The Basics of an Extrusion and Lamination Machine

The Basics of an Extrusion and Lamination Machine

An extrusion and lamination machine is used to produce laminated films that are often used in food packaging, paper cartons for beverages and snacks, and other flexible film structures.extrusion and lamination machine The molten resin in the extruder melts and bonds two different film materials together to create multilayer flexible packaging. This process can be repeated to add additional layers until the final film structure is complete or combined with adhesive lamination to make a hybrid extrusion/adhesive flexible packaging laminate.

The process is also known as film converting, and requires an in-depth understanding of several converting processes. These include blown film production, extrusion coating and lamination, printing (rotogravure and flexographic) and slitting. An extrusion and lamination supervisor must be able to effectively manage these value stream processes, including their interdependency.

This article will discuss the basics of an extrusion and lamination machine as well as some specific issues that can arise in this type of manufacturing process. The goal is to provide an overview of the technology for those who may be new to this field and to help those in the industry develop a more thorough understanding of what is involved in this highly complex operation.

Extrusion and lamination machines can be found in the majority of the world’s plastics converters. These are specialized manufacturing plants that operate on a continuous basis to produce flexible plastic film for a variety of applications. This includes packaging for consumer products, retort food, and medical and pharmaceutical supplies. In addition to an extrusion line, these facilities typically house a variety of auxiliary processes that can be used in conjunction with the extrusion and lamination lines to support manufacturing operations.

The main difference between the two types of extrusion is that in extrusion coating, a thermoplastic material is coated onto a substrate, such as paper. In extrusion lamination, a second web incorporates into the laminate and combines with the adhesive action of the coated thermoplastic material. The result is a strong, durable and moisture resistant flexible film structure.

In addition to the basic differences, there are a number of unique issues that can arise in the manufacture of flexible films using the extrusion and lamination process. These include crazing, film curl, and asymmetrical heat and cooling behavior that can cause a misalignment of the metalized layer with the substrate. To reduce crazing, the metalized film should be designed to have the lowest possible differential expansion with the substrate. This can be achieved by running the metalized film closer to the substrate or lowering the metalization temperature as long as this does not affect bond integrity.

Crinkling can occur in extrusion coating because the thermally unstable side of the film will cool faster than the thermally stable side. This can be reduced by adjusting the melt temperature, changing the extruder carriage position, or adding cooling bars to the nip. Curling can be caused by uneven heating or by poor tension control. These issues can be solved by using computer-controlled extruder dies, a higher melt pressure, or by using a multimanifold die.

Tags:double layers extrusion coating machine | extrusion laminating machine | extrusion laminating machine for pp woven