Extrusion Dies Industries LLC

Last month bought three changes of significance among equipment suppliers of extruded film and sheet.•Gloucester Engineering Co., Gloucester Mass., announced it had acquired Future Design Inc., Mississauga, Ont.

Processing Technologies International (PTi), recently took the wraps off its “dryer-less” twin-screw PET sheet extrusion system at its headquarters in Aurora, Ill.

They call it the “The Beast,” a new sheet line installed recently by custom extruder Rowmark in Findlay, Ohio (rowmarkllc.com). It’s nearly as long as the new 175 x 75 ft facility built to house it.

New technology to process nano blown films unveiled by Dow at Antec. Nano cast film, sheet advances too.

Cleaning flat dies; injecting hollow parts.

Flat film and sheet toolmakers are focusing on technologies for nanolayer systems.

A new-generation feedblock for flat-die coextrusion simplifi es fine-tuning of layer thicknesses, reducing downtime.

Sheet processors know that the key to productivity is maximum extruder uptime.

In blown film, equipment and material suppliers have come together to push five-layer technology into non-barrier applications previously held by three-layer films.

In most segments of extrusion technology, the word at K 2010 is more.

A new die system for extruded PS foam board from Extrusion Dies Industries (EDI), Chippewa Falls, Wis., is said to dramatically reduce downtime for product changeovers, enhance control over product dimensions, reduce scrap, and eliminate shutdowns for die maintenance.EDI says the new XPS foam board die technology makes it possible to accomplish a product changeover on the fly in only 15 min, vs. the usual 8-10 hr.The added uptime offsets most of the output loss imposed by the switch to HFC blowing agents, EDI says.Key features include a separate, independently adjusted forming box that makes possible product changeovers without stopping the production line; and an adjustable, full-manifold internal deckle that can be used to modify both the width and thickness of the board.Foam board processor DiversiFoam Products reports that by using the new EDI system at its Rockford, Minn., plant, it has virtually eliminated downtime for scheduled thickness setups, making it possible to produce 11% more saleable product.(715) 726-1201 • extrusiondies.com Extrusion Dies, Inc. 911 Kurth Rd.

Extrusion machinery at the June NPE show in Chicago showed inventive ways to get more out of your floorspace and materials.

This NPE show won’t have a lot of extruders on the floor, either running or static. Instead, look for videos and announcements of new technology. You will also find lots of ingenious peripheral devices to improve output and quality and save resin. Some will do all three, and cost less into the bargain.

Last year, Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC in Chippewa Falls, Wis., bought Quality Machine of Chippewa Falls Inc., a reconditioner of blown film dies.

Injection MoldingHybrid Press Has Electric ClampNew injection presses that combine servo-electric and hydraulic movements to achieve high performance with energy efficiency will be discussed by Arburg Inc., Newington, Conn.

A special lab for customer trials at Extrusion Dies Industries LLC in Chippewa Falls, Wis., is equipped with EDI’s latest layer-multiplying feedblocks for making microlayer films with dozens or even hundreds of layers.

Dramatic production demonstrations of cast and blown film set throughput records on the show floor in Dusseldorf.

A spring-loaded external deckle for extrusion coating dies is the fi rst device to allow automatic, computer-controlled adjustment of coating widths, according to EDI Extrusion Dies Industries LLC, Chippewa Falls, Wis.

Since Extrusion Dies Industries LLC, Chippewa Falls, Wis., bought Liberty Coating Equipment in Sussex, Wis., in February, EDI's larger machining capacity allows Liberty to quote its specialized slot dies up to 30 ft wide, vs. 80 in. before.

 NPE 2006 presented a bevy of features to make film, sheet, pipe, and profile extrusion more efficient.

The new factor in extrusion machinery at this NPE is the influx of Asian suppliers.

Taking a concept from hydraulic toggle closing for massive dies used in rubber extrusion, Extrusion Dies Industries (EDI) LLC, Chippewa Falls, Wis., designed and built a new concept for rapidly releasing the clamp force on a flat die without bolts.

Early microlayer films gave an iridescent shimmer to decorative packaging. The newest films with hundreds and even thousands of layers are designed for gas barrier, uv blocking, electronic displays, and high-strength window-glass laminates. As applications grow, more processors want in on the action.

At K 2004, at least a half-dozen European machine builders will show new direct-drive extruders running gearless—or nearly gearless—drives with substantially higher rpm and output rates than conventional extruders of the same size.

In the hyper-competitive stretch-film market, more layers often mean more market share. Moving from five layers to seven or nine can give an edge through higher performance or reduced cost.

NPE will show higher outputs of practically everything, as advances in grooved feeds, servo drives, screw torque, mixing screws, dies, and downstream cooling, cutting, and handling make everything run faster.

Gearless extrusion, cryogenic profile calibration, wireless data communications, and automatic start-up of blown film lines are just a few of the new ways to raise efficiency and output that were highlighted at NPE.

Without changing the inner workings of the die, Extrusion Dies Inc., Chippewa Falls, Wis., has come up with a revolutionary way to assemble flat dies without bolts. The closing mechanism replaces conventional die bolts with rods actuated by hydraulic toggles to hold the die halves together.

Probably the most intriguing news in extrusion at K 2001 will be a novel way to extrude clear film that differs from standard blown and cast methods.

What do extra layers add? Plant manager David London says they let Quintec make "the strongest films on the market today.

As sheet extruders consolidate, they're modernizing operations to raise output and efficiency. The pressure is on to run faster, wider, with more layers and innovative combinations of materials. The challenges multiply as sheet extrusion is teamed with in-line compounding and downstream operations like thermoforming.