A new die for coextruding barrier films up to 11 layers can be used to produce structures using any barrier material including nylon, EVOH, PETG, and PVdC. Extrusion technology supplier Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. will introduce the new FlatPack die at K 2013 (Hall 16 at Stand B06).

Macro said it has optimized the dies design, including utilizing round flow channels throughout. This streamlines the flow of polymer, while optimizes residence time distribution and shortening it. This reduced residence time is said to virtually eliminate interfacial instability, which makes the die more versatile for a wider range of film structures. Another bonus: the die features shortened purging times, allowing processors to perform faster product changeovers with reduced scrap generation.

Macro CEO Jim Stobie says the new FlatPack is the product of a “revamped” extrusion die department at Macro. “Our objective is to provide more versatile extrusion dies to flexible film producers; dies that allow users to manufacture a broader range of products while being more reliable and with less down time,” Stobie said in a release. Part of that revamping included investments in Macro’s rheology and engineering personnel, and a refocusing by the company on its blown-film die offering with an upgrade to it CenterPack die and the launch of the new FlatPack die in October.

Macro said the new 9-layer FlatPack configuration has been shown to reduce residence time by up to 30%, while shortening purging time by 20%. The FlatPack also gives processors the flexibility to alter film structures by swapping layers, such as reconfiguring an A/B/C/D/E structure to A/C/D/B/E.

The die has a short height and is available in up to 760-mm die diameter. Macro said the focus of its K 2013 stand will be barrier films. The company will display a 9-layer CenterPack coextrusion die, which Macro recently upgraded to improve processing versatility and reduce residence time.

CenterPack reimagined
Macro said in a release that it has redesigned its CenterPack coextrusion die for blown film to improve versatility and minimize residence time. The result: the die’s layer ratio range was improved by more than 25% (from 3:1 to 4:1) while reducing residence and purging time by 40-50%. With these upgrades, Macro said the new CenterPack die can process blown and cast film grade resins without any interlayer clarity issues.

Available to process film structures up to 9 layers and in die diameters up to 2m, the newly redesigned CenterPack die can offer film quality for nylon 6, EVOH, PP, PETG, plastomers, and LLDPE for laminating and thermoforming applications. The die is a stackable design using a center-fed system that minimizes residence time, fast purging and delivers flat film with gauge better than ± 5% (2-sigma).