6/9/2023
Delta Blown Film Extruder Solution Offers One-Stop Control for Plastic Packaging Production and Enhances Commissioning Efficiency by 80%
Plastic packaging is widely used for diverse functions in contemporary life, such as for snack packs, hygiene product bags, industrial products like agricultural plastic sheets, medical supplies packaging, and even antistatic bags and wafer seals used in the electronics industry. Blown film extruders are commonly employed for manufacturing plastic packaging. The process begins by heating plastic material with an extruder until it melts. The molten plastic is then sent to the rotary die head, which rotates and heats the plastic to ensure an even thickness. Next, the inflation system injects compressed air to expand the plastic. After cooling down, the plastic solidifies into blown plastic film. The traction system further folds and cuts the blown film, and finally the winder winds up a set length of the blown film to collect plastic packages on rolls.
A blown film extruder connects several stations with different functions. However, in traditional production lines, machines are not connected to each other and rely heavily on manpower in on-site commissioning, which can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. In a dynamic market, if the production data of each station cannot be recorded automatically, production know-how will be difficult to accumulate, which may influence product quality control in the long run.
To address these pain points, Delta has introduced its Blown Film Extruder Solution. By utilizing Delta’s diverse automation products, the solution integrates all the stations along the production line by a one-stop control host. At the beginning of the process, the extruder adopts the Vector Control Drive C2000 Series, which reduces energy consumption by 20% and is suitable for both permanent magnet and induction motors. To record and control the temperature of the molten plastic, Multi-Channel Modular Temperature Controller DTM Series are installed along the production line to control up to 64 temperature points, effectively saving wiring costs. The Human Machine Interface DOP-100 Series connects all the station data and achieves one-stop parameter adjustment based on processing needs. To precisely control the temperature of the rotary die head, Temperature Controller DT Series are installed on the rotary die head and transmit the collected data to the HMI via wireless network by IEEE 802.11 WLANs DVW Series, solving the difficulties of temperature data collection and wiring on the rotary die head. At the end of the process, the winder is equipped with the AC Servo Drive & Motor ASDA-B3 Series, which enables the winder to precisely control output, rotation speed, and tension.
Delta’s Blown Film Extruder Solution offers the following benefits:
- All-in-One Central Control
The solution establishes an open communication architecture that connects the extruder, the rotary die head, and the winder through EtherCAT and Modbus communication protocols. The HMI offers recipe selection and enables centralized digital operation for fast commissioning, enhancing the commissioning efficiency by 80%.
- High Commissioning Efficiency
By adopting Delta’s automation products, the solution integrates temperature controllers and operation interfaces to record temperature control digitally, save wiring costs, and switch parameters instantly and simultaneously, eliminating the need to adjust independent equipment one by one.
- Digital Quality Management
The solution provides a centralized control of temperature, speed recipe, auxiliary machinery and wheel pressure to prevent overheating and consequent quality issues. In the meantime, it automatically monitors and records machine health status, overload frequency, and anomalies, for scheduling maintenance.
Delta’s Blown Film Extruder Solution incorporates Delta’s automation products to streamline plastic film production by effectively connecting stations, which allows instant recipe control and speeds up commissioning. The solution enhances production efficiency and product quality, helping customers in the rubber and plastics industry embrace the trend for smart manufacturing transformation.