditions in your plant wreak havoc with your blown-film bubbles, be sure to see the new system for maintaining constant frost-line height from D.R. Joseph Inc. of Grand Prairie, Texas. After diagnosing fluctuations in ambient temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity, this computer-based system will adjust the line's air ring or IBC to keep the frost line constant. On high-stalk HDPE lines, constant frost-line height reportedly has a beneficial influence on film properties.

Future Design of Brampton, Ont., will have its new Saturn Maximizer air ring on hand to show how it fosters improved output and bubble control. The company will also introduce a dual-lip air ring for HMW-HDPE.

CAST FILM & SHEET

Among the flat dies, this year's new entries promise greater ease of adjustment or better product quality. Look, too, for flexibility in downstream equipment, where new adjustability features have been introduced by several suppliers.

Extrusion Dies Inc. of Chippewa Falls, Wis., will introduce a new way to adjust the gap on its Ultraflex and Autoflex flat dies. Fast Gap technology shifts the gap control to the bottom lip, tripling the maximum adjustment to 0.300 in. without any shims or removal of the bottom lip. The top lip continues to be used for TD control. EDI is also introducing an Autoflex VI 30-in. die, which features new reduced-mass thermal-expansion blocks at each adjustment point. EDI reports that the new blocks offer a 50% improvement in linear movement, which permits some pre-setting of the die gap.

The Cloeren Co. of Orange, Texas, will unveil its latest automatic cast-film die, the Epic 3000 NR. At 120 in. wide, it features the company's new "negative rake" manifold design. While unwilling to reveal details before the show, company president Peter Cloeren says the die will offer up to 30% better gauge uniformity and flow stability than earlier Epic dies.

Production Components/Chippewa Valley Die of Eau Claire, Wis., will introduce its new Precision Coating Dies and a new dual-manifold die with three-piece, modular "sandwich" construction.

John Brown's Egan Div., Somerville, N.J., will introduce the Coda Die--its first internally deckled model for cast film and sheet. It features a new coextrusion manifold system. Egan will also roll out a new series of modular film winders. The new Horizon Series can be configured with various transfer options, including electrostatic, tape, and enveloper. The winders--for in-line slitting and center winding--come as single or duplex turret versions winding 24- to 40-in. roll diam.

A new approach to adjustable sheet takeoffs will be shown by Welex Inc. of Blue Bell, Pa. The company's Unistack is a multi-position roll stack. Like some other models on the market, it operates in vertical, inclined, or horizontal configurations. What's different is that the system automatically changes die position to match the stack orientation. The Unistack system's extruder has a universal-jointed die adapter that adjusts both the die elevation and inclination. An overhead gantry suspends the die and supports the line's integrated gear pump. The extruder has a digital positioning system in the base to simplify horizontal and vertical adjustments.

An adjustable roll stack will also show up at HPM's booth. The Mount Gilead, Ohio, company will introduce a new generation of its Horizontal Glazing Line. The HGL-2's roll stack not only has adjustable first and third rolls, but the elevation for the entire unit is now adjustable. The HGL-2 also features improvements to heating, cooling, and other controls, as well as new provisions for mounting a thickness gauge. Another adjustable roll stack will make news at the booth of McNeil & NRM Inc., Akron, Ohio, which will introduce the Acculayer 3000 sheet line with a roll stack capable of swinging from 45|degrees^ to horizontal.

Also in sheet lines, Davis-Standard of Pawcatuck, Conn., will introduce a 30:1 extruder/horizontal rollstack combo governed by an Epic controller. Merritt Extruder Corp., Wallingford, Conn., will show a 60 x 18 in. diam. sheet roll stack with new drive system. And Mega Machinery of Fontana, Calif., will show a computer-controlled, three-layer sheet line consisting of two 1.5-in. extruders, one 3.5-in. extruder, multi-manifold sheet die, and a roll stack with individual drives and digital roll-gap readout.

WEB GAUGING & CONTROL

In gauging for film and sheet, expect to see new sensors and systems with beefed up networking and processing capabilities, as well as some improved operator interfaces.

Adaptive Technologies Inc. of Frederick, Md., will launch two new gauging products: The True Profile Gauge provides real-time web measurement with multiple fixed beta-gauge sensors in place of a single scanning head (PT, April '94, p. 14). The company will also introduce Gamma1, one of the first solid-state gamma-backscatter gauges.

Among other sensor developments, NDC Systems of Monrovia, Calif., will introduce an on-line thickness-measurement system that uses a non-contact laser gauge. The company will also present its newest beta-gauge system with a high-efficiency detector and a more compact O-frame scanner.

Ohmart Corp. of Cincinnati will introduce a non-contact, non-nuclear caliper sensor for clear, translucent, or opaque sheet and film. Ohmart will also exhibit what could be the first gauging system based on Intel's Pentium chip--it will be available as an upgrade to the company's ConceptOne extrusion control system. In addition, Ohmart's new Integrated Line Control Module for ConceptOne gives users the ability to view, control, and report on the complete extrusion process through a single touchscreen interface.

Along similar lines, Measurex Corp. of Cupertino, Calif., will introduce new networking capabilities that let users view previously distinct measurement and quality-control systems on a single X-Windows-based operator station. This X-View station is a high-end PC running Unix. For instance, the network can now tie together the company's web-inspection and gauging systems in one place, bringing an inclusive process view from the plant-supervisory level down to the line-operator level.

Eurotherm International's Gauging Systems Div. in Billerica, Mass., will introduce Contour View, a new operator display with 3-D graphing tools, as part of its demonstration of the Extrusion Quality Cell for flat-die extrusion control. The company will also show its Spectra-Beam FSIR technology with new on-line calibration tools for discrete layer measurement and control. Eurotherm's Controls Div. will introduce the EM-2 analysis module for its Extrusion Master control system. EM-2 provides on-line report generation, trending, and SPC functionality at the cell level.

LFE Industrial Systems Corp. of Clinton, Mass., will show the Profitmaster 4x4 extrusion control system with new networking capabilities and a touchscreen operator station. LFE will also show new features on its Auto Die Profile Control system, including faster response and automatic tracking of sheet wander.

Another extrusion gauging and control vendor, Facts Inc. of Cuyohoga Falls, Ohio, will have its line-control products on extruders in the Cincinnati Milacron and McNeil & NRM booths. Facts-1500 and Facts-1501 are touchscreen-based line-control systems. And the company will also bring Scanner-5000, a gauging system with neural-network-based autotuning; it can be used with a variety of third-party scanners.

Welex, meanwhile, has updated its line-control technology. The new Ultima III Supervisory Control is the company's first distributed control system. Microprocessor-based, it features a color-touchscreen operator interface and a price around $25,000.

And T.G. Branden Corp. of Wilsonville, Ore., will introduce an extrusion adaptation of its Shotscope process-monitoring system--used only in injection molding until now. This data-acquisition system, which comes in both portable and plantwide versions, diagnoses the extrusion process by taking regular samples of data on temperature, pressure, screw rpm, and other process parameters.

FOR PIPE, PROFILES, TUBING

More is better where output capacity is concerned--and that's especially true in window-profile lines. To that end, Cincinnati Milacron of Batavia, Ohio, will display a window-profile extruder with the biggest conical twin-screw it has ever used for this application--80 mm. According to Glenn Anderson, extrusion marketing manager, the previous ceiling size was 65 mm. This CM 80 extruder will be shown with some undisclosed tooling and downstream developments that enabled the size upgrade. In addition to two other conical twin-screws, the company will also show another CM 80 extruder with pipe tooling and a new preheating system--another output-boosting feature.

Krauss-Maffei Corp. of Florence, Ky., will introduce the KMD2-60KK with a vector-drive/motor combo and will display the new KMD2-110 parallel twin-screw extruder set up for high-performance vinyl window-lineal extrusion. Also for window lines, Davis-Standard will introduce the GC8 conical twin-screw extruder with a triple-reduction gear box. And Davis-Standard will also show its first grooved-feed pipe extruder--a 3.5-in. single-screw model for polyolefins.

For hard-to-cut shapes, Specialty Extrusion Equipment Inc. of West Chicago, Ill., will introduce a new cutter with "true planetary" cutting motion--that is, one circular motion imposed on another with each driven independently. This method of high-velocity cutting on a low-velocity extrudate can be used with saws or blades. For tubing, the company is also introducing a new version of its Micro Servo Puller/Cutter, which will run on a medical line featuring a Betol extruder and LaserMike gauging equipment. With this equipment, the company plans to show "high-SPC levels," meaning eight sigma. Specialty Extrusion also will show the new the Model 3 Cutter/Puller, a more rugged servo-driven unit.

Harrel Inc. of Norwalk, Conn., will bring out a 1-in. Tubetrol line featuring the company's new common-base turnkey approach to tubing lines. "The thrust is to minimize installation misery," says sales manager Richard DeCew. "We want to just get it off the truck and plug it in." The line's extruder, gear pump, controls, motor drive, and hopper all occupy one base while the cooling trough and cutter each take their own bases. The has full ID/OD control, and its gear pump delivers melt to within 0.1% accuracy, Harrel says.

Betol Machinery Ltd. (U.S. distributor is Betol-Francis Shaw of Warwick, R.I.) will run a new three-layer coex tubing system producing a nylon/barrier automotive fuel line. Extruders will be a 2.5-in. main unit plus a 1.25-in. and a vertical 0.75-in. machine. The line will also feature, for the first time in the U.S., downstream equipment from two of Betol's European partners--a Floataire vacuum-calibration bath and a Kabelteknik integrated hauloff/servo cutter.

G.F. Goodman & Sons of Warminster, Pa., will unveil an on-demand rotary cutter with electric clutch/brake and integral pinch-roll feed assembly for running products of up to 2 in. OD at up to 300 cuts/min and line speeds to 100 fpm. Goodman also will have a new servo-driven, on-demand rotary cutter with integral caterpillar feed for up to 500 cpm on products up to 1.25 in. OD. There will also be a new caterpillar hauloff for line speeds up to 1000 fpm. And look for a new air-blow-off discharge conveyor, which uses an air curtain to collect or sort cut lengths prior to packaging.

To enhance downstream productivity, Versa Machinery Inc. of Somerville, NJ., has developed a "module work center" in conjunction with Metzner Machinenbau GmbH of Germany. The machine combines cutting with other downstream tasks like punching holes or hot cutting. The work center uses programmable servo motors and can run at speeds up to 350 cpm and 150 fpm. The company will also exhibit its new heavy-duty T-Series cutter built to international (DIN) standards. Most notable about the T-Series is its newly modular design; the electronics and other components are self-contained for easy removal and servicing. And its product capacity has been boosted up to 10 in. OD.

Progressive Machinery Corp. of Ringwood, N.J., will introduce a traverse winder for medical tubing, the Model S160. Along with a range of options, it features twin spindles for continuous operation, 24-in. spool diam., choice of 12-in. or 20-in. package width, pneumatic traverse reversals, variable pitch control, and a 16:1 speed ratio.

Pipe and profile gauging systems will also be on hand. Zumbach Electronics Corp. of Mount Kisco, N.Y., will bring its UMAC 8K, a wall-thickness gauge for large-diameter pipe and profile. It can handle up to eight ultrasonic sensors, versus four in previous units. And company vice president Ernst Henzi points out that the unit's new signal-processing capabilities offer enhanced accuracy of |+ or -^ 6 mils--down from 20 mils on earlier models. Zumbach will also introduce the ODAC 82 J modular OD gauge, which occupies 30% less space than earlier models. Its emitter and receiver can be physically separated for the sake of mounting flexibility. Or, Henzi says, the separation can allow users to distance them from the product when necessary to avoid environmental hazards. And the company will show its USYS controller. When used with the UMAC and ODAC, the USYS can control OD, ID, and wall thickness.

Rollepaal of Columbia, Md., will exhibit a new version of the PCS 2500, an ultrasonic gauging system for PVC pipe. It has been given additional processing power and made more streamlined. According to service manager Rich Leathers, the system has reduced overweight product by 50%.

NEW SMALL EXTRUDERS

Smaller is also better when it comes to laboratory and low-volume production extruders. Haake of Paramus, N.J., will introduce a line of 3/4-in. single-screw extruders in 10:1, 20:1, and 25:1 barrel lengths with various venting and feeding options. This line is a new high-temperature design--up from 715 F in the past to 900 F capacity now--for engineering resins. Haake is also showing a new line of downstream equipment for its machines--among them, sheet and wire takeoffs and blown film towers.

Akron Extruders, Inc. of Canal Fulton, Ohio, will introduce two new extruders. The Pak 075 is a 3/4-in., 24:1, air-cooled model for coextrusion, medical, and laboratory applications; it's available in floor-standing, tilt, or bench configurations. The Tilt/Pak is a four-legged, 1.5-in. machine that can be raised, lowered, and rotated about the horizontal plane--from straight down to 45|degrees^ up. A ball-screw mechanism adjusts the elevation while a 6:1 gear set adjusts the rotation from horizontal.

New from Killion Extruders Inc. of Cedar Grove, N.J., is a laboratory fiber extrusion system. It's built around a 1-in. extruder with gear pump, lubricant pump, and two ambient-temperature plus two induction-heated godets. The line has brushless d-c motor plus full closed-loop control and data-acquisition capabilities.

