Addex Inc., a global supplier of auto-profile and other related cooling systems for blown film lines, has launched the Intensive Cooling Experience (ICE) system, a cooling technology that increases output by 40% to 60% for blown film extrusion lines.
The ICE system adapts 40-year-old cooling technology and represents an improvement over conventional air-ring technology.
The ICE system provides processors both increased performance as well as quality, and is simple and easy to operate.
The newpatent pendingICETMElement design consists of a series of cooling rings arranged in a stackable configuration to achieve higher output rates. Each of these air rings direct divergent airflow along the bubble, both upward and downward from each stacked cooling element, to provide high film-holding forces and peak cooling efficiency.
The high-performance divergent cooling elements are assembled using simple spacer pipes that also provide a common feed of cooling air to each cooling element level, according to Cree. The stack mounts directly to the top of the die, forming a short stack topped with anICETMenhanced Addex dual-flow air ring.
The system includes anICETMEnclosure, which fully surrounds the stack, replacing the surrounding atmosphere with a stable controllable ambient pressure. Each enclosure includes variable speed, low-pressure fans to operationally set the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the bubble. The systemincludes easy-to-interpret operator feedback and adjustment for optimizing the stability and cooling efficiency of this enclosed, stacked cooling system.
ICETM comes standard with four stackable cooling elements, yielding a guaranteed 40% to 60% increase in output, with high film quality assured by the enhanced stability of theICETMenclosure and cooling element designs.
Two cooling elements are the minimum, but generally any number can be stacked to achieve the desired output gains. Each element provides a 10% to 15% increase in output rate versus lines using conventional dual-flow air rings.Addex’sICETMsystem delivers major throughput gains for processors, while improving gauge variation and leaving other physical properties intact.
TheICETMsystem applies to all polyolefin and barrier blown film processes. It is now commercially available worldwide, with units already sold in both North America and Europe.
