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Guided by feedback from converters worldwide, Nordson EDI has completely re-engineered its widely used EPC? edge bead-reducing extrusion coating die, yielding a more robust system that is even easier to operate and cuts back substantially on downtime for width changes and cleaning, the company announced today. Nordson Extrusion Dies Industries (Shanghai), will feature the enhanced system at Chinaplas 2013 (Hall 2, Booth 1A31).
The EPC system at Chinaplas (shown in the accompanying photo) will be the most advanced yet available, incorporating: 1) an Autoflex? VI automatic gauge profile control; 2) an Ultraflow? V feedblock for multilayer coatings; 3) a new-design deckle system for rapid width adjustment and simplified removal for die cleaning; and 4) a device for quick removal of die buildup. Within the Ultraflow V feedblock are adjustable “combining planes,” located where the melt streams join the central flow channel, that operate in two modes—either automatically adjusting layer material flows or permitting fine tuning through manual adjustment.
“Nordson EDI’s next-generation EPC die eliminates the need to disassemble the deckle system for cleanouts of carbonized polymer buildup inside the lip, replacing a job that used to take an hour or an hour and a half with a simple procedure that takes just five minutes,” said Sam G. Iuliano, chief technologist. “And because it is now possible to remove the entire deckle assembly as a self-contained unit, it takes half the time to completely open the die for ‘split-and-clean’ maintenance.”
Deckles are mounted at either end of a die and used for varying the width of the coating. As in the past, the next-generation EPC die includes an external deckle as a secondary seal to prevent leakage and an internal deckle system that sets coat width and seals polymer at the die exit. Internal deckle parts provide independently adjustable components that seal off portions of the internal flow channel and can be positioned to minimize edge bead. Similarly, a manual or automated system for adjusting a flexible lip of the die makes it possible to maintain coat weight uniformity.
The next-generation EPC die provides these enhancements in performance: