SML Maschinenges GmbH

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

An unusual cast-film process that drops a melt curtain of polypropylene between a flexible steel polishing belt and a chill roll has now proven successful in high-volume commercial production.

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.

New-generation winders for blown and cast film are winding bigger, better rolls at higher speeds and lower tension. They've gotten so fast that cast film lines can now realize their full productive potential.