Description

The patented design of Macro Engineering’s D10 Series Dual Lip Air Rings is the most advanced, efficient and versatile in its class. The enhanced cooling technology of the D10 Series ensures the best output rates attainable on new or existing blown film lines. The advanced chamber and lipset design combined with quality materials and precise manufacturing tolerances guarantee superb gauge uniformity. The superior bubble stability provided by the D10 Series and its easy adjustments assure simplified startup and higher productivity over a wide range of blow up ratios.

Macro’s D10 Dual Lip Air Ring is the only air ring available in the market with which the operator can make bottom lip adjustments while the bubble is up

Benefits of Macro’s D10 Dual Lip Air Ring

• Highest output rates in the industry
• Superior gauge uniformity
• Exceptional blown film properties
• Efficient operation over a wide range of blow-up ratios
• Quick locking of the bubble and easy adjustments make for simple startups
• Effective with a wide range of polymers, including those with weak melt strengths

Macro also provides automatic air rings for enhanced gauge control; the D10 PRO Auto Air Ring combines the mechanical design of the D10 Series of dual lip air rings with an efficient gauge control system based on precise supplimentary air flows.

Description

Macro’s binary air ring system (stacked air rings) provides processors with the means to increase output on blown film lines, while also improving the gauge and clarity of the film. Some key features of the D10-B Binary Air Ring System include:

• Increased output by more than 30%
• Outstanding cooling efficiency
• Superb gauge
• Excellent bubble stability
• Efficient operation over a wide range of blow-up ratios
• Quick bubble locking and easy adjustments for easy startups
• Capable of processing a wide variety of polymers

Operating Principle

The primary air ring pre-cools the resin, stabilizes the bubble and provides high velocity air to shield the bubble from plant fluctuations that can disrupt gauge uniformity.

The secondary air ring replaces the first air stream with a new, more turbulent air stream. The highly turbulent second air stream provides the enhanced cooling that leads to significantly higher throughput rates. The effective cooling also allows the bubble to be drawn to its final shape relatively quickly, producing film that has excellent clarity and gauge.

The distance between the air rings is easily adjusted with the elevating mechanism to optimize the amount of cooling supplied by the primary air ring. The goal is to allow the molten polymer to cool and gain strength, yet remain in a molten state for a prolonged time to relieve the polymer of extrusion stresses after leaving the die. This results in a low stress polymer that is balanced between the machine direction and transverse direction before passing the secondary air ring for final cooling, solidification and final orientation.

To obtain maximum benefits of the secondary air ring cooling system a bubble stabilizing cage that maintains a near-complete 360° contact with the bubble, such as a curved-arm cage, should be used. The stabilizing contact provided by the cage helps to keep the bubble steady in the turbulent air stream. The use of internal bubble cooling and automatic gauge control dies can also improve output and gauge uniformity.

Description

Outstanding gauge uniformity and cooling efficiency - the signature features delivered by our workhorse D10 dual lip air ring have been incorporated into our D10 PRO automatic gauge control air ring to make a great product even better. The D10 PRO delivers the best of both worlds to the blown film processor; superb gauge uniformity while maintaining excellent output.

The D10 PRO’s patented design delivers the desired improvement in gauge uniformity while preventing any loss in cooling efficiency. Its operating principle assures a quick response time to any input for thickness correction. All these features make the D10 PRO the most advanced, efficient and versatile automatic gauge control air ring available in the market.

Operating Principle

The primary lip of the D10 PRO is circumferentially segmented into a series of air passages that channel the air that impinges on the melt as it exits the die. As with the standard D10 air ring, the air fed to the primary lip is a small stream diverted from the blower air supply that feeds the air ring chamber. This small amount of primary air does not hinder the performance of the D10 PRO. Most of the air is still directed to the secondary lip to maintain excellent gauge control and bubble stability. This feature makes the patented design of the D10 PRO stand out from other designs for its operational efficiency. It does not blow away excessive air, which wastes this resource and the energy used to handle it. It does not require an additional blower or use compressed air, which would add complexity and energy to the process. Finally, it does not need to heat air to operate, which would otherwise waste the energy that had been previously used to cool the air.

The air flow in the segments are controlled by valves that restrict or increase the air flow through the passages, as required. When a thick spot is detected, the air flow on the corresponding segment is restricted to locally reduce the cooling of the melt. This permits the melt to be drawn out further towards the deflector lip to stretch the film and thin the film.