By Ron Shinn
Italian blown film extrusion equipment manufacturer Macchi SpA displayed its R-POD Flex line at K 2022, a five-layer system characterized by very high productivity and use of recycled material.
The R-POD Flex is the newest machine in Macchi’s POD Flex line.
Macchi said the line is capable of extruding up to 2,645.5 pounds of recycled materials per hour at about 8.2 feet net width.
The line uses an integrated, fully automatic, six-component batch-gravimetric feed system and an active loading control system to reduce the time needed for material changeover and blender cleaning.
Extrusion screws have been redesigned to provide greater flexibility in processing different materials, the company said.
The R-POD Flex uses continuous-type screen changers to avoid machine downtime. It has a new TE556 Coex-flex series extrusion head that is designed to manage both polyolefins and recycled film formulations on the same line.
Macchi said a high-flow-rate air cooling ring is fully automatic and boosts repeatability.
A new take-off unit with a lower profile, the ST426R, makes operation safer.
The R-POD Flex comes with a BoPlus winder with axial drive for gap and contact winding in face-to-face configuration. The winder is equipped with the latest Smart Load system for automatic reel handling in the twin configuration. Width range is 40 inches to 150 inches. It can accommodate film from 0.24 mil to 10 mils thick. Maximum winding speed is 820 feet per minute.
Other features on the new line include a no-contact film thickness control system, production fumes-exhaust system, a fully motorized gusseting system, bilateral corona treatment and an annealing stretching unit.
A new model Macchi IoT line supervision system, featuring integrated OEE monitoring, production breakdown analytics and maintenance prediction functions, controls the line.
Ron Shinn, editor
Contact:
Collin Lab & Pilot Solutions Inc., Tucker, Ga., 678-325-6708, www.collin-solutions.com
Macchi North American Plastic Machinery Inc., Dalton, Ga., 706-529-4643, www.macchi.it
Reifenhäuser Inc., Maize, Kan., 316-260-2122, www.reifenhauser.com
Ron Shinn | Editor
Editor Ron Shinn is a co-founder of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and has been covering the plastics industry for more than 35 years. He leads the editorial team, directs coverage and sets the editorial calendar. He also writes features, including the Talking Points column and On the Factory Floor, and covers recycling and sustainability for PMM and Plastics Recycling.
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