Amcor Twinpak North America Inc. is boosting capacity and decorating capabilities at its Granby tube plant. The facility, Amcor Twinpak´s only tube plant in North America, is investing US$ 3,4 million in the project.
Malpack Ltd., USA has recently opened its third production facility. The new 80,000-sq-ft plant has more than doubled its capacity. Stretch film is the newest addition to Malpack’s product line. The new plant is equiped with Malpack’s second Battenfeld Gloucester stretch-film line, a five- layer cast film extrusion system capable of processing up to 25 million lb/yr. The 147-in. line has four extruders and produces six 20-in.-wide rolls of film.
Key Filters Inc., USA has developed a new hydraulic slide-plate screen changer which is believed to be the only one with body and frame cast as one piece of high-strength steel. This is said to make installation and bore alignment easy. Beside this type called Model KSP the company also makes manual slide-plate and continuous screen changers. Model KSP has expanded screen area, a pressure-activated seal and single-zone temperature control.
How do you make 10 layer film sheeting on a 5 layer die? The Dual Spiral System (DSS), is a new patented concept in co-extrusion blown film and blow molding. The DSS enables processors to take advantage of the improvements brought about from adding layers without adding additional equipment costs. By dividing each individual layer into two separate layers, the enhanced structural and physical properties of each layer material can be taken advantage of. This means that a five extruder DSS die would in fact be producing a 10 layer film.
Dual Spiral System (DSSTM) Co-extrusion dies:
The DSS provides a doubling of the number of layers in a die, superior streamlining and mixing of melt-flow, temperature isolation and a new standard in die design for simplicity and flexibility to add layers to the die configuration. The DSS is available 1 to 11 layers, in sizes of 1-55in (25-1400mm). For more information visit: http://www.dualspiralsystems.com
DuPont Teijin Films will expand its PET film capacity in China through a partnership with Ningbo Wuzhou Films Ltd. of Ningbo. The company will help restart a PET film line in Ningbo that was shut down about a year ago. The line will add about 22 million pounds of annual capacity to DuPont Teijin´s current capacity of 660 million pounds per year around the world.
Extrusion Dies, Inc. (EDI), the largest producer of flat dies for film, sheet, and coatings, has established a new web site that provides extrusion processors and web converters anywhere in the world with instant access to information about making their old dies as good as new, it was announced today by William M. Monpas, Manager of EDI’s Die Remanufacturing Service. The site, www.reworkdies.com, describes the advanced engineering and machining systems used by EDI to restore dies to as-new condition, outlines options for modifying die dimensions or adding capabilities such as automated gauge control, discusses typical costs and lead times, and provides an e-mail link to Die Remanufacturing Services.
The Madison Group, USA introduced its new mixing breaker plate, when bolted onto an existing tubing or profile extruder, improves performance. Madison said the breaker plate generates elongational flows, creating dispersion and distributive mixing. The unit helps eliminate gel problems. Adding a barrel extension allows the addition of several rings. The rings can be rotated relative to each other, causing distributive mixing as the material flows from one ring to the next. Tel. (608) 231-1907, fax (608) 231-2694, e-mail info@madisongroup.com
Filmquest Inc., USA has diversified into specialty bag converting by acquiring Panaflex Packaging Inc., USA. The company completed moving Panaflex´s equipment to Filmquest´s Columbus plant about Nov. 10.
A slimmer, low-cost version of a standard gamma-backscatter thickness gauge is newly available from NDC Infrared Engineering, USA. Called AccuProbe, it uses a small, flashlight-sized sensor for measuring thickness from only one side of cast or blown film, sheet or pipe. Measurement is unaffected by shifts in resin density or color.
A new spooling machine from Progressive Machine Co., USA has high-precision tension control to wind flexible tubing and delicate profiles without damage. Model S190-EC is a dual, alternating-spindle traverse winder for finished packages up to 36 in. diam. x 30 in. wide. It has standard tension control of 0.5 to 5 lb and max. line speed of 350 ft/min. Lower tension ranges are optional.