COMPONENTS AND AUXILIARIES

Beyond the big lines and machines, the component and auxiliary-equipment makers will show off their share of developments too. These include new mixing screws, gear pumps for specific applications, and improved screen changers.

One screw introduction will come from R. Dray Mfg. Inc. of Richardson, Texas. The company will introduce an extruder screw with a new type of mixer called the Velocity Interrupt (VI) series. These VI Screws--designated VI-1, VI-2, and VI-3--range from mostly distributive to mostly dispersive mixing and are aimed at high-, medium-, and low-viscosity resins, respectively. The design mixes by changing melt velocity as it forces the melt through grooves that start out at varied helix angles but ultimately converge. Only a month old, the VI has been tested in color-blending applications with high-levels of bottle regrind.

Great Lakes Feedscrews Inc. of Tecumseh, Mich., will exhibit its Unimix screw for the first time. In contrast to mixing sections that rely on shear, the Unimix accomplishes its task through a gentle compression and decompression of the melt as it is forced in and out of an inversely cut channel running through the mixer's eccentrically-shaped root.

Two other screw makers will show simulation software in addition to new screw designs. Migrandy Corp. of Merritt Island, Fla., will show the Reeflow computer program for 3-D analysis of non-isothermal flow velocities. The program checks temperature and pressure at any location in the channel. Migrandy will also exhibit MigrandAlloy, a new hard-facing material for abrasive applications. Based on tungsten carbide and a proprietary matrix metal, it comes in several grades: 1000, 2000, 3500, and 5000. The company will also introduce a new screw for flexible PVC.

And Scientific Process & Research, Inc. of Somerset, N.J., will introduce the Ultra-Melt, a new screw design for better melt quality. The company will also introduce a new version of its extrusion simulation software, Extrud-PC Rev. 4.10.

Akron Extruders will show its new Akroblend II "self-cleaning" screw, which has a spiral mixer with a continuous main flight. And New Castle Industries of New Castle, Pa., will introduce the Stratoblend mixing screw, which has a highly distributive, intermittently dispersive action.

Gear-pump designs, meanwhile, are getting more and more application-specific. Normag of Hickory, N.C., will introduce pump systems for processing rigid PVC and for running medical plastics. Other recent pump models and related controls will be shown by two companies based in Charlotte, N.C.: LCI Corp. will show two new lines of pumps, designated ES and EH, that were introduced at Interplas '93 in England last fall (PT, Jan. '94, p. 49). The company's new SuperPac pump/drive/control package will also be at NPE. Maag Pump Systems will show the new Extrex SP series of pumps with streamlined flow channels. (PT, April '94, p. 64).

Screen changers are evolving too, as evidenced by a crop of new features (see also Recycling section). John Brown's Beringer Div. of Marblehead, Mass., will introduce an automatic slide-plate screen changer with a new sealing mechanism that provides a lock-up force that is independent of the operator's set-up and is self-regulating according to temperature and pressure. This new sealing provision is designed to protect against thermal and mechanical damage. Other features include push-button slide actuation, reversible downstream seals, and a simplified extruder connection. The company will also show a new Jet Cleaner with programmable temperature control for cleaning any dies or other tooling sensitive to thermal changes.

High-Technology Corp., Hackensack, N.J., will introduce the Series 8900 line of fully automatic screen changers, which have re-engineered flow channels to increase effective filtration area by 20% in a body that's roughly 15% smaller. The company has also updated its controls with the Series 1000 controller. It lets users control screen movement by the pressure differential across the screen. The device previously measured upstream pressure only.

Extek Inc., Danvers, Mass., will show an engineering model of its first continuous screen changer, and will also introduce a 10-in. model of its hydraulic screen changer (PT, April '94, p. 13). Rotary models from Gneuss Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., have been modified recently (see Recycling section). And Conair Jetro of Bay City, Mich., will show an expanded size range of Conair Patt Rotary III continuous screen changers, which now include 125- and 150-mm sizes for high-output applications.

Kreyenborg & Co. of Germany (distributed by LCI) is bringing out a couple of refinements to increase screen area on its screen changers. One of them is Superplate, an insert between the breaker plate and screen pack that increases effective screen area from 58% to 98% to accommodate greater extruder outputs. The company will also introduce a four-channel filter that doubles the screen area, allowing higher output with less pressure drop. The new filter is intended for applications up to 57,000 lb/hr.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

* New blown-film autogauging system for $80,000.

* Sheet die repositions to follow the adjustable roll stack.

* Flat-die gaps adjust more conveniently.

* Much new sensor and control technology for film and sheet